Bad Astronomy

One of my "Everyday Heroes" has got to be Phil Plait. The Bad Astronomer is one of the cewebrities that is just cool. I got turned onto his site when searching about a movie online and his review came up. I read through his review where he went on to elaborate on where the movie got the science right, and where it got it wrong. Needless to say, it was really enjoyable.

So I started searching his site and found his articles debunking the "polar shift" and defending the Moon landing. This was fortuitous as one of my friends had really become convinced of the "polar shift" after reading the mumbo-jumbo about it on the internet. I used the references on Plait's site to scare the bejeebers out of him. Had him convinced that his life was coming to an end in June 2004 if I remember right. Haha.

I liked the Moon landing article, and learned a bit about the physics of the Moon that I didn't know before I read it. Lots of stuff that you just take for granted on Earth, but just don't happen in an environment with no atmosphere. Definitely playing fan service to my nerd gene.

Plait's blog is now featured in Discover Magazine and it quite informative and entertaining. Here's the best part about the man. If he's wrong about something, he admits it! Amazing. It's just nice to actually see someone who isn't so bound by their ego that you know you can trust what they say, and if they are wrong, they are willing to be corrected. Honestly, I really admire this characteristic in Mr. Plait. Just wish everyone was as honest with themselves and their readers.