The Galactic Inquirer

Since 13.8 Gyr BCE

Welcome to The Galactic Inquirer — an e-journal for those interested in galactic and extragalactic astronomy, the search for life beyond Earth, and prospects for interstellar communications. This journal is co-edited by Michael Deneen and William H. Waller — galactic astronomers, educators and writers. The Galactic Inquirer invites original articles, commentaries, papers, and presentations on...

    • Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
    • Cosmochemistry and Astrobiology
    • Interstellar Communications

Please contact us with your proposals.

Latest Articles

Exploring Galactic Ecosystems (II) – New Insights from Radio Surveys

William H. Waller Ph.D. - 0
Galactic ecosystems encompass the varied complexes of inter-relating stellar, nebular, and other matter that are actively forming new stars.  These include molecular clouds, cloud cores, protostellar and protoplanetary systems, HII regions and starbursts.

Exploring Galactic Ecosystems (I) – An Introduction to the Nebular Birth Sites of Stars, Planets, and Life 

William H. Waller Ph.D. - 0
It is not hyperbole to state that galactic ecosystems have spawned pretty much everything that we hold dear – including ourselves.  These nebular nurseries have incubated all the stars, planetary systems, and many of the complex molecules known to humanity.

Strange Features on the Far Side of the Moon: A Closer Look at Paracelsus C

Dr. Mark Carlotto - 0
More than fifty years ago, Apollo 15 photographed something unusual on the far side of the Moon. In a panoramic photograph taken from lunar orbit, two bright, sharply defined objects stood out from the otherwise subdued landscape on the floor of a crater called Paracelsus C. Today we can take a much closer look.

Using the Earth & Space Reports Video Series as an Educational Resource for Teachers and their Students

William H. Waller Ph.D. - 0
Each episode consists of an online presentation by a research scientist, educator, or communicator on some topic in the Earth & space sciences.

Why We Don’t Need to Save the Planet – It’s our Biosphere that Needs Help

William H. Waller Ph.D. - 2
By now, you have probably read or heard that our polluting ways have reached a critical point, where Earth is rapidly approaching total failure as a planet.  Perhaps you have wondered how we humans could have managed to do so much damage in so little time. 

Governance in Outer Space: Future Challenges and Authoritarian Prospects [1]

Julian G. Waller, Ph.D. - 1
Permanent settlements in space will require forms of localized government that are likely to differ from contemporary models of political order. This article thus asks a provocative question associated with the empirical record of human colonization and settlement in prior eras: What sort of authoritarian governance is most likely to form in human space settlements during the medium term?