I must say that i enjoyed the chapter about the big moon illusion the illusion that. The topics covered are the very ones hes written vibrantly about for more than a decade on his blog of the same name now appearing on slate. Giant impact craters, vast relatively smooth plains called maria mahreeuh that are filled with dark magmatic basalt which form the features we can see by eye on the moon, and everything else a perfunctory examination. Philip cary plait born september 30, 1964, also known as the bad astronomer, is an american astronomer, skeptic, writer and popular science blogger. This is the same reason the sky is blue, and following that link will show you why.
He uses intelligence, critical thinking and a hefty dash of humor to dismantle pseudoscience and wild claims of the paranormal. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax is a nonfiction book by the american astronomer phil plait, also known as the bad astronomer. According to an analysis by science writer phil plait for syfy wire, the illusion, like all other optical illusions, underscores a disconnect between the raw data and the information. The upper yellow bar looks wider because it spans a greater apparent distance between the rails. Mar 16, 2011 the moon orbits the earth in an elliptical orbit, meaning that it is not always the same distance from the earth. Other chapters detail the coriolis effect and the big moon illusion, why the sky is blue and why we have seasons.
Every now and again, i am strongly reminded that our moon is really weird. For example, i researched the history of the eggstanding legend in the united states and was able to trace it to a simple misunderstanding of a magazine article published in 1945. The bad astronomy blog is all about realworld science it covers the entire universe, from subatomic particles to the big bang itself. Phil plait uses this image to give an explanation of the moon illusion, that refers to the phenomenon that a full moon that lies low on the horizon appears to be much larger than when it is high in the sky a few hours later, even though the measured size in the same. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as.
There are actually records of ancient babylonians and greeks debating why. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space a misconception because in the. Plotwise its a standalone, but for background knowledge especially about the character dynamics its very. Throughout this book i will use harsh language to characterize various ideas, but my acerbic. Bad astronomer phil plait recently explained this for. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A surprisingly large group of people believe this, between ten and twentyfive million, according to phil plait, who writes about the moon landing hoax in his book bad astronomy. The moon often looks huge as it begins to peek up over the horizon, but hours later as you glance up into the night sky you will note that it now appears much smaller. As the book starts, cole and nathan are already in a relationship that tentatively started during huntsmen. May 11, 2015 the moon illusion might be the worlds most widely known optical illusion, and its been pondered for thousands of years. Advance praise for philip plait s bad astronomy bad astronomy is just. Moon illusion is the third installment of this series and focuses on nathan, the best friend of the better to kiss you with s deanna, and cole, huntsmen s kiaras brother.
Mar 01, 2002 for example, various false explanations to why the sky is blue are talked about. Oct 22, 2014 photo by chris setterphil plaitoptical spy. Philip plait, astronomer and author of the acclaimed bad astronomy blog, gives. Some researchers believe that the moon illusion is ponzos illusion, with trees and houses playing the role of ponzos converging lines. In the first volume in wileys exciting new bad science series, plait sets the scientific record straight, clearing up the misconceptions relating to our earth, moon and night sky. Jun 28, 2007 bad astronomer phil plait recently explained this for wil wheaton on his blog the illusion is a combination of two things. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax has been released by wiley and sons.
The current concept of the moon states that it is a solid spherical object which orbits the earth every 29. This phenomenon has been noticed and pondered over since ancient times when people first looked to the sky. Scientists have written indepth websites, sophisticated research papers, and even entire books about the moon illusion, but still a complete and satisfying solution seems out of reach. As phil plait writes in this book, many people seem to know things that arent true, and astronomy is no exception to this. Plait has worked as part of the hubble space telescope team, images and spectra of astronomical objects, as well as engaging in public outreach advocacy for nasa missions.
Bad astronomer phil plait recently explained this for wil wheaton on his blog the illusion is a combination of two things. For more on the moon illusion, see astronomer phil plaits. To start, i just read a great book by astronomer and science evangelist phil plait called bad astronomy. The closest the moon ever gets to earth called perigee is 364,000km, and the. For some people the horizon moons angular size can look as much as twice as large as the zenith moons, but a value from 1. For some people the horizon moon s angular size can look as much as twice as large as the zenith moon s, but a value from 1. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space a misconception because in the vacuum of space, sound has no medium. Trehub mit press, 1991, which has a chapter dealing with the moon illusion. Sep 23, 2019 free download book bad astronomy by philip c. The hubble legacy field is an image of a small region of space in the constellation fornax, containing an estimated 265,000 galaxies.
In a way, this is the book phil plait, awardwinning blogger and skeptic superstar, was always meant to write. Philip plait clears up every misconception on astronomy and space you never. Journalists and movie directors should take some blame for this given that they promote astrology ahead of astronomy and given that movies all too frequently get the science all wrong. Bad astronomy explains the real science behind the various space hoaxes and frauds that have become the hallmark of bad astronomy in the media. To test this for yourself, roughly measure the diameter of the moon by. This is a repost of what i wrote on february 23, 2007, the 20th anniversary of the day light reached us. Demonstrate a technique used by astronomers to make measurements and ask them to try it for themselves. What caused this griddleandpancakebatter feature on the. Many research measures of the moon illusion have been published. Bad astronomy is lightly illustrated with a mix of schematic drawings to illustrate for example, tides or the moon size illusion and black and white photographs.
