Phil Plait
@philplait.bsky.social
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.
I'm self-employed so my opinions do in fact represent my company's.
Pinned
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...
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...
Trump mandates all schoolchildren eat at least 16 ounces of coal every day
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal to revive industry, Bloomberg News says reut.rs/46vkQiO
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal to revive industry, Bloomberg News says
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to direct the Pentagon to use government funding and Pentagon contracts to sustain U.S. coal-fired power plants, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a White House official.
reut.rs
February 11, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Trump mandates all schoolchildren eat at least 16 ounces of coal every day
Reposted by Phil Plait
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Researchers working with the A.I. system Claude have come to understand that the model’s selfhood, like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/kEX1vV
February 11, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Reposted by Phil Plait
3/ Are you a woman interested in career opportunities at ESO?
Join the Virtual Career Fair for Women in STEM 2026. The event offers the opportunity to connect with representatives from ESO and other leading organisations.
🗓️ 19 March
ℹ️ www.impactpool.org/vcf/events/3...
🔭 🧪
Join the Virtual Career Fair for Women in STEM 2026. The event offers the opportunity to connect with representatives from ESO and other leading organisations.
🗓️ 19 March
ℹ️ www.impactpool.org/vcf/events/3...
🔭 🧪
February 11, 2026 at 10:47 AM
3/ Are you a woman interested in career opportunities at ESO?
Join the Virtual Career Fair for Women in STEM 2026. The event offers the opportunity to connect with representatives from ESO and other leading organisations.
🗓️ 19 March
ℹ️ www.impactpool.org/vcf/events/3...
🔭 🧪
Join the Virtual Career Fair for Women in STEM 2026. The event offers the opportunity to connect with representatives from ESO and other leading organisations.
🗓️ 19 March
ℹ️ www.impactpool.org/vcf/events/3...
🔭 🧪
Reposted by Phil Plait
I did the thing! I emailed, cold, the author of a book I liked to tell them it was good, and to say thanks. Know what? That's a good idea. You were all correct. Everyone should do that.
February 11, 2026 at 1:31 AM
I did the thing! I emailed, cold, the author of a book I liked to tell them it was good, and to say thanks. Know what? That's a good idea. You were all correct. Everyone should do that.
Well, wow. I just got an amazingly supportive and complimentary email which raised my spirits considerably.
It reminded me: if you like an artist or writer or whatever and their email is public, sending them a quick note will make their day. YMMV, but I really enjoy complimenting someone I admire.
It reminded me: if you like an artist or writer or whatever and their email is public, sending them a quick note will make their day. YMMV, but I really enjoy complimenting someone I admire.
February 11, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Well, wow. I just got an amazingly supportive and complimentary email which raised my spirits considerably.
It reminded me: if you like an artist or writer or whatever and their email is public, sending them a quick note will make their day. YMMV, but I really enjoy complimenting someone I admire.
It reminded me: if you like an artist or writer or whatever and their email is public, sending them a quick note will make their day. YMMV, but I really enjoy complimenting someone I admire.
Reposted by Phil Plait
That time I stood in front of a giant snow pile by the curb talking into my phone like a lunatic 😆
Why has it been so cold this winter? Senior Editor Andrea Thompson breaks down this winter’s extreme weather: a polar vortex sending the Eastern U.S. into a deep freeze, while the West faces record-breaking warmth.
🎤✏️: @andreatweather.bsky.social
🎞️: Carin Leong
🎤✏️: @andreatweather.bsky.social
🎞️: Carin Leong
February 10, 2026 at 11:03 PM
That time I stood in front of a giant snow pile by the curb talking into my phone like a lunatic 😆
That's way less than the percentage in the Trump administration.
The latest research shows that less than 2% of immigrants detained in Trump's second term are rapists and murderers, and less than 2% are gang members. Source: www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-arr...
Emmer steps to the mic and says: "Pedophiles. Rapists. Murderers."
February 10, 2026 at 10:31 PM
That's way less than the percentage in the Trump administration.
Cooooool
Galaxy mug. Stoneware. Hand-built. One of a kind. Just listed. Surly.etsy.com #sciart
February 10, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Cooooool
Dear Republicans: are you *sure* this is the guy you want to fall on your sword for?
