Philip Cary Plait (born September 30, 1964), also known as The Bad Astronomer, is an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

skeptic Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

, and

popular science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

blogger. 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. He has written three books, ''

Bad Astronomy ''Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax"'' is a non-fiction book by the American astronomer Phil Plait, who is also known as "the Bad Astronomer". The book was published in 2002 and deals wi ...

'', ''

Death from the Skies Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shor ...

'', and ''

Under Alien Skies Under may refer to: Music *''Under'', an album by Savoy, 2024 * "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013 * "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009 *"Under", a song by Sampha from ''Process'', 2017 People *Bülent Ünder (born 1949), Turkish footballer *Cengiz � ...

''. He has also appeared in several science documentaries, including ''

How the Universe Works ''How The Universe Works'' is a science documentary television series that provides scientific explanations about the inner workings of the universe and everything it encompasses. With the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and visual effect ...

'' on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

. From August 2008 through 2009, he served as president of the

James Randi Educational Foundation The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) is an American grant-making institution founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. As a nonprofit organization, the mission of JREF includes educating the public and the media on the dange ...

. Additionally, he wrote and hosted episodes of '' Crash Course'' Astronomy, which aired its last episode in 2016.

Early life

Plait grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. He has said he became interested in astronomy when his father brought home a telescope when Plait was 5 years old or so. According to Plait, he "aimed it at

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

that night. One look, and that was it. I was hooked."

Education and research

Plait attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and received his PhD in astronomy at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

in 1995 with a thesis on supernova

SN 1987A SN 1987A was a Type II supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It occurred approximately from Earth and was the closest observed supernova since Kepler's Supernova in 1604. Light and neutrinos ...

, which he studied with the Supernova Intensive Study (SINS). During the 1990s, Plait worked with the COBE satellite and later was part of the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

team at NASA

Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C., in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959, as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC ...

, working largely on the

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) is a spectrograph, also with a camera mode, installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. Aerospace engineer Bruce Woodgate of the Goddard Space Flight Center was the principal investigator and creator ...

. In 1995, he published observations of a ring of circumstellar material around SN 1987A, which led to further study of explosion mechanisms in core-collapse supernovae. Plait's work with Grady, ''et al.'' resulted in the presentation of high-resolution images of isolated stellar objects (including

AB Aurigae AB Aurigae is a young Herbig Ae/Be star, Herbig Ae star in the Auriga (constellation), Auriga constellation. It is located at a distance of approximately 509 light years from the Sun based on stellar parallax. This pre-main-sequence ...

and

HD 163296 HD 163296 is a young Herbig Ae/Be star, Herbig Ae star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk. The disk is a popular target to study disk composition, and several works suggested the presence of Protoplanet, protoplanets inside the gaps of th ...

) from the

, among the first of those recorded. These results have been used in further studies into the properties and structure of dim, young, moderate-size stars, called

Herbig Ae/Be star A Herbig Ae/Be star (HAeBe) is a pre-main-sequence star – a young () star of spectral types A or B. These stars are still embedded in gas-dust envelopes and are sometimes accompanied by circumstellar disks. Hydrogen and calcium emission lines ...

s, which also confirmed results observed by Grady, ''et al.''

Public outreach

After his research contributions, Plait concentrated on educational outreach. He went on to perform web-based public outreach for the

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST, also FGRST), formerly called the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), is a space observatory being used to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. Its main instrument is ...

and other

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

-funded missions while at

Sonoma State University Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Sonoma County, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Sonoma State offers 92 bachelor's degree programs, 19 master's de ...

from 2000 to 2007. In 2001, he coauthored a paper on increasing accessibility of astronomy education resources and programs. A large proportion of his public outreach occurs online. He established the badastronomy website in 1998 and the corresponding blog in 2005. The website remains archived but is no longer actively maintained, while the blog has continued, through several changes of platform, to the present day. His first book, '' Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax"'', deals with much the same subject matter as his website. His second book, ''

'', describes ways astronomical events could wipe out life on Earth and was released in October 2008. Plait's work has also appeared in the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

Yearbook of Science and the Future'' and ''Astronomy'' magazine. He is also a frequent guest on the

SETI Institute The SETI Institute is a not-for-profit research organization incorporated in 1984 whose mission is to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe, and to use this knowledge to inspire and guide present and futu ...

's weekly science radio show ''

Big Picture Science ''Big Picture Science'' is an independent national science radio program and podcast hosted by astronomer Seth Shostak and journalist Molly Bentley, the executive producer of the show. The program uses innovative storytelling to connect trends ...

''. Plait has contributed to a number of television and cinema productions, either onscreen as host or guest or in an advisory role offscreen. He hosted the three-part documentary series ''Phil Plait's "Bad Universe"'' on the

, which first aired in the United States on August 29, 2010, but was not picked up as a series. He has appeared in numerous science documentaries and programs including ''

''. Plait was a science advisor for the 2016 film ''

Arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...

