Aliya Gulamani

Hello everyone, I’m writing a first blog post just to say thank you to all of you who have supported the project so far. We are not even three months into the book crowdfunding and we have got over one-third of the way there. So hopefully we get the other two-thirds done faster than that, and you can get your hands on my little work of blood, toil, tears, and sweat. Nah, it is a pleasure to write! To give you a quick update: I have written about half of the book and interviewed most of the people on my dream list to include in the book. Tomorrow I’m interviewing an astronomer who studies supernovae in infrared. I have had a few people asking how they can help get the project over the line: my only ask is that you tell other people about it. I’m never not talking about the book, so a few more voices would be appreciated. And mention that there are many levels to pledge for – from eBooks to becoming a Patrons; all are varying price points! There are also a few limited experiences available such as a stargazing trip with me or a ticket to a cosmic cocktails masterclass. Obviously, I don’t believe in asking you to do something for nothing (beyond making sure you are getting the book as soon as we can), so here is a little thank you… Fun fact: Across South Africa and Australia, scientists are building a new radio observatory. It’s called the Square Kilometer Array and will be a wonderfully sensitive instrument. But what’s exciting (or terrifying) is that if there’s an alien civilization within 10 light-years from Earth with a similar observatory it would already know we are here because it would detect our airport radar and mobile phone towers. Isn’t that just brilliant? Wishing you all a wonderful time and clear skies until our next update, Alfredo

Hello everyone,
 I’m writing a first blog post just to say thank you to all of you who have supported the project so far. We are not even three months into the book crowdfunding and we have got over one-third of the way there. 
 So hopefully we get the other two-thirds done faster than that, and you can get your hands on my little work of blood, toil, tears, and sweat. Nah, it is a pleasure to write! To give you a quick update: I have written about half of the book and interviewed most of the people on my dream list to include in the book. Tomorrow I’m interviewing an astronomer who studies supernovae in infrared.
 I have had a few people asking how they can help get the project over the line: my only ask is that you tell other people about it. I’m never not talking about the book, so a few more voices would be appreciated. And mention that there are many levels to pledge for – from eBooks to becoming a Patrons; all are varying price points! There are also a few limited experiences available such as a stargazing trip with me or a ticket to a cosmic cocktails masterclass. 
Obviously, I don’t believe in asking you to do something for nothing (beyond making sure you are getting the book as soon as we can), so here is a little thank you… 
Fun fact: Across South Africa and Australia, scientists are building a new radio observatory. It’s called the Square Kilometer Array and will be a wonderfully sensitive instrument. But what’s exciting (or terrifying) is that if there’s an alien civilization within 10 light-years from Earth with a similar observatory it would already know we are here because it would detect our airport radar and mobile phone towers. 
Isn’t that just brilliant?
Wishing you all a wonderful time and clear skies until our next update, 
Alfredo

Beyond One-Third And Halfway Done!

We have passed the 40% mark for the crowdfunding, and to celebrate here is a little cosmically inspired cocktail for you all. And it was designed together with NASA! I was curious what future astronauts might be drinking on Mars or on the Moon, using ingredients exclusively grown there. To make sure, I had to speak with experts: Dr Laura Fackrell and her team from the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at Caltech JPL (NASA). They are working on simulated soils to see what could be possibly grown by future astronauts on another world. It is easy to grow cyanobacteria, so you can easily get blue spirulina. Strawberries and other berries can grow hydroponically, so you don’t even need soil. And potatoes and beets should give you vodka and sugar respectively. With those ingredients and without further ado here is a Martian Martini for you! INGREDIENTS ¼ of a teaspoon spirulina powder 1 teaspoon simple syrup 2 ounces (60ml) vodka 1 ounce (30ml) strawberry flavored liquor / juice INSTRUCTIONS Add a handful of ice cubes to a cocktail shaker. Add all ingredients to the cocktail shaker. Shake until well combined and spirulina powder has dissolved. Add a cherry or raspberry to the bottom of a martini glass. Strain the contents of the shaker into the martini glass to about 3/4 full. To make non-alcoholic: replace the vodka with seltzer and the liquor with juice. More on how the ingredients can be grown on Mars: Spirulina: Grow some cyanobacteria on Mars soil harvest and make a powder out of it, that is of course a whole process in itself. Simple syrup: We cannot really grow canes or agave or honey, but you could grow beets and make some beet sugar and make a simple syrup out of that. Vodka: The classic growing potatoes on Mars (thank you The Martian and then fermenting them to make the vodka. Flavored liquor: This would be a bit trickier, but hydroponics could come in handy to grow small fruit plants such as strawberries. I hope you enjoyed this tasty update! Please keep on spreading the word about the Invisible Rainbows book, and if you want more cosmic cocktails there’s a recipe card and a full talk that I deliver on it, so check out the pledges! Wishing you clear skies, Alfredo

