Phil Plait

Philip Plait works at the physics and astronomy department at Sonoma State University, which is part of the California State University system. Currently he is working on a NASA-sponsored public outreach program for a satellite named GLAST (Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope). Previously, Plait worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). He received his PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia in 1994. Nicknamed "The Bad Astonomer," one of his missions is to clear up misconceptions about astronomy which he does through his website, badastronomy.com.

Website(s):

Book(s):

Past Shows:

  • Ghosts & Spirits

    Ghost hunter John Kachuba, who's investigated more than 100 haunted locations throughout the U.S., discussed his most recent work examining how various religions and cultures explain the ghostly realm. First hour guest, astronomer Phil Plait shared updates on space-related...More »
  • Alternative Energy

    Alternative energy advocate David Blume shared updates on alcohol fuel and related topics during the second half of the show. First hour guest, author Marc Seifer, spoke about the life and work of Nikola Tesla, and astronomer Phil Plait commented on the near miss asteroid in the...More »
  • Astronomical Catastrophes

    Astronomer and author Phil Plait discussed his new book Death from the Skies!, which outlines various ways the human race could die from astronomical events.An asteroid or comet impact could wreak havoc on the planet. For instance, a one-mile-long object that hit the ocean could...More »
  • Past & Future Lives Recalled

    Psychiatrist Dr. Brian Weiss discussed his therapeutic work conducting past-life regressions and future-life progressions. Having seen more than 4,000 patients in this context, he's found this approach can help people overcome phobias & psychological problems and sometimes even...More »
  • Astronomy & Asteroids

    Astronomer Phil Plait spoke about various space-related news and stories. An asteroid, 2007 WD5, has a 1 in 75 chance (possibly 1 in 25) of hitting Mars on Jan. 30th. Scientists are hopeful that the collision will occur as it would give them the opportunity to study the effects...More »
  • Alien Experiences

    Author Whitley Strieber discussed his experiences with alien entities, some of which were incorporated into his new novel The Grays.More »
  • Mind Parasites

    Philosopher and paranormal investigator Jonathan Zap presented the concept that "mind parasites" (a term first coined in a sci-fi novel by Colin Wilson) could be feeding off the energy of humans and instigating their baser instincts.More »
  • Space Update

    George Noory welcomed astronomer Phil Plait, who gave a run down on recent developments in NASA's exploration of space and shared examples of "bad astronomy" that have been circulating.Plait expressed excitement about the recent Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) images. He said...More »
  • Rebroadcast: Open Lines, Phil Plait & Richard C. Hoagland

    In this rebroadcast from 7/29/05 George Noory discussed recent planetary discoveries with Phil Plait and Richard C. Hoagland, as well as hosted 'Strange Karma' Open Lines.More »
  • Strange Karma

    Open Lines featured a special "strange karma" line, where callers shared stories of unusual circumstances that had befallen them recently. Other calls included a man who said he purchased an inexpensive radio from Walgreens, and when he turned it on, he would hear an odd...More »
  • Aliens, UFOs & Biblical Interpretation

    Author of Alien Intrusion, Gary Bates presented his analysis of UFOs & alien abductions, as seen through a strict Biblical interpretation. He also discussed creationism, and laid out his case that Earth and the universe itself are only 6,000 years old. He backed up this...More »
  • La Palma & Titan

    In the first hour, reporter and editor for Earthfiles.com, Linda Moulton Howe, provided an update on the "mega-tsunami" potential of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma. During hour two, astronomer Phil Plait talked about the White House's recent decision to have...More »
  • Ancient Mysteries

    Historical detective Graham Phillips explored the possibility that the biblical account of the ten plagues of Egypt could have been caused by a volcanic eruption. According to his research, the Exodus from Egypt may have been occurring at the same time as a violent eruption on...More »
  • Astronomy Issues

    Astronomer Phil Plait returned to the show to discuss such recent missions as the Cassini Probe at Saturn and the Mars Rovers, as well as to debunk what he considers to be "pseudoscience" and hoaxes.More »
  • The Ghosts of Roswell

    Author Jim Marrs shared his research into the "alien" ghosts of Roswell, as told to him by the employees of the New Mexico Rehabilitation Center. The Center, Marrs explained, sits on the site of the former Roswell Army Air Field Hospital, where alien bodies were allegedly taken...More »
  • Astronomical Misconceptions

    Phil Plait, who works in the physics and astronomy department at Sonoma State, has made it his mission to clear up misconceptions about astronomy. One of his targets, as the main guest on Monday's show, was the work of maverick physicist James McCanney. He's just plain wrong...More »
  • The Great Planet X Debate

    A debate was held on Tuesday night with astronomer Phil Plait and alien contactee Nancy Lieder. Lieder believes that in the next couple of weeks a 'Planet X' will pass close enough to the Earth to cause a pole shift and spur many disasters, while Plait sees no evidence for it.More »
  • Disaster in Space

    This past Saturday evening Coast to Coast held an unprecedented 9 hour program devoted to looking at the crash of the space shuttle Columbia which had occurred that morning. George Noory hosted the first half of the show, followed by Barbara Simpson in her regular time slot....More »
  • Philip Plait

    Dr. Plait works in the physics and astronomy department at Sonoma StateUniversity in California. He maintains the Web site badastronomy.com andwrites monthly articles on astronomy for the German newspaper DieFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His work has appeared in the...More »
  • Philip Plait

    Dr. Plait works in the physics and astronomy department at Sonoma StateUniversity in California. He maintains the Web site badastronomy.com andwrites monthly articles on astronomy for the German newspaper DieFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His work has appeared in the...More »

More Guests