'' and the 2017 CBS TV series ''

Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

''. He was the head science writer of the 2017 show ''

Bill Nye Saves the World ''Bill Nye Saves the World'' is an American television show streaming on Netflix hosted and created by Bill Nye. It is both a sequel and a revival of sorts of '' Bill Nye the Science Guy'', which is also created by Nye. The show's byline was, ...

'' on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Scientific skeptical advocacy

From 2008 to 2009, Plait served as the president of the

, which promotes

scientific skepticism Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism (also spelled scepticism), sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking scientific evidence. In practice, the term most commonly ref ...

, a position he eventually stepped down from in order to focus on the "''Bad Universe''" television project. He has also been a regular speaker at widely attended science and skepticism events and conferences, such as

The Amazing Meeting The Amazing Meeting (TAM), stylized as The Amaz!ng Meeting, was an annual conference that focused on science, scientific skepticism, skepticism, and critical thinking; it was held for twelve years. The conference started in 2003 and was sponsored ...

(TAM), Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS), and

DragonCon Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American List of multigenre conventions, multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Plait writes and speaks on topics related to scientific skepticism, such as advocating in favor of widespread

immunization Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the antigen, immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ' ...

Personal life

Plait used to live in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

with his wife, Marcella Setter, and daughter. In a 2009 interview, Plait stated that his daughter is interested in astronomy and science, as well as anime and manga. Between 2011 and 2018, Setter and Plait ran Science Getaways, a vacation company that provides science-based adventures. As of January 2024, he lives in rural Virginia outside of Charlottesville.

Internet presence

Badastronomy.com

Plait began publishing explanatory Internet postings on science in 1993. Five years later, Plait established Badastronomy.com with the goal of clearing up what he perceived to be widespread public misconceptions about astronomy and space science in movies, the news, print, and on the Internet, also providing critical analysis of several pseudoscientific theories related to space and astronomy, such as the "Planet X" cataclysm, Richard Hoagland's theories, and the Moon landing "hoax". It received a considerable amount of traffic after Plait criticized a

Fox Network Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an American commercial broadcast television network serving as the flagship property of Fox Corporation and operated through Fox Entertainment. Fox is based at Fo ...

special accusing NASA of faking the Apollo missions. Astronomer Michelle Thaller has described Badastronomy.com, as well as Plait's book and essays called ''Bad Astronomy'', as "a monumental service to the space-science community".

Blog

In 2005, Plait started the Bad Astronomy blog. In July 2008, it moved to a new host, ''

Discover Magazine ''Discover'' is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It is currently owned by LabX Media Group. History Founding ''Discover'' was created primarily through the efforts of ''Time'' magazine e ...

''. While it is primarily an astronomy blog, Plait also posts about

skepticism Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

, and

antiscience Antiscience is a set of attitudes and a form of anti-intellectualism that involves a rejection of science and the scientific method. People holding antiscientific views do not accept science as an objective method that can generate universal k ...

topics, with occasional personal and political posts. On November 12, 2012, the Bad Astronomy blog moved to ''Slate magazine''. Plait told Richard Saunders in an interview that "they

late Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

are very supportive... a new community." Revisiting old posts, Plait stated, "I've written about everything, when you've written 7,000 blog posts you've pretty much written about every topic in astronomy." On February 1, 2017, the Bad Astronomy blog moved to SyfyWire, where it was hosted until October 2022. His blog was then hosted by

Substack Substack is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription-based content, including newsletters, podcasts, and video. It allows writers to send digital content directl ...

, and since early 2024, on beehiiv.com. Plait has also contributed significantly to the

MadSci Network The Madsci Network is a website known primarily for its ''Ask-A-Scientist'' forum where users can ask questions to a panel of volunteer scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of ...

, a question-and-answer Ask-A-Scientist forum.

Online video

In September 2011, Plait spoke at a TED conference in

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

, his hometown. His conference explained ''how to defend Earth from asteroids''. Plait taught Astronomy on the YouTube educational series '' Crash Course'' for 47 episodes, from January 15, 2015 to February 12, 2016.

Books

* * * *

Articles

* Plait, Phil, "The Milky Way's Secrets: Our galaxy's night-sky spectacle sparked scientific revolutions", ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'', vol. 329, no. 4 (November 2023), pp. 86–87.

Media appearances

Awards and honors

* The 2007 Weblog Awards – ''Bad Astronomy'' was awarded "Best Science Blog," having tied with ''Climate Audit''. * In March 2008, Plait had an

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

named after him by the late astronomer Jeff Medkeff. Asteroid was named 165347 Philplait. * In 2009, Bad Astronomy was named among

Time.com ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

's 25 Best Blogs. * In 2013, Plait received the National Capital Area Skeptics' Philip J. Klass Award * In 2016, Plait was awarded the David N. Schramm Award for High Energy Astrophysics Science Journalism by the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

for his 2015 article entitled "A Supermassive Black Hole's Fiery and Furious Wind."