We have passed the 40% mark for the crowdfunding, and to celebrate here is a little cosmically inspired cocktail for you all. And it was designed together with NASA!
 I was curious what future astronauts might be drinking on Mars or on the Moon, using ingredients exclusively grown there. To make sure, I had to speak with experts: Dr Laura Fackrell and her team from the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at Caltech JPL (NASA). They are working on simulated soils to see what could be possibly grown by future astronauts on another world.  
It is easy to grow cyanobacteria, so you can easily get blue spirulina. Strawberries and other berries can grow hydroponically, so you don’t even need soil. And potatoes and beets should give you vodka and sugar respectively. With those ingredients and without further ado here is a Martian Martini for you!
<h3 data-mce-fragment="1">INGREDIENTS</h3>
<ul data-mce-fragment="1">
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 ¼ of a teaspoon spirulina powder
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 1 teaspoon simple syrup
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 2 ounces (60ml) vodka
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 1 ounce (30ml) strawberry flavored liquor / juice
</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-mce-fragment="1">INSTRUCTIONS</h3>
<ol data-mce-fragment="1">
<li data-mce-fragment="1">Add a handful of ice cubes to a cocktail shaker.</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">Add all ingredients to the cocktail shaker.</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">Shake until well combined and spirulina powder has dissolved.</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">Add a cherry or raspberry to the bottom of a martini glass.</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">Strain the contents of the shaker into the martini glass to about 3/4 full.</li>
</ol>
To make non-alcoholic: replace the vodka with seltzer and the liquor with juice.
 More on how the ingredients can be grown on Mars:
<ul data-mce-fragment="1">
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 Spirulina: Grow some cyanobacteria on Mars soil harvest and make a powder out of it, that is of course a whole process in itself.
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 Simple syrup: We cannot really grow canes or agave or honey, but you could grow beets and make some beet sugar and make a simple syrup out of that.
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 Vodka: The classic growing potatoes on Mars (thank you The Martian and then fermenting them to make the vodka.
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 Flavored liquor: This would be a bit trickier, but hydroponics could come in handy to grow small fruit plants such as strawberries.
</li>
</ul>
I hope you enjoyed this tasty update! Please keep on spreading the word about the Invisible Rainbows book, and if you want more cosmic cocktails there’s a recipe card and a full talk that I deliver on it, so check out the pledges!
 Wishing you clear skies, Alfredo

The Martian Martini: A cosmic cocktail for you!

