Happy Halloween

I suppose I should come up with something extra-scary to talk about on Halloween. Well, after a month of monster haikus, there's not much I can think of right now.

Except this: today marks the last day voting is open for naming those 20 exoplanets I was talking about before. The winners will be announced any day now. And if that isn't scary, I don't know what is.

Happy Halloween from the IAU!

Alien-tober Month-Long Monster Mash!

The Gist: In the spirit of Halloween, every day for the month of October I will spotlight some alien monster from science fiction. But before you start cheering because you think you'll be getting seven times the blogging out of me, let me qualify that. Since I work full-time, and because I like sleeping, I will not be giving a detailed analysis every day but instead offer a haiku. Check back at this post every day for updates!

I will accept suggestions for consideration in the comments, but bear in mind I generally restrict my blog topics to sci-fi works I am familiar with.

Without further adieu...

Oct 1
Headcrab (Half-Life)

Discount Facehugger
Is Ridley Scott gonna sue?
I like this thing more.

Oct 2
Slitheen/Raxacoricofallapatorian (Doctor Who)

Calcium-based life
I've heard of alternate chem...
But that's a new one.

Oct 3
Tholian (Star Trek)

Sixties effects, but...
Quintessential example
Of silicon life

Oct 4
Sarlacc (Star Wars)


Plant-animal blend
But sends seeds to new planets?
That's just ludicrous.

Oct 5
Black Beast of Aaaaaaaaargh (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Cartoon peril, yes
But lots of eyes, just two legs.
A bit top-heavy.

Oct 6
Chryssalid (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

Giant bugs are cool
But the zombie element?
Done to death so much.

Oct 7
Great Leonopteryx (James Cameron's Avatar)

Made of raw awesome
Apex predator, colors,
Who wouldn't want one?


Oct 8
Shoggoth (Cthulhu Mythos)

Source

Gooey body form
More eyes than necessary
What holds this thing up?


Oct 9
Thresher Maw (Mass Effect)

Sandworm meets Sarlacc
Supposedly a big threat
Too easy to kill

Oct 10
Horta (Star Trek)

Monster is a mom
No eyes, yet likes Vulcan ears?
Silicon node eggs.

Oct 11
Dalek (Doctor Who)

One-eyed mutant squid
Looks like H.G. Wells's Martian
Cry EXTERMINATE!!!

Oct 12
Metroid (Metroid)

Floating jellyfish
Sucks the life right out of you
Complex life cycle

Oct 13
Dimorphodon (Jurassic World...and, uh, real life...)

That oversized head...
So terrifyingly wrong.
Quick! Kill it with fire!

Oct 14
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Super-predator
Actually dumb as rock
Keep a towel close

Oct 15
Moldorm (Legend of Zelda)

Tough-skinned desert slug
Another sandworm creature
Only much smaller

Oct 16
Otachi (Pacific Rim)

Acid spit and wings
Can lift a Jaeger with claws
Must be super strong

Oct 17
Predator (Predator)

Permanent dreadlocks
With quad-mandible mouth shape
And very sneaky

Oct 18
Xenomorph (Alien)

Obligatory
Acid blood? Are you kidding?
I am not a fan

Oct 19
Elder Thing (Cthulhu Mythos)

Wings? Solar sails!
Weird radial symmetry
Tentacle fingers?

Oct 20
Pig-lizard (Galaxy Quest)

Two legs, and no arms
No neck to break, falling down
What is his diet?

Oct 21
Cave-Troll (The Lord of the Rings)

Man-shaped, but more beast
Berserker brute, watch your back
Where does he get food?

Oct 22
Vortigaunt (Half-Life)

Third arm, proboscis?
Can shoot electricity
Friendly in sequel

Oct 23
MUTOs (Godzilla)

Glowing eyes? How so?
Feeding on radiation
Lots and lots of eggs

Oct 24
Colo Claw Fish (Star Wars)

Big fish with two arms
Yet not apex predator
Always bigger fish

Oct 25
Octorok (Legend of Zelda)


Four-tentacled bod
Spits boulders from the shallows
Where'd he get the rocks?

Oct 26
Vermicious Knid (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator)

Shapeshifting green blob
Can survive in outer space
Burns in re-entry

Oct 27
Judoon (Doctor Who)

Big head; top-heavy?
If Judge Dredd were a rhino
This is how he'd look

Oct 28
Varren (Mass Effect)

Alien dog-fish
Neat, but a tad generic
Domesticable!

