Strange New Worlds: Seeking Other Earths

Last time, I talked about the search for planets and solar systems around other stars, and the progress astronomers have made in finding them. From knowing only the planets in our own Solar System some 20 years ago, w...

March 17, 2013

Strange New Worlds #5: Here Come The Earths!

Here Come the Earths!These are truly exciting times, not only for astronomers, but also for Star Trek fans, especially those with an eye on the list of planets we have encountered in the over 1000 hours of Star Trek. ...

January 25, 2013

Strange New Worlds #4: Playing Hide-And-Seek At Titan

While watching the latest Star Trek movie, introducing us to Kirk and company at a much earlier time in their lives, one scene in particular stood out for the astronomer in me. Nero had destroyed Vulcan, and was about...

October 30, 2012

Strange New Worlds #3: The Galactic Barrier

Just the other day I was watching the remastered version of The Original Series episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Finding the ejected log of a captain who apparently self-destructed his starship USS ...

August 24, 2012

Strange New Worlds #2: The Voyager-Hubble Connection

As early as when watching Star Trek: The Original Series as a teenager in Germany, I wondered about the purple and orange planets the crew seemed to be orbiting every other week. From my astronomy books, I knew that t...

May 13, 2012

Strange New Worlds #1: NASA's Kepler Mission

StarTrek.com is pleased to introduce the newest member of our guest blogger family, Inge Heyer. A frequent convention guest, Heyer is an expert in physics and astronomy, as well as a Star Trek fan and former senior...

February 03, 2012