Thanks to your support we have crossed the 50 percent mark! And we have got to celebrate, so I’m gonna give you a little update on the book, some cool science tips, and as is tradition, a recipe. Well, actually three. You get a bake, a cocktail, and a mocktail. And you can enjoy them in written form or in video form. To keep you updated regarding the book, I think I have just one person left to interview. Recently I talked to somebody who went to the South Pole to do Radio Astronomy, and I got some great gossip about one of the biggest disagreements in cosmology of the last few years. That will make for a very good section in the Microwave chapter. The science update is about solar flares. This is partly because I needed something to rhyme with ‘halfway there’ and partly because I hope you saw the aurorae a few weeks ago (hopefully you didn’t go to bed like my friend who thought I was just doing a jokey bit online!). Solar flares are enormous releases of energy from the Sun. They are believed to be linked to magnetic energy stored in the solar atmosphere that gets suddenly, and dramatically, released. Their emission is seen across the whole spectrum of light but it’s in the x-rays and extreme ultraviolet that we study them. The release of this light affects the Earth in multiple ways. The light ionizes the upper atmosphere creating radio interference and even radio blackouts on the day side of Earth. If you too were asleep, you might be wondering if we will see such a spectacle again. The true answer is that we are not good at predicting this, but we probably will, and the slightly better news is that we are at an excellent time for a repeated spectacle. The Sun goes through cycles of activity of about 11 years. We are around the peak of the cycle. That means a lot of flares and a lot of eruptions. There are definitely better chances to see more in the following months, but there’s no guarantee. But the Sunspot responsible for the spectacle of two weeks ago is now back on the visible side of the Sun, and it still seems to be very active. We might get lucky! Here are the recipes: For the lime and mint syrup: Zest two limes and juice them. Cut some mint (I went with 50 grams, but it is to taste). In a small pan add 150 grams of sugar, 150 grams of water, and the other ingredients. Reduce it over medium heat (keep an eye on it, it can easily bubble over) until you have about half of the liquid. For the madeleines: 1 egg 1 tsp of honey Zest of 1 lime 50 grams of caster sugar 50 grams of self-raising flour 50 grams of melted butter that has cooled down a bit. Melt a bit more for the madeleine tray (I swear by my silicon one). You’ll get nine chonky madeleines with these quantities. Beat the eggs, sugar, and honey with an electric whisk until it triples in volume. Then we can add flour and the lime zest, whisking manually and adding the butter slowly as things get mixed in. For the white chocolate ganache: Melt 50 grams of white chocolate on low heat with one shot of the syrup For The Solar Flare Martini: One shot of vodka, one of limoncello, one of the syrup, shaken over ice, served in a chilled martini glass. For the Coronal Mint Elation: Brew and refrigerate some Earl Grey Tea and add the lime and mint syrup to taste. Serve over ice. Thank you again for your support of Invisible Rainbows. We’re halfway there, so please keep telling people about this book, and let’s get to 100%!

