# Bad Astronomer On Fast Track To Become Next Carl Sagan **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283 "2003-09-23T10:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/1 "2003-09-23T10:05:28Z")
search don’t woik for me, so dunno if this has been done-anyway: Phil Plait is blazing a new red-hot trail in astronomy circles by being pictured standing next to the largest telescope in the world that he created from glasses in his kitchen cupboard, an old shaving mirror, his wife’s compact and around 3 1/2 billion egg cartons. He is pictured on the ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY (really) next to his giant machine located in his kitchen. Mmm, now that I look at it again, I see that it isn’t a telescope, it’s a table with some eggs STANDING ON END! And somehow he’s been able to get even more to stand on end in,yes, an EGG CARTON! I can’t post a link with this loathsome webtv, so I"ll have to leave that to someone else. Won’t you help? Congratulations on hitting the APOD big time,Phil. I suppose you’ll dump all us little people now. Oh(sob) just leave me alone. No, don’t touch me! Seriously Phil, woof! ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/2 "2003-09-23T10:14:11Z")
[http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030923.html](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030923.html) Go BA!!! ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/3 "2003-09-23T10:18:33Z")
Mucho thanko,Dijon ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/4 "2003-09-23T11:23:35Z")
I saw it first thing this morning and was wondering how long it would take before someone posted it, since we know he’s a member. Maybe we can draw him out… Hope he remembers the little people when he blows up and gets all big and he’s driving around bling blingin’ in his Caddy. Can’t you just see him with a bunch of gold necklaces? One for each planet in the Solar system… Way to go BA! ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/5 "2003-09-23T11:58:06Z")
I saw the picture first thing this morning and rushed to the SDMB to be the first to post a link. Alas, I got scooped. Well done folks. Congratulations Phil, our very own **Bad Astronomer** , on the press coverage. PS - I’ll say it so he won’t have to… buy [his book.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471409766/qid=1064318798/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-9307879-9556651) ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/6 "2003-09-23T12:29:08Z")
Man, I was just doing a search to see if that’d been put up yet. Good for Phil! ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/7 "2003-09-23T12:34:42Z")
All hail Bad Astronomy 😃 I just finished reading Phil’s debunking of the moon hoax theories, great stuff! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/8 "2003-09-23T12:42:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Algernon \* > \*\*PS - I’ll say it so he won’t have to… buy [his book.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471409766/qid=1064318798/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-9307879-9556651) \*\* Already did, and I recommend it enthusiastically! In fact, I would suggest it makes a great gift for anyone who is even mildly interested in the sky and its contents! Yay, **BA**!! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/9 "2003-09-23T12:42:56Z")
But how well does he say “Billions and Billions”? ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/10 "2003-09-23T12:44:17Z")
Note the link back to one of Cecil’s columns 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/11 "2003-09-23T12:45:40Z")
Although, his book is highly informative and entertainibg, **BA** would be well advised to have his next book throughly copy edited. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/12 "2003-09-23T12:45:48Z")
Although, his book is highly informative and entertainibg, **BA** would be well advised to have his next book thoroughly copy edited. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/13 "2003-09-23T12:53:29Z")
Although, his book is highly informative and entertainibg, **BA** would be well advised to have his next book thoroughly copy edited. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/14 "2003-09-23T12:55:30Z")
Although his post is highly informative and entertaining, **gobear** would be well advised to have his next post thoroughly copy edited. (I couldn’t resist. Gaudere’s Law strikes again.) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/15 "2003-09-23T13:47:39Z")
Ah, it’s 1920’s style “bad astronomy.” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/16 "2003-09-23T13:55:05Z")
Ah, it’s 1920’s style “bad astronomy.” ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/17 "2003-09-23T14:13:43Z")
GAH!!! Hoist by my own petard! ---
**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:** [September 23, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/18 "2003-09-23T19:08:50Z")
Wow, there are three threads on this today. And I thought _I_ didn’t have a life. Of course I will remember the little people when I get big. I have to remember; they will be the ones I have to target for termination since they might remember things I have done in the past. ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/19 "2003-09-23T19:23:09Z")
Wow, the BA appeared in my thread. I want to be famous,too. Terminate me first BA,terminate me first! ---
**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:** [September 23, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283/20 "2003-09-23T23:32:51Z")
I’ve never had a thread about me locked, either. _Now_ I feel famous. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-astronomer-on-fast-track-to-become-next-carl-sagan/203283.md?page=2)