Astronomer, Author, and Science Communicator
Dr. Phil Plait brings complex scientific concepts to life in a way that’s accessible and engaging for audiences of all levels. His passion for science and his ability to break down complicated ideas into simple, understandable terms has made him a go-to expert for everything from TV appearances to podcasts to keynote speeches.
For as long as he can remember, Dr. Phil Plait has been in love with science.
“When I was maybe four or five years old, my dad brought home a cheapo department store telescope. He aimed it at Saturn that night. One look, and that was it. I was hooked,” he says.
After earning his doctorate in astronomy at the University of Virginia, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope as a NASA contractor at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He began a career in public outreach and education with the Bad Astronomy website, debunking bad science and popular misconceptions. He’s the author of Under Alien Skies (2023) as well as Bad Astronomy and Death From The Skies! He can be seen in “Crash Course Astronomy”, a 46-part educational web series he wrote and hosted that has over 20 million views.
Dr. Plait gives talks about science and pseudoscience across the US and internationally. He uses images, audio, and video clips in entertaining and informative multimedia presentations packed with humor and backed by solid science.
He has spoken at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, the Space Telescope Science Institute (home of Hubble), the Hayden Planetarium in NYC and other world-class museums and planetaria, conferences, astronomy clubs, colleges & universities, and community groups. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Pax TV, Tech TV, Syfy, Radio BBC, Air America, NPR, and many other television and internet venues. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, Discover magazine, Sky and Telescope, Astronomy magazine, Night Sky magazine, Space.com, and more.
What would it be like to sail above Saturn’s rings, or watch an eclipse from the Moon, or stare in awe as sunset brings a million brilliant stars to the sky of a planet in a star cluster? Astronomer and renowned science communicator Dr. Phil Plait will show you, based on his book, “Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe”. More than just a simple description of events, this talk will take you to these distant worlds — so you can feel what it would be like to be there, and experience them for yourself.
American Eclipse
On April 8, 2024, the United States will be treated to one of the rarest and most spectacular of celestial events: a total solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon will fall along a narrow path across the US, including right through downtown Little Rock, which will enjoy 2 minutes and 30 seconds of totality. During that time the sky will grow dark, the stars and planets will come out, birds will stop singing, crickets will chirp, and you’ll be able to see the Sun’s corona, its gorgeous atmosphere normally far too faint to see from Earth. Renowned science communicator Dr. Phil Plait will present everything you need to know to safely watch the literally out-of-this-world event, explain the science, and even debunk a misconception or two about eclipses.
Every aspect of science has been profoundly affected — and usually improved — by the advent of technology. Our ability to investigate scientific phenomena has evolved vastly and rapidly in the past few decades. In this talk, astronomer Phil Plait goes over what, in his opinion, the three greatest advances have been in astronomy, arguably the world’s actual oldest profession.
Strange New Worlds: Is Earth special?
Since the 1990s, astronomers have found over four thousand (and counting!) exoplanets, alien worlds orbiting other stars. These planets orbit a wide variety of stars, and themselves are all wildly different; huge, small, hot, cold, airless, or with thick atmospheres. As we learn more about them, we come closer to answering the Big Questions: Is there another Earth out there? And if so, will it support life? Is Earth unique, or is the galaxy filled with blue-green worlds that look achingly like our own? In this engaging and fun talk, astronomer Phil Plait will show you how we find these planets, and how our own compares to them.
Science Communication in the Age of Snapchat
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and good old TV: our attention is divided amongst so many different media outlets, and worse, some of them propagate misinformation and false facts. It is more important than ever to effectively communicate on science topics. But with so much competition, what’s the best way to engage? In this program Phil Plait, who has over 500,000 followers on Twitter, hosts a popular YouTube series, and is known for his social media presence, discusses different strategies to reach people. This informative and entertaining talk gives you some insight into getting the point across, encouraging everyone to be themselves and have fun while doing so.
The Response:
“Students, faculty, staff and community members were entertained and educated by Dr. Plait’s lecture, particularly those who aren’t ‘science people’. They were impressed by his ability to take scientific concepts and explain them so that everyone could understand. His combination of science and humor made this talk a great way to start our 2009/2010 season.”
Ruth M. Dobyns, Issues & Artists Coordinator, Wilmington College
“Phil kept our audience thinking and laughing for over an hour. He had a real rapport with his interlocutors during questions and answers. Everyone loved him, and they kept telling me so for a week afterward. It would be hard to think of a more engaging way to bring real science to a general audience.”
Tony Zito, Chair, Department of Mathematics, Physical and Computer Sciences Dutchess Community College
“From eggs to asteroids, Dr Phil Plait was outstanding. His lecture was perfect for the layman but technical enough for the enthusiast. He was very approachable and questions from the audience could have gone on forever. It was a pleasure to make him a part of the Union Speaker’s Forum program.”
Cameron McLean, Director of Student Activities, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
“Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, spoke to a group of 400 gifted and talented high school seniors at the summer Arkansas Governor’s School. He spoke about critical thinking from the view point of the sciences, specifically astronomy. His informal presentation style and his humor were appealing to our audience and he kept their attention for the full 90 minutes. Even the students who were not interested in science were engaged and entertained…. Our students rated Phil as one of the highest rated speakers of our program this summer. We definitely want him back next year!”
Lyle Rupert, Director, Arkansas Governor’s School.