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Phil Plait

@philplait.bsky.social

79K followers 310 following 15K posts

Bad Astronomer (formerly @BadAstronomer), SciCommer, Dork. Crash Course Astronomy guy. He/him. Newsletter: badastronomy.beehiiv.com I'm self-employed so my opinions do in fact represent my company's.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · Oct 10

Pinned post:

Wanna know where all my stuff is? about.me/philplait

My book Under Alien Skies: underalienskies.com

My newsletter (Monday issues are free!): badastronomy.beehiiv.com

My fave post here on BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/phil...

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 12h

Also: Sean Duffy, NASA Administrator

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 12h

The mirror's spherically aberrated

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 3d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 12h

wow

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 2d

I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 14h

Oh my yes.

www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/wa...

Wanderers

Seriously, stop whatever you’re doing and WATCH THIS VIDEO.

www.syfy.com

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 15h

Thank you!

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 16h

Gorgeous artwork of a vista I've imagined in my head a million times.

Hourly Cosmos @hourlycosmos.bsky.social · 21h

A Night on Saturn - From Judy Schmidt (geckzilla.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/PTsBAL

$You can't get much astronomy done on Saturn. The rings shine all night and there's nowhere to put a telescope down. Something different from me. Wouldn't it be something to see the real thing? The rings were rendered in Blender just for a rough start and then I painted the atmosphere, clouds, etc. I thought maybe there would be some atmospheric reddening and a little refraction going on at the horizon. I've always enjoyed painting clouds. About eight hours of work total.$

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, I did. :) Things were a little busy around here so I didn't get a chance to repost it. Sorry about that!

Reposted by Phil Plait

Marian Call @mariancall.bsky.social · 1d

Big news in my world, announced on Patreon:

Marian Call @mariancall.bsky.social · 1d

In which I announce the title of my next album, which I head to Anchorage next week to work on. You can see the basics without having to pay, you can listen to some secret preview tracks and read fresh written-tonight lyrics if you're a backer.

www.patreon.com/posts/secret...

Secret Scratch Tracks and a Sunday Concert | Marian Call

Get more from Marian Call on Patreon

www.patreon.com

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 1d

It begins

A patch of red color among the green leaves of trees in a forest. Fall is just starting in my area of Virginia.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 1d

As always, today's issue of my friend @katharinehayhoe.com's newsletter has good climate news, not-so-good news, and info on what you can do to make an actual impact on saving our planet.

mailchi.mp/1148a2d0bdbf...

Collective climate action – it’s loud and unstoppable!

mailchi.mp

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Reposted by Phil Plait

Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 1d

RFK fired the CDC official (w/decades of experience) leading the measles outbreak response. It's been decades since we've had such a large outbreak. And just to ensure they they can spread the measles outbreak even farther, they also fired the leadership for the center focused on immunization.

Figure showing the largest measles outbreak in the US in decades. There are over 1500 cases as of October 7 2025

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 1d

PalAIndrome

/via @janeespenson.bsky.social

Anthony Etherin @anthonyetherin.bsky.social · 1d

Won’t some dice decide most now?

#palindrome

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Reposted by Phil Plait

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · 1d

We will NOT stand for Trump and Vought decimating our health sciences with RFK Jr's permission.

JOIN US FOR A RALLY AT HHS ON FRIDAY 10/17!

WE ARE TAKING BACK SCIENCE.

#ImpeachTheQuack
#GetOutTheVought
#TakeBackScience

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · 4d

FIGHT FOR SCIENCE RALLY ✊🌏
⏰ WHEN: October 17th, 2025
📍WHERE: 200 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC!
RSVP to JOIN THE FIGHT IRL: zurl.co/LayiM ‼️

📲 Join us Virtually!: zurl.co/Um47l

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

Ah, the Laughably Obtuse Egotistical Bull scale

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

If i were an interstellar comet I'd file a 50 AU restraining order.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

It was! My friend who asked me the question just told me about that. 😄

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

Oh gods what now?

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

PUBLIC AWARENESS IS GROWING AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE TADPOLLING

Adam Selzer @adamchicago.bsky.social · 2d

The frogs have landed in Chicago!

Protestor in a frog suit and an anti-Ice sign with what I believe to be a Pokémon character on a street corner in Rogers Park.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF ANTIFROG

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 3d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

It's been very clear for *months* that Trump is trying to play up the idea of violent protests to prime federal cops for a weaponized response, despite all the actual evidence that protests have been peaceful UNTIL the cops arrive.

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d

EXCLUSIVE — DHS Acting General Counsel sent out a memo Wednesday to all Federal Protective Service staff (the sub-agency that guards federal buildings) letting officers know they could take any action necessary "in the vicinity" federal property to protect themselves.

The Handbasket reports:

DHS top lawyer says 'no legal barrier' to actions officers can take to defend federal property

In a memo obtained exclusively by The Handbasket, Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers were given free rein.

www.thehandbasket.co

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

😄

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

Here's a fun one: can you see Earth and the Moon together with your naked eye... from Mars?

I do the math!

www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-...

🔭🧪

What Would Earth and the Moon Look like from Mars?

If you pick the right time, our home world and our moon could be easily visible from the Red Planet

www.scientificamerican.com

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 3d

So, a normal then

One of those carnival claw games with the name "Megamini". It's basically a box with plush toys inside you try to grab with a claw but you never can and it always makes kids cry.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 3d

That's a lot of water

The Atlantic ocean at a beach in South Carolina. The sky is cloudy and some palms are in the foreground.

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 3d

So, yeah, a mind-vaporizingly huge explosion in space *may have been from a white dwarf ripped to shreds by a black hole*.

yeGADS

badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-white-dw...

🔭🧪

A white dwarf may have been torn to shreds by a black hole

Just writing that sentence made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up

badastronomy.beehiiv.com

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