AAS 205th Meeting, 9-13 January 2005
Session 112 Astronomy Teaching Through Humanities
Poster, Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 9:20am-6:30pm, Exhibit Hall

## [112.04] Diamonds in the Sky

M. Brotherton (Wyoming)

My first science fiction novel, {\em Star Dragon}, just recently available in paperback from Tor, features a voyage to the cataclysmic variable star system SS Cygni. My second novel, {\em Spider Star}, to appear early in 2006, takes place in and around a dark matter planet'' orbiting a neutron star. Both novels are hard'' science fiction, relying on accurate physics to inform the tales. It's possible to bring to life abstract concepts like special relativity, and alien environments like accretion disks, by using science fiction. Novels are difficult to use in a science class, but short stories offer intriguing possibilities. I'm planning to edit an anthology of hard science fiction stories that contain accurate science and emphasize fundamental ideas in modern astronomy. The working title is {\em Diamonds in the Sky}. The collection will be a mix of original stories and reprints, highlighting challenging concepts covered in a typical introductory astronomy course. Larry Niven's classic story, Neutron Star," is an excellent demonstration of extreme tidal forces in an astronomical context. {\em Diamonds in the Sky} will include forewards and afterwards to the stories, including discussion questions and mathematical formulas/examples as appropriate. I envision this project will be published electronically or through a print-on-demand publisher, providing long-term availabilty and keeping low cost. I encourage interested parties to suggest previously published stories, or to suggest which topics must be included.