Speaker Biography

Phil Plait

Astronomer and Science Communicator

Dr. Plait worked for ten years with Hubble Space Telescope, first to get his PhD, and then helping to build a camera on board that is still being used today. During that time he found that he loved to write and talk about the Universe, helping others share his joy for space and astronomy, and over the years that passion to communicate became his main occupation. He started a website tearing down science misconceptions like UFOs and people who think NASA faked the Apollo Moon landings, earning him the nickname “The Bad Astronomer”, for debunking bad astronomy. He turned that into a book called “Bad Astronomy”, and has since then written two more books and dozens of magazine articles. He has appeared on numerous science shows, including “Phil Plait’s Bad Universe” and “How the Universe Works”, was the Head Science Writer for the first season of “Bill Nye Saves the World”, and has consulted on numerous television shows and movies. His first love, though, is still writing about news and advances in astronomy on his blog “Bad Astronomy”, which has in the past been hosted by Discover Magazine and Slate, and is currently at SYFY Wire.