# Bad Astronomer is in Discover! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 6, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559 "2002-05-06T16:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/1 "2002-05-06T16:18:14Z")
I was reading this month’s issue of _Discover_ this morning, and I happened upon an article - something about a certain person and his crusade against junk science in the media. Something was oddly familiar about the name given, Phillip Plait, and I read further, interest piqued thoroughly - it got even weirder when they talked about balancing eggs and the impossibility of dodging laser beams. I about fell out of my seat when I realized that it was none other than the **Bad Astronomer**! First, TV and radio, now _this_? What next? Addressing the nation on 50-foot video screens? ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/2 "2002-05-06T18:36:32Z")
50’ vid screens on every corner, no less. Constant audio feed in in Hollywood studios. Posters on the walls of every school. **Bad Astronomer** as Big Brother! ---
**Author:** ![Arwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7c8e57/32.png) [@Arwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwen)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/3 "2002-05-06T21:42:11Z")
WOO! Congratulations, **Bad Astronomer**! Today Discover, tomorrow, your own feature film, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/4 "2002-05-06T22:53:13Z")
Actually this isn’t the first time **BA** ’s been mentioned in Discover. His website was mentioned in one of the little boxes that appear at the bottom of some of the pages in the magazine. This was about year, year and a half ago. I remember it clearly because that was how I found his site. Also by following links that was eventually how I found _this_ site. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/5 "2002-05-07T01:29:01Z")
I already directed one friend to the site via the Discover article when he asked me to explain why people at the equator didn’t go flying off the planet because of its rotation. Thanks for being there, Philip! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/6 "2002-05-15T04:19:27Z")
Heh. Well, _I_ knew it was coming: Bob Berman interviewed me, of course. It was a pretty flattering piece. He wrote a book review too, which will be published in a different magazine… but I’ll let y’all figure out which one. 😉 More is coming. I’m doing a talk in LA on Sunday, and maybe on a Vermont radio station on Friday. I’ll be posting more info on my website as it comes in. You all get my newsletter, right? Right? ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-is-in-discover/107559/7 "2002-05-15T05:45:37Z")
Well, I didn’t know he was gonna be in Discover, but I knew that something big was coming for **The Bad Astronomer**. See, in his horoscope, Jupiter was in the first house and Leo was ascendant… OUCH! Who threw that?