I am phil plait, astronomerauthorbloggersome time tv host. Misconceptions creep into the science of astronomy perhaps more than any other science. He is a well known author and public figure in the fields of astronomy. Sep 24, 20 phil plait, who goes by the name of the bad astronomer, has now written three articles in slate attacking two of my columns in the wall street journal on the topic of climate change. That does not make star wars any less enjoyable, but it is fun to know the difference between science and hollywood. Philip cary plait, also known as the bad astronomer, is an american astronomer, skeptic, writer and popular science blogger. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax is a nonfiction book by the american astronomer phil plait. He wrote and hosted crash course astronomy, was the head science writer of bill nye saves the world on netflix, and has appeared as a talking head on approximately a bazillion discovery channel shows. He has written two books, bad astronomy and death from the skies. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading bad astronomy. If exercising logic and countering similarly pseudoscientific moonshine is something you work into regular rotation, youll find bad astronomy. I knew it was real because i knew right away what event they were describing.
I searched for long and tried some websites before i stumbled on stuvera and it seems l. Plait has worked as part of the hubble space telescope team, images and spectra of astronomical objects, as well as engaging in public outreach advocacy for nasa missions. The last section includes some general books that deal with a broader range of pseudoscientific topics. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax crowded with thrills and long on ammunition. He looks at how we can date the age of the universe, the danger of solar flares, and why pluto is no longer classed as a planet. We create bold, thoughtprovoking programs that illuminate the world. The first part is about things like tides, eclipses.
Mar 29, 2018 an asteroid impact can ruin your whole day. If you want a little more info, you can read the us naval. The academic levels vary from post to post, book to book and tweet to tweet, so one could be a little apprehensive about what level of astronomy understanding one would need to appreciate this book. Advance praise for philip plait s bad astronomy bad astronomy is just plain. Stephen maran, author of astronomy for dummies and editor of the astronomy and astrophysics.
Welcome to the first episode of crash course astronomy. From august 2008 through 2009, he served as president of. Mar 01, 2002 for example, various false explanations to why the sky is blue are talked about. Advance praise for philip plait s bad astronomy bad astronomy is just plain good. From august 2008 through 2009, he served as president of the james randi educational foundation. Its got a boba fett action figure, presumably because hey, boba fett right. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space a misconception because in the vacuum of space, sound has no. Astronomy 2025 16 bad astronomy eggs on the equinox belief. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the.
I am phil plait, astronomerauthorbloggersome time tv. He is a well known author and public figure in the fields of astronomy and science. Philip plait clears up every misconception on astronomy and space you never knew you suffered from. Phil plait, who goes by the name of the bad astronomer, has now written three articles in slate attacking two of my columns in the wall street journal on the topic of climate change. Stephen maran, author of astronomy for dummies and editor of the astronomy and astrophysics encyclopedia thank the cosmos for the bundle of star stuff named philip plait, who is the world s leading consumer. He has also appeared in several science documentaries, including phil plait s bad universe and how the universe works on the discovery channel. I am pleased to offer an interview with phil plait, the bad astronomer, on the release of his latest book, death from the skies. Phil plait, this site is devoted to debunking astronomical misconceptions. Then the book moves on to things like astrology and the purported moon landing hoax.
You might want something with a little more magnifying power. Philip plait is an astronomer who also runs the excellent bad astronomy website. Phil plait explains how small setbacks can play a critical role in making big discoveries. Im your host, phil plait, and ill be taking you on a guided tour of the entire universe. Also, the 911 issue of skeptic magazine hits the stands, the why darwin matters lecture is now on dvd, and roy zimmerman sings satire at. Phil plait, author of bad astronomy astronomy 2025 17 bad astronomy mars face belief. Escreveu dois livros, bad astronomy e death from the skies. He has also appeared in several science documentaries, including phil plaits bad universe and how the universe works on the discovery channel. Your host for this intergalactic adventure is the bad astronomer himself, phil plait. What are the best books to learn astronomy as a beginner. He has also appeared in several science documentaries, including phil.
Plait, a science writer who works in the physics and astronomy. Nov 28, 2012 phil plait writes slates bad astronomy blog and is an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelizer, and author of death from the skies. Nov 20, 20 and thats why he wrote the book an astronauts guide to life on earth also available on the kindle. Plait, a science writer who works in the physics and. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read bad astronomy. Interview with the bad astronomer, phil plait, about death from the skies. I am pleased to offer an interview with phil plait, the bad astronomer, on the release of his latest book, death from the skies 1 what was your inspiration for writing this book. Jan 15, 2015 welcome to the first episode of crash course astronomy. For example, various false explanations to why the sky is blue are talked about.