Thanks to your support we have crossed the 50 percent mark! And we have got to celebrate, so I’m gonna give you a little update on the book, some cool science tips, and as is tradition, a recipe. Well, actually three. You get a bake, a cocktail, and a mocktail. And you can enjoy them in written form or in video form. 
<a data-mce-fragment="1" href="https://youtu.be/0tBEAkCWfZM" data-mce-href="https://youtu.be/0tBEAkCWfZM"></a><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0tBEAkCWfZM?si=zok3tad_vu2WFH0_" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" frameborder="0"></iframe>
 To keep you updated regarding the book, I think I have just one person left to interview. Recently I talked to somebody who went to the South Pole to do Radio Astronomy, and I got some great gossip about one of the biggest disagreements in cosmology of the last few years. That will make for a very good section in the Microwave chapter.
The science update is about solar flares. This is partly because I needed something to rhyme with ‘halfway there’ and partly because I hope you saw the aurorae a few weeks ago (hopefully you didn’t go to bed like my friend who thought I was just doing a jokey bit online!). Solar flares are enormous releases of energy from the Sun. They are believed to be linked to magnetic energy stored in the solar atmosphere that gets suddenly, and dramatically, released. 
Their emission is seen across the whole spectrum of light but it’s in the x-rays and extreme ultraviolet that we study them. The release of this light affects the Earth in multiple ways. The light ionizes the upper atmosphere creating radio interference and even radio blackouts on the day side of Earth.
If you too were asleep, you might be wondering if we will see such a spectacle again. The true answer is that we are not good at predicting this, but we probably will, and the slightly better news is that we are at an excellent time for a repeated spectacle. The Sun goes through cycles of activity of about 11 years. We are around the peak of the cycle. That means a lot of flares and a lot of eruptions. There are definitely better chances to see more in the following months, but there’s no guarantee. But the Sunspot responsible for the spectacle of two weeks ago is now back on the visible side of the Sun, and it still seems to be very active. We might get lucky!
Here are the recipes:
For the lime and mint syrup: 
Zest two limes and juice them. Cut some mint (I went with 50 grams, but it is to taste). In a small pan add 150 grams of sugar, 150 grams of water, and the other ingredients. Reduce it over medium heat (keep an eye on it, it can easily bubble over) until you have about half of the liquid.
For the madeleines:
<ul data-mce-fragment="1">
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 1 egg
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 1 tsp of honey
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 Zest of 1 lime
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 50 grams of caster sugar
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 50 grams of self-raising flour
</li>
<li data-mce-fragment="1">
 50 grams of melted butter that has cooled down a bit. Melt a bit more for the madeleine tray (I swear by my silicon one). 
</li>
</ul>
You’ll get nine chonky madeleines with these quantities.
Beat the eggs, sugar, and honey with an electric whisk until it triples in volume. 
Then we can add flour and the lime zest, whisking manually and adding the butter slowly as things get mixed in. 
For the white chocolate ganache:
Melt 50 grams of white chocolate on low heat with one shot of the syrup
For The Solar Flare Martini:
One shot of vodka, one of limoncello, one of the syrup, shaken over ice, served in a chilled martini glass.
For the Coronal Mint Elation:
Brew and refrigerate some Earl Grey Tea and add the lime and mint syrup to taste. Serve over ice.
Thank you again for your support of Invisible Rainbows. We’re halfway there, so please keep telling people about this book, and let’s get to 100%!

Crossing The 50 Percent Mark

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much to all of you! I can’t believe we have just passed 100 percent. I feel an immense joy at the crossing of this threshold and I can only say time and time again, thank you so very much for your support. Book writing is going well, we are approaching the first (extremely rough) draft. You might get a little tease of a new section beyond the intro on the Unbound website soon, so there’s that to be looking forward too as well. I have almost finished the microwave chapter, and then I will tackle the second half of the X-ray chapter. So I have baby planets and the most incredible supermassive black holes to cover ahead of me in the next several weeks. To celebrate the 100 percent threshold, I will be popping some champagne. I have a bottle that my husband Chris and I bought two years ago with the intention of opening it to mark something really special. Well, today is the day! And since we are having champagne, you should have something champagne related too. Meet the Champagne Supernova, or SN 2003fg, named after the Oasis song. This event, when discovered was a massive problem. It’s the explosion of a white dwarf, which is something that is known to be predictable and reliable. Well, that is until the universe tells you ‘no’. A white dwarf is the exposed core of a star like our Sun after it has run out of fuel. These white dwarfs can go supernova, but only if they steal material from a companion. They need to be heavy enough for gravity to make them collapse on themselves. And there is a special number at which point that collapse happens. The white dwarf needs to have a mass 40 percent higher than our Sun. Reach that limit and the white dwarf goes boom - but this specific event suggests that it had a mass of about two suns. Scientists believe that an unusually rapid rotation, or the collision between two white dwarfs could have been responsible for this. The reason why this is important is that white dwarfs going supernova usually always have the same luminosity. Not all supernovae are equal; some are more equal than others. These white dwarf supernovae are usually so equal that we can estimate the distance of galaxies with high precision, and with that study, crucial features of cosmology such as the mysterious accelerated expansion of the Universe. We’ll meet these supernovae in the ultraviolet chapter of the book. Until then, please keep spreading the word about Invisible Rainbows. Pledging is now done, but it would be great to get as many pre-orders as possible before publication day!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much to all of you! I can’t believe we have just passed 100 percent. I feel an immense joy at the crossing of this threshold and I can only say time and time again, thank you so very much for your support. 
Book writing is going well, we are approaching the first (extremely rough) draft. You might get a little tease of a new section beyond the intro on the Unbound website soon, so there’s that to be looking forward too as well. I have almost finished the microwave chapter, and then I will tackle the second half of the X-ray chapter. So I have baby planets and the most incredible supermassive black holes to cover ahead of me in the next several weeks. 
To celebrate the 100 percent threshold, I will be popping some champagne. I have a bottle that my husband Chris and I bought two years ago with the intention of opening it to mark something really special. Well, today is the day! And since we are having champagne, you should have something champagne related too. 
Meet the Champagne Supernova, or SN 2003fg, named after the Oasis song. This event, when discovered was a massive problem. It’s the explosion of a white dwarf, which is something that is known to be predictable and reliable. Well, that is until the universe tells you ‘no’. A white dwarf is the exposed core of a star like our Sun after it has run out of fuel. These white dwarfs can go supernova, but only if they steal material from a companion. They need to be heavy enough for gravity to make them collapse on themselves. And there is a special number at which point that collapse happens. The white dwarf needs to have a mass 40 percent higher than our Sun. Reach that limit and the white dwarf goes boom - but this specific event suggests that it had a mass of about two suns. 
Scientists believe that an unusually rapid rotation, or the collision between two white dwarfs could have been responsible for this. The reason why this is important is that white dwarfs going supernova usually always have the same luminosity. Not all supernovae are equal; some are more equal than others. These white dwarf supernovae are usually so equal that we can estimate the distance of galaxies with high precision, and with that study, crucial features of cosmology such as the mysterious accelerated expansion of the Universe.
We’ll meet these supernovae in the ultraviolet chapter of the book. Until then, please keep spreading the word about Invisible Rainbows. Pledging is now done, but it would be great to get as many pre-orders as possible before publication day!