Jamie Raskin Reveals Trump’s Name Shows Up in Unredacted Epstein Files ‘More Than a Million Times’
Jamie Raskin Reveals Trump’s Name Shows Up in Unredacted Epstein Files ‘More Than a Million Times’
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) revealed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's name appears in the unredacted Epstein files “more than a million times.”
The post Jamie Raskin Reveals Trump’s Name Shows Up in Unredacted Epstein Files ‘More Than a Million Times’ first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
February 10, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Dear Republicans: are you *sure* this is the guy you want to fall on your sword for?
It's amazing how well Randall understands astronomers
![Comic. [Person with ponytail pointing to diagram on wall as she talks to two other people, one with short hair.] PERSON 1: The high carbon content of the skeleton indicates that the individual lived less than 12.6 billion years ago, after the first round of stellar nucleosynthesis. [caption] Cosmologist carbon dating](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiaaaa2fduedn5fusan4xvikaehxgps2yxdlv7vb3j7ep323zta2u4@jpeg)
February 10, 2026 at 8:28 PM
It's amazing how well Randall understands astronomers
February 10, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Old McDonald had a farm...
February 10, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Old McDonald had a farm...
This amazing pic of the galaxy IC 5332 from JWST gave me some arachnophobic-like chills, but damn, it's so amazing. Read about it here!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-spider-w...
[PS: this Tuesday issue is usually for paid subscribers but I put a lot of it above the fold because it's cool]
🔭 🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-spider-w...
[PS: this Tuesday issue is usually for paid subscribers but I put a lot of it above the fold because it's cool]
🔭 🧪
A spider web a million trillion kilometers wide: JWST’s view of IC 5332
Also: How many near-Earth asteroids have been visited by spacecraft?
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:34 PM
This amazing pic of the galaxy IC 5332 from JWST gave me some arachnophobic-like chills, but damn, it's so amazing. Read about it here!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-spider-w...
[PS: this Tuesday issue is usually for paid subscribers but I put a lot of it above the fold because it's cool]
🔭 🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-spider-w...
[PS: this Tuesday issue is usually for paid subscribers but I put a lot of it above the fold because it's cool]
🔭 🧪
Age verification? Since before your sun burned hot in space, and before your race was born, I have awaited a question.
Age verification? My first anime was "Space Cruiser Yamato"
Age verification? On my middle school basketball team we all chewed lemon-lime Gatorgum.
February 10, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Age verification? Since before your sun burned hot in space, and before your race was born, I have awaited a question.
OMG
Makes more sense than a flat Earth
Makes more sense than a flat Earth
An entirely reasonable question prompted by a show that has never once explained where anyone came from or why they’re still here.
#cookiemonster #drwho #elmo #grover #oscar #sesamestreet #snuffleupagus #timelord #vampire #OddNews
#cookiemonster #drwho #elmo #grover #oscar #sesamestreet #snuffleupagus #timelord #vampire #OddNews
If Oscar the Grouch Is a Time Lord, Then What Is the Rest of Sesame Street?
An entirely reasonable question prompted by a show that has never once explained where anyone came from or why they’re still here.
oddnews.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:57 AM
OMG
Makes more sense than a flat Earth
Makes more sense than a flat Earth
Oh this is fantastic art using actual images from space missions. Jupiter and Io, Earth, and Mars.
Impossible Portrait: Jupiter and Io (Cassini), Earth (Rosetta) and Mars (Hope Mission) - From Andrea Luck (andrealuck.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2mRNEX8
February 10, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Oh this is fantastic art using actual images from space missions. Jupiter and Io, Earth, and Mars.
Reposted by Phil Plait
So we're clear (because the press is apparently incapable) this is a fake competition investigation designed to help local right wing propaganda broadcasters consolidate and increase their power over whatever's left of local U.S. news
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Probes Comcast Relations With NBC Stations
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to Comcast on Tuesday announcing a probe of the company's relations with NBC affiliates.
variety.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:19 PM
So we're clear (because the press is apparently incapable) this is a fake competition investigation designed to help local right wing propaganda broadcasters consolidate and increase their power over whatever's left of local U.S. news
Huh. HUH.
Trump, who says he had "no idea" at the time that Epstein sexually molested girls, told the police in 2006 that "everyone has known he’s been doing this.” That's according to an FBI interview with the then-Palm Beach police chief.
