Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax" is a non-fiction book by the American astronomerPhil Plait, who is also known as "the Bad Astronomer". The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such assounds being audible in space (amisconception because in thevacuum of space, sound has no medium in which to propagate).

Bad Astronomy

Author	Philip C. Plait
Subject	Astronomy -- Popular works. Astronomy -- Miscellanea. Errors, Scientific.
Publisher	John Wiley & Sons
Publication date	1 March 2002
Pages	288
ISBN	978-0-471-40976-2
OCLC	48885221
Followed by	Bad Medicine: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Distance Healing to Vitamin O (Wiley Bad Science Series)

Plait's first book received generally favorable reviews within the academic and astronomy communities and was the first volume in theBad Science series byJohn Wiley & Sons Publishing

Inspired by the author's web site, "Bad Astronomy", the book attempts to explore twenty-four common astronomical fallacies and explain the scientific consensus concerning these topics within the field ofastronomy.^[1]

The book explains and corrects many ideas relating to space that, according to Plait, are mistaken but nevertheless often portrayed in popular movies. Plait also dedicates much of the book to debunking the idea of aMoon landing hoax and explains whyastrology should not be taken seriously. A part of the book describes the Moon'stidal effects and explains theCoriolis effect, why the sky is blue, theBig Bang and other related topics.

Many of the book's topics and arguments also are found on Plait's page at theSlate magazine blog site, but Plait explores them in greater depth in the book. He states that the book is intended to debunk popular myths and also to describe science in an easily comprehensible way.^[2]

Tormod Guldvog writes in his review that "It is indeed a gem when it comes to teaching things about common astronomical phenomena. Plait discusses common ways bad astronomy is communicated, in the media, in the classroom, and perhaps, most of all, in our own minds."^[3]

ReviewingBad Astronomy for theNational Science Teachers Association, Deborah Teuscher, Director of Pike Planetarium, praised the work as "interesting, accurate, and fun to read," recommending the book as a resource for science teachers, scientifically interested lay persons, and high school and college students as a supplement to an astronomy unit.^[4]

Publishers Weekly gave a generally favorable review, stating of the plannedJohn Wiley & Sons "Bad Science" series that "[i]f every entry in the series is as entertaining as Plait's, good science may have a fighting chance with the American public."^[5]

An April 2002 review for UniSci's "Daily University Science News" also praisedBad Astronomy as the "ideal accompaniment for International Astronomy Day (April 20)" and quoted the author, stating that it is "dangerous to be ignorant about science. Our lives and our livelihoods depend on it."^[6]

In an October 2002 review forSky & Telescope, Bud Sadler praisedBad Astronomy for its humor, "easily understood explanations" and "simple demonstrations" to explain what he called "the most egregious examples of ill-informed astronomy."^[7]

Part I ofBad Astronomy, "Bad Astronomy Begins at Home", focuses on examples of astronomical misconceptions that are typically associated with the household or classroom, including the effect of theequinox on an egg's ability to balance upright without falling onto its side, the Coriolis effect's rumored effect on direction of whirlpools in household plumbing, and astronomical misunderstandings inherent in common English idioms, such as "meteoric rise" and "dark side of the Moon".^[8] "Idiom's Delight", the chapter dealing with scientific inaccuracies that appear in everyday expressions, such as the phrase "light years ahead".^[9]

Part II of the book, "From the Earth to the Moon", focuses on Earth's orbit and atmosphere and the Moon, with particular emphasis on how photon scattering results in the sky appearing blue, the impact of axial tilt on seasons, the impact of the Moon's presence, and misconceptions regarding the "Moon Size Illusion",^[8] explaining why and how the Moon appears larger when closer to the horizon.^[6]

Part III, "Skies at Night are Big and Bright", concentrates on the viewing of objects farther away than the radius of the Moon's orbit around Earth, including the optical "twinkle" effect when viewing some stars, the brightness and color of stars, observation of meteors and asteroids, and using astronomical observations to study the beginning of the universe.^[8] Plait's chapter on meteors and asteroids delves into terms and distinctions and explains, for example, "why small meteors are cold, not hot, when they hit the ground."^[6]

Part IV, "Artificial Intelligence", attempts to tackle various conspiracy theories and alternate worldviews, including the so-calledMoon Landing Hoax,Young-Earth Creationism,Immanuel Velikovsky's bookWorlds in Collision (which asserts that a relatively youngVenus was once a part ofJupiter), extraterrestrial claims regardingunidentified flying objects (UFOs), andastrology.^[8] In "Appalled at Apollo", the section devoted to Moon landing hoax conspiracy theories, Plait examines aspects of the hoax theory and compares its claims against basic laws of physics.^[9]Astronomical Society of the Pacific listed Chapter 17, "Appalled at Apollo", on a list of resources stating it was "good ammunition for debunking the notion that NASA never went to the Moon point by point."^[10] In the chapter "Misidentified Flying Objects", Plait discusses various ways that cameras sometimes distort images, which Plait writes are often responsible for examples of evidence presented by extraterrestrial UFO proponents.^[9] A chapter devoted to astrology explores the topic, explaining "why astrology doesn't work".^[6]

Part V, "Beam Me Up", explores additional topics, such as common misconceptions regarding theHubble Space Telescope and its funding, star-naming companies, and astronomy myths and inaccuracies perpetuated by Hollywood,^[8] providing "The Top-Ten Examples of Bad Astronomy in Major Motion Pictures".^[6]

• Plait, Philip C. (1 March 2002).Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax". New York: Wiley.ISBN 978-0-471-40976-2.OCLC 48885221.

• Bad Astronomy was the first volume in the planned seriesBad Science published byJohn Wiley & Sons.^[1] A second volume,Bad Medicine, byChristopher Wanjek, was published in 2003 and was the most recent in the series.^[11]

• In 2008, Plait published a second book on astronomy,Death from the Skies, which explored the various ways in which the human race could be rendered extinct by astronomical phenomena.

• Death from the Skies

• Bad Astronomy atOpen Library 
• Plait'sBad Astronomy blog atSlate.com
• Sample chapter from publisher.