Let’s Pop The Champagne… Supernova!

Hello lovely supporters! Sorry about the radio silence – I have been working hard to finish the first draft of the book. It's as first draft as they come, which means I have a fair bit of personal editing work to do before I am going to send it to Unbound. It’s nice to have the whole draft done…it’s now time to make it better. Seeing the whole book in a single file was certainly exciting but there have been some disappointments too. I was not able to see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as it flew past the Earth. I was hoping for some clear nights, but fate conspired against me. I made a video before the comet became visible on where to see it and a lot of people got in touch to tell me they did see it. I was lucky enough to see the total solar eclipse and northern lights twice this year, so I will try to be gracious, and not feel too jealous! I have a few exciting events coming up which include two lectures about some of the stuff in the book, as well as a new cocktail masterclass. I'm creating a brand new cocktail for it, so keep your eyes peeled for a cosmic cocktail recipe coming your way soon. Clear skies to you all, Alfredo

Hello lovely supporters!
Sorry about the radio silence – I have been working hard to finish the first draft of the book. It's as first draft as they come, which means I have a fair bit of personal editing work to do before I am going to send it to Unbound. It’s nice to have the whole draft done…it’s now time to make it better. 
Seeing the whole book in a single file was certainly exciting but there have been some disappointments too. I was not able to see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as it flew past the Earth. I was hoping for some clear nights, but fate conspired against me. I made a video before the comet became visible on where to see it and a lot of people got in touch to tell me they did see it. I was lucky enough to see the total solar eclipse and northern lights twice this year, so I will try to be gracious, and not feel too jealous!
I have a few exciting events coming up which include two lectures about some of the stuff in the book, as well as a new cocktail masterclass. I'm creating a brand new cocktail for it, so keep your eyes peeled for a cosmic cocktail recipe coming your way soon.
Clear skies to you all,  Alfredo

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Published Books

Beyond One-Third And Halfway Done!

The Martian Martini: A cosmic cocktail for you!

Crossing The 50 Percent Mark

Let’s Pop The Champagne… Supernova!

Completing Invisible Rainbows and missing a comet

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