Here's a gift link to Julie K. Brown's article in the Miami Herald.
Here's a gift link to Julie K. Brown's article in the Miami Herald.
Trump told Palm Beach police chief ‘everyone’ knew about Epstein, Maxwell was ‘evil’
The new information comes as Ghislaine Maxwell was summoned to appear Monday before a Congressional committee.
www.miamiherald.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Huh. HUH.
STRONGLY endorse
Yesterday marked Stand Up For Science's first birthday! We want to keep fighting for science for years to come, but that comes at a cost. If you would like to make a birthday donation, please visit this link: standupforscience.net/donate
Thank you for helping us Stand Up For Science!
Thank you for helping us Stand Up For Science!
February 9, 2026 at 8:18 PM
STRONGLY endorse
Reposted by Phil Plait
Oh! And what’s this? A new 5th Doctor box set, with stories by Lauren Mooney, Stewart Pringle, and a handsome, talented writer called… oh, how embarrassing! It’s me! Mine had the working title of “Tegan Jovanka’s Bloody Annoying Groundhog Day”, so you know the vibe:
FIVE STAR! ✨ Click https://bgfn.sh/rough if you can't wait another minute to find out more about April 2026's full-cast audio drama box set starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson.
February 9, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Oh! And what’s this? A new 5th Doctor box set, with stories by Lauren Mooney, Stewart Pringle, and a handsome, talented writer called… oh, how embarrassing! It’s me! Mine had the working title of “Tegan Jovanka’s Bloody Annoying Groundhog Day”, so you know the vibe:
My free subscriptions have plateaued a bit lately, so why not sign up? You get a free issue every Monday, with cool science and pix and stuff. It's essentially a whole science book per year, and costs nothing!
👉 badastronomy.beehiiv.com/subscribe
👉 badastronomy.beehiiv.com/subscribe
February 9, 2026 at 4:12 PM
My free subscriptions have plateaued a bit lately, so why not sign up? You get a free issue every Monday, with cool science and pix and stuff. It's essentially a whole science book per year, and costs nothing!
👉 badastronomy.beehiiv.com/subscribe
👉 badastronomy.beehiiv.com/subscribe
We can now take *1,500-color* images of galaxies! Here's a gorgeous nearby spiral to sculpt your interest.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-specta...
[words by me; this issue is free for all!]
🔭 🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-specta...
[words by me; this issue is free for all!]
🔭 🧪
The spectacular Sculptor spiral galaxy in 1,500 colors!
Picking your colors carefully reveals rich science
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:07 PM
We can now take *1,500-color* images of galaxies! Here's a gorgeous nearby spiral to sculpt your interest.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-specta...
[words by me; this issue is free for all!]
🔭 🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-specta...
[words by me; this issue is free for all!]
🔭 🧪
Of *course* she didn't. She was moved to a cushy minimum security prison as an obvious bribe by Trump to stay quiet. Taking the 5th is safe; naming names could get her killed.
ALERT: Rep Robert Garcia (D-CA) says Ghislaine Maxwell has appeared for virtual deposition with House Oversight Cmte and “said nothing. She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls”
February 9, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Of *course* she didn't. She was moved to a cushy minimum security prison as an obvious bribe by Trump to stay quiet. Taking the 5th is safe; naming names could get her killed.
I'm always amazed when a see a truly dark splotch in a JWST image. The 'scope detects infrared light which can get through dense dust that's opaque to visible light, so how dense is that little cloud such that it can *entirely block the light from material behind it*? Yikes.
🔭 JWST Program 5437 - A Census to the Bottom of the IMF in W3: Atmospheres, Disks, Accretion, and Demographics: www.stsci.edu/jwst-program...
data: W3-JWST-3A-FINAL, released: 2026-02-08
NASA, ESA, CSA, STSci/ #JWST NIRCAM 440, 360, 182
data: W3-JWST-3A-FINAL, released: 2026-02-08
NASA, ESA, CSA, STSci/ #JWST NIRCAM 440, 360, 182
February 9, 2026 at 3:37 PM
I'm always amazed when a see a truly dark splotch in a JWST image. The 'scope detects infrared light which can get through dense dust that's opaque to visible light, so how dense is that little cloud such that it can *entirely block the light from material behind it*? Yikes.