Oct 29
Space Slug (Star Wars)

Just what's he made of?
And just what does this guy eat?
So many questions...

Oct 30
Hengrauggi (Star Trek - 2009 film)

Bright red like lobster
Scary mouth and scary tongue
How'd he break the ice?

Oct 31
Cthulhu (Cthulhu Mythos...duh...)

(Source)

Wings? Underwater?
Pioneered tentacle beards.
Weak to ramming ships.

"The Martian" Proves Me Wrong

"There is a theory which states that the universe is built on uncertainty and that a definitive statement/action creates a momentary energy vacuum into which flows a diametrically opposing statement/action. Famous vacuum-inducing statements include: 'Surely that's not going to fit in there.' 'I am sick of betting the same numbers every week. They are never going to come up.' 'We are a peaceful people. Not even the Armorfiends of Striterax would want to pick a fight with us.' 'You look gorgeous in that sweater, Felix. There is no way anyone is going to call you a freak and throw you in a dumple composter.'"

-Eoin Colfer, And Another Thing...

I guess that's what happened after I said that Mars is boring. It took its sweet time coming back to bite me, but bite me it did. First we find out there's actual, flowing water on Mars, and then less than a week later The Martian comes out and makes me fall in love with the Red Planet. And yes, SPOILERS FOLLOW.

Based on the novel by webcomic artist Andy Weir, The Martian is only the second movie in the space of a year to feature Matt Damon stuck on another planet. And despite my growing love of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, I actually think The Martian may be a better movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it's even "harder" sci-fi than Nolan's movie, and perhaps most importantly, levity is in no short supply. Also, there is so much clever MacGyvering in this movie.

I saw this movie in 3D and for once, I'm glad I did. I've seen my fair share of movies in 3D but only because the showtime was convenient; the only thing I resent more than shelling out $14 for a two-hour movie is being assaulted with nightmare-fuel-loaded horror trailers in the pre-show when all I wanted was to see Matt Damon stuck on Mars (hey guys, PG-13 is not an invitation for you to induce night terrors). But I digress...

This movie benefits from the 3D because of all the long shots of the Martian landscape (Acidalia Planitia, to be specific). And what a landscape it is!

Source: comingsoon.net

The backgrounds are just beautiful; they remind me of the planets that Spaceman Spiff would often crash into (Bill Watterson was a pro at that). The landscapes are often dynamic with dust clouds racing by in the yellow-gray sky or even dust devils spinning around (and yes, those do really happen on Mars).

The view of one of Mars's moons does crop up in a few shots too. I'm assuming it's Phobos because it's much closer to the planet and therefore a lot bigger. It didn't appear to be moving visibly in the sky though, which may make sense because the shots only last a few seconds. In reality though, Phobos takes less than eight hours to orbit the planet. When you compare that to the 28 days it takes our moon to orbit, that's pretty impressive.

Phobos transiting Deimos as seen from the Curiosity rover - in real time.

I do feel obligated to point out one or two potential flaws in the story (I won't blame the film because it is an adaptation). First of all, Mars's average atmospheric pressure is only about 600 pascals. That's about 0.6% of Earth sea level pressure. Now the less air there is, the less force the wind has. Ergo, no Martian dust storm should be capable of threatening to knock over your landing craft or making it look like you've been killed by flying debris. But I'll forgive that because A. Andy Weir himself acknowledged this and B. you might not have a story without this liberty.

Also, apparently there is evidence that the planet's soil contains toxic metals like arsenic and something called hexavalent chromium. This is never addressed when Damon's character uses Martian soil to grow his potato plants. Now I don't know what kinds of concentrations are in the soil, or whether it finds its way into the potatoes and thus into Matt Damon. Even then, exposure to carcinogens does not automatically equal a guarantee of cancer. Still, I'd have liked to see it addressed. Maybe it's discussed in the novel, which I haven't read yet (though it is at the top of my list). Still, when you consider that Interstellar presented frozen clouds, these are minor quibbles.

This is a movie worth seeing. It's worth seeing in 3D. See Mars like you've never seen it before.

Source: wallpapershome.com

I was wrong. Mars is awesome.