Paul A. Heckert
I am a university professor who has been teaching physics and astronomy for about 30 years. I have a Ph.D. in astrophysics specializing in observational astronomy. My work has led to over 60 published research articles in journals such as Astronomical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysical Journal, The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and The Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. Currently my research concentrates on variable stars, but I have also done work on star formation and quasars. I have enjoyed the night sky since early childhood and try to turn as many people as possible on to the wonders of the universe by both teaching and writing. I hope to make you as curious about the night sky and about how the universe works as I am.
If you would like to learn more about astronomy, I offer a self paced on line college course on the solar system via the University of North Carolina Friday Center for Continuing Education.
I took my first steps when I was a little less than a year old and haven't stopped taking them since. As a very avid runner and walker, I have been running regularly for over 40 years and usually walk to work. I have completed over two dozen marathons or ultramarathons as well as many dozens of shorter races. I hope that I can pass on some of what I have learned by running and walking all these years.
My Editor's Choice award winning articles on Suite101 include:
Coriolis Effect: Toilets & Drains in Northern & Southern Hemispheres
Why Earthquakes Change Rotation Rate of Earth
Why Are Earth, Planets, Sun, & Raindrops Round
Discovery of the Super Earth Planet GJ 1214b
Balancing an Egg on the Equinox
How Amateurs Can Contribute to Astronomy
Should Mankind Return to the Moon and Go to Mars
Understanding Physics of Inertial Forces
Obama's Energy Secretary Suggests White Roofs
The Harsh Surface Environment of Venus
Why There Is no Atmosphere on the Moon
Can Hubble Space Telescope See Flag on the Moon?
Is There Gravity on the Moon or in Space?
What Happened to the CERN Large Hadron Collider
Understanding the Ideal Gas Law
Astronomical Names in Harry Potter
Latest Articles
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Venus Transits Sun June 5/6, 2012
When Venus passes between the Earth and Sun, it transits the Sun. Pairs of Venus transits typically occur over a century apart.
Jan 4, 2012
- Paul A. Heckert
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Dates and Places to Observe Lunar Eclipses During 2012
When the Moon passes through Earth's shadow, stargazers see a lunar eclipse. When and where are the lunar eclipses in 2012?
Jan 3, 2012
- Paul A. Heckert
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Dates and Places to Observe Solar Eclipses During 2012
When the Moon's shadow passes across a small portion of Earth, stargazers see a solar eclipse. When and where are the solar eclipses in 2012?
Dec 27, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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Why Massive and Light Objects Fall Down with Same Acceleration
Regardless of their mass all objects fall to Earth's surface at the same rate. Why does the downward acceleration of gravity not depend on mass?
Nov 27, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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Physics Nobel Prize Winners 2011
Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Riess won the 2011 Nobel prize in physics for discovering that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
Oct 14, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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How Kepler Mission Discovered a Double Sun Planet, like Tatooine
NASA's Kepler spacecraft discovered a planet orbiting the eclipsing binary star Kepler-16 every 229 days. How did astronomers make this discovery?
Sep 22, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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The Importance of Serendipity in Scientific Discovery
Serendipity plays an important role in scientific discoveries, but it takes an exceptional scientist to follow up on lucky breaks.
Aug 10, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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Archimedes's Principle: How Much Water Does a Ship Need To Float?
Just how much water does a large ship need to float? Could, for example, a battleship float in a bathtub? Panama Canal locks provide a good illustration.
Jul 24, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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Air Resistance and Drafting in Bicycling and Running
The reason drafting, or riding behind another rider, is common in bicycle but not running races results from the physics of air resistance.
Jun 24, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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Why the Same Side of the Moon Always Faces Earth: Tidal Locking
How friction from tidal forces affects the Earth and Moon, slowed the Moon's rotation rate until a lunar day equals a month, and slows Earth's rotation.
May 8, 2011
- Paul A. Heckert
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