Phil plait is an astronomer, author, and science communicator. In short chapters, plait tackles misperceptions about why the moon looks larger. Pbs digital studios is a network that connects, inspires, and cultivates the next generation of public media enthusiasts. He sends the greatest care package of all time to my boy. At the moment, i have no desire to tackle here such thorny topics as astrology, alternate views of the universe that are clearly in contradiction to observations, and the like. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax ebook written by philip c. This is a selected list of resources for those who want to examine with a skeptical eye some of the claims at the fringes of science that seem connected to astronomy. Phil plait, better known as the bad astronomer, is an astronomer obviously, noted skeptic and popular science writer. Stephen maran, author of astronomy for dummies and. Bad astronomy blog blog by plait at discover magazine. Besides new material on old bad astronomy, there is also quite a bit of new bad astronomy.
As for phil plait, certainly one of the most closeminded folk in the blogosphere. View philip plaits profile on linkedin, the worlds largest professional community. His bad astronomy blog is one of the most popular science websites around and its where i get my regular science fix. The best books on the wonders of the universe five books. Plait points out that very simple math shows that our noncircular orbit counts for at most a 7f 4c difference, summer or winter. The astronomer and author of the acclaimed bad astronomy blog discusses books that cant help but light the fire of interest in all things astronomical. Astronomer michelle thaller has described, as well as plaits book and essays called bad astronomy, as a monumental service to the space. Apareceu em varios documentarios cientificos, incluindo phil plaits bad universe no discovery channel. Bad astronomer phil plait gives eclipse across america talk at nasa nasa.
This quote is taken from a speech plait gave at a student science fair. Astronomy, space exploration, the effect of politics on science. In short chapters, plait tackles misperceptions about why the moon looks larger on the horizon and why stars twinkle before moving. Many topics are covered, including the blue sky, white stars, pseudoscience, the. Surveys have found that even college graduates carry persistent misconceptions or even wildly incorrect ideas about the phases of the moon or the cause of the seasons. Bad astronomy the bad astronomy blog is all about realworld science it covers the entire universe, from subatomic particles to the big bang itself. His bad astronomy blog is always entertaining and educational and he is a prolific tweeter. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax kindle edition by plait, philip c download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
For the past several years, astronomer phil plait has been battling these misconceptions, as well as the flood of just plain bad astronomy. My columns, and responses to critics are here and here. Hadfield is the bemoustached space traveller, a man who has logged more than four. Bad astronomy is phil plaits answer to dozens of myths and misconceptions people have about stars, the moon, the planets, meteorites, asteroids, comets, the universe, and the observers of all those things. Bad astronomy is phil plait s answer to dozens of myths and misconceptions people have about stars, the moon, the planets, meteorites, asteroids, comets, the universe, and the observers of all those things. See the complete profile on linkedin and discover philips. The bad astronomy web pages are devoted to airing out myths and misconceptions in astronomy and related topics. There are chapters about ufos, astrology and creationism, why you cant see stars during the day, and why small meteorites are cold when they hit the ground, not hot. Phil plait of bad astronomy fame has been a science 2. Interview with the bad astronomer, phil plait, about death. Sep 22, 2018 in phil plaits excellent book, bad astronomy, 5 mr. Maintained by an actual professional astronomer, phil plait, bad astronomy is all about debunking myths, correcting misrepresentations in the press, and generally educating the public that there is a lot of bad astronomy being passed off as expert opinion these days. In his list of top 10 offenses, the star wars series is guilty of no less than 8 of them. The reply to the bad astronomer phil plait that slate.
In phil plaits excellent book, bad astronomy, 5 mr. He combines wit and nononsense skepticism with the kind of creative reflex that makes fundamental science concepts understandable by virtually everyone who doesnt hate getting a little smarter. A guide for debunking pseudoscience connected with astronomy. In addition to setting the record straight on hundreds of astronomical errors, he also gives us a lesson on human. And thats why he wrote the book an astronauts guide to life on earth also available on the kindle. So i wrote phil an email telling him just that, kind of a hey, nice work, thought you might like to know sort of thing. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax is a nonfiction book by the american astronomer phil plait, also known as the bad astronomer. Philip plait urges us to remember that science isnt an encyclopedia of facts to memorise. Here plait unveils all of the bad astronomy we see every day in science fiction movies. Phil plait writes slates bad astronomy blog and is an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelizer, and author of death from the skies. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space a misconception.
Phil plait about his revealing 2007 skepdude calendar photo. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax. I have no problem with mr plait disagreeing with me, but i am a little taken aback by his name. When it comes to scientific research, mistakes are not only part ofbut also crucialto the process. Bad astronomy misconceptions and misuses revealed from. Philip plait has given us a readable, erudite, informative, useful, and entertaining book. Stephen maran, author of astronomy for dummies and editor of the astronomy and astrophysics encyclopedia thank the cosmos for the bundle of star stuff named philip plait, who is the world s. Im tired of ignorance held up as inspiration, where vicious antiintellectualism is considered a positive trait, and where uninformed opinion is displayed as fact. Philip plait clears up every misconception on astronomy. May 24, 2019 when it comes to scientific research, mistakes are not only part ofbut also crucialto the process.
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