Illustration of pen and ink from Letters from an Astrophysicist.

Select Letters

  1. Letter to Brazil

    September 20, 2020

  2. Happy Birthday, NASA

    October 2018

    A letter to NASA on the occasion of our shared upcoming 60th birthday.

  3. Letter to Dad

    January 21, 2017

    Based on a eulogy delivered to friends and family Holy Trinity Catholic Church, New York City.

  4. Remembering Holbrooke

    December 16, 2010

    Memories of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in a letter to the New York Times.

  5. No Apocalypse in 2012

    August 24, 2010

    Thoughts on the upcoming solar maximum and the 2012 doomsday myth, New York Times.

  6. A Teacher, a Student and a Church-State Dispute

    December 21, 2006

    Commentary on the assertion that religious beliefs should be taught alongside science, New York Times.

  7. World Trade Center Anniversary

    September 11, 2002

    A letter to the New York Times with thoughts on the one-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

  8. The Worst of Times, The Best of Times

    December 11, 2001

    Follow-up correspondence to family and friends giving an update on the family’s psychological state and the living conditions in Lower Manhattan.

  9. The Horror, The Horror

    September 12, 2001

    First-hand account via email of the World Trade Center attacks and subsequent evacuation from Lower Manhattan residence.