• Who am I?

    I am Qrystal; or at least, that's my dot-name! Har har. (My name is really Crystal, but that's not as internet-searchable; hence, switching the C for the little-used letter Q.)

    I am here because I enjoy writing. I do this mostly for myself, but I also have a passion for helping others learn things from the things I write. Now that I am done my Ph.D. in Physics, I am stepping away from academic research so that I can indulge in some creative ways to share my knowledge and inspire the appreciation of scientific thinking in others. I am also working as a tutor, which is one of the jobs I've most enjoyed doing in my life so far.


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    • Venus-Jupiter-Moon Conjunction

    Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

    My favourite photo of the Venus-Jupiter-Moon conjunction that peaked just a few days ago was this Astronomy Picture of the Day, which was apparently taken on my birthday! Please click through to read the description, as it has some good links with more explanation of the phenomenon. The site also says that tomorrow’s APOD will [...]

    Farewell, Phoenix

    Monday, November 10th, 2008

    Phoenix Mars Lander sent its farewell transmission from Mars today: 01010100 01110010 01101001 01110101 01101101 01110000 01101000 <3 (Translation: Triumph and Love.) After that, the only messages in the tweetstream were ones labelled as coming from Phoenix mission ops, explaining that “Phoenix is no longer communicating with Earth.” Poor little droid! R.I.P. I’m actually teary-eyed now… although I guess I knew [...]

    Phoenix Tracks the Midnight Sun

    Thursday, July 24th, 2008

    Yesterday, Mars Phoenix shared another gorgeous image with the world: the Midnight Sun on Mars.  (I can’t help but think of Phoenix as having a personality, because of the first-person perspective tweets I follow on twitter!)

    Big Earth, Little Moon

    Thursday, July 17th, 2008

    “HOLY FRAK! Moon transits Earth!” So says Phil Plait, famed “Bad Astronomy” debunker. This video is indeed awe-inspiring, and even though his article prepared me for awesomeness, I still found myself with my breath caught in my throat.  The moon really looks like such a little rock orbiting the earth, and just the visual impact [...]

    Sunset on Mars

    Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

    NASA – Sunset on Mars This isn’t from Phoenix, but it’s still purdy and relevant, since Mars is in the news so much lately.

    Tweets from Another Planet

    Thursday, May 29th, 2008

    I find it absolutely delightful that someone is twittering as @MarsPhoenix, giving “live” updates about the happenings on Mars and the research going on. I can’t help but wonder who is actually doing the twittering though!! Is it someone from NASA? An interested fan? Someone like @BadAstronomer or another famous science journalist?

    The Flash of a Supernova

    Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

    “…[T]he X-ray flash from the supernova only lasted about five minutes. If Swift had not been looking right at the spot at right at that moment, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would have been lost. That’s how cool this is.” Bad Astronomy Blog » Birth cry of a supernova I, personally, have been rooting for astronomers to catch [...]

    Eclipse epiphany, or lunar lunacy?

    Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

    I stood there, gazing at the moon, unblinking in its oranged glow. I had a promise in mind, to myself and for myself. The idea had only sprouted barely an hour or so prior, and it was only getting more potent… and terrifying. But I believe it will work. I’m not superstitious by any means, [...]