OK, I have a chapter about alien invasion, but I never expected this!
Big thanks and tip o’ the crop circle to Joseph Peacock.
About Bad Astronomy
If you went to BadAstronomy.com and found yourself here, never fear: the BA Blog has moved to its new home at Discover Blogs. The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking and all that) is still online, too.
Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
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Death from the Skies!
Order a copy of Death from the Skies! from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Borders.
"If things worked the way I wanted them to, any reporter about to do another 'sensational' story on deadly meteors would consult this volume, and bang! common sense would find its way into the news. How strange would that world be?"
-- Adam Savage, Mythbusters"Reading this book is like getting punched in the face by Carl Sagan. Frightening, but oddly exhilarating."
-- Daniel H. Wilson, author of How to Survive a Robot UprisingSocial/Networking/Cool Stuff
DISCOVERmagazine.com: Latest Articles on Space- Will Our Universe Collide With a Neighboring One?
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- Reviews: Clashes With Aliens, America vs. Science, and Really Horrible Sci-Fi: The Best in Science Culture
- DISCOVER Blogs: The Loom
October 21st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
That’s hilarious. If only it had a ray-gun-o-death attached, it’d be perfect.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Brilliant!
October 21st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Brilliant!
I’ve already preordered via Amazon.de – but have to wait until December
October 21st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
And it’s still a better video than most UFO “films.”
October 21st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
They Came From the Library!
October 21st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Brilliant, indeed!
October 21st, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Dude! You’ve got fans making commercials for you. That’s a special kind of love, right there.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Fake! It’s obviously just a book.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Is this the official launch of the Bad Astronomer Green Screen Challenge?
October