The moon illusion might be the worlds most widely known optical illusion, and its been pondered for thousands of years. Giant impact craters, vast relatively smooth plains called maria mahreeuh that are filled with dark magmatic basalt which form the features we can see by eye on the moon, and everything else a perfunctory examination through a small telescope. While the moon does come closer to our planet during its 29. It has a ton of familiar features on it, so its easy to get complacent. Youve become a victim of its wonky way of perceiving the world. A new colorconfounding optical illusion is baffling the. Hoax theory debunker phil plait says in his book bad astronomy, that the soviets with their own competing moon program, an extensive intelligence network and a formidable scientific community able to analyze nasa data would have cried foul if the united states tried to fake a moon landing, especially since their own program had failed. The best parts of the book are these very sections debunking the hoax moon landing conspiracy theories, and the fantastical pseudoscience of velikovsky, along with astrology and creationism.
The moon illusion, seen in the wild always involves a comparison of the horizon moon being seen now with a memory of an overhead moon seen earlier, or vice versa. What caused this griddleandpancakebatter feature on the moon. The first part is about things like tides, eclipses. Phil plait center during tam9 in 2011, with richard wiseman and joe nickell from 2008 to 2009, plait served as the president of the james randi educational foundation, which promotes scientific skepticism, a position he eventually stepped down from in order to focus on the bad universe television project. But what if i told you that the moon never really changes size, and its simply your brain playing a trick. The moon illusion has been studied by astronomers, psychologists, and brain researchers. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space a misconception. Looking back approximately billion years between 400 and 800 million years after the big bang it has been used to search for galaxies. Find out what the moon illusion is, and why it happens. Jun 19, 2019 according to an analysis by science writer phil plait for syfy wire, the illusion, like all other optical illusions, underscores a disconnect between the raw data and the information data put. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing. Jul 29, 2019 the moon often looks huge as it begins to peek up over the horizon, but hours later as you glance up into the night sky you will note that it now appears much smaller.
Theres about six hours between the horizon moon and the overhead moon more or less, depending on the tilt of the moon s orbital plane and the season. The other day i received a surprise letter from none other than legendary star blogger phil plait, who wrote to correct me on a comic linked above the first of the ndt comics, no. Part ii of the book, from the earth to the moon, focuses on. In which i disagree with cartoon neil tyson naked i astronomy a new smbc book. The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space.
Invite the children to test for themselves how the full moons larger appearance on the horizon is an optical illusion. Extend one arm to about eye level and look at your hand. The best books on the wonders of the universe five books. The best parts of the book are these very sections debunking the hoax moon landing conspiracy theories, and the fantastical pseudoscience of. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax wiley helped as. Foreground objects trick your brain into thinking the moon is bigger than it. Nearly everyone is aware that the moon appears larger on the horizon, and nearly everyone, including myself, thought they knew. While the moon illusion is well known through human history and culture, researchers are still debating explanations for why it. In it, he dispels many misconceptions that nearly everybody has about astronomical concepts, myself included. Then the book moves on to things like astrology and the purported moon landing hoax. A new colorconfounding optical illusion is baffling the internet. In addition, you have probably seen that the rising or setting moon looks very red.
Confirmation bias is a big part of the building and persistence of these conspiracy theories opens in. This difference causes our brain to perceive the moon larger when its down at the horizon. For example, various false explanations to why the sky is blue are talked about. The original release was composed of hubble space telescope data accumulated over a 16year period. Astronomy, space exploration, the effect of politics on science.
Philip plait is an astronomer who also runs the excellent bad astronomy website. Illusion books product categories stevens magic emporium. I am quite pleased to announce that my book, bad astronomy. But the earths circumference is tiny compared to the distance to the moon, over. One is an optical illusion created by the moon or sun being close to the horizon because we then have terrestrial objects to gauge them against and our brain processes the information a bit differently when this is the case.
Oct 24, 2012 but what if i told you that the moon never really changes size, and its simply your brain playing a trick. Foxs tv show propelled plaits writing to a large audience, and his 2002 book bad astronomy. The moon orbits the earth in an elliptical orbit, meaning that it is not always the same distance from the earth. Jan 03, 2019 every now and again, i am strongly reminded that our moon is really weird. Phil plait, who goes by the nickname the bad astronomer, is an internationally renowned astronomer, author, lecturer, blogger, and president of the james randi educational foundation. Plaits site led the charge against this nonsense, and he includes a treatment of the topic in his book as well. The apparent change in our only natural satellites size when it is near the horizon is. Misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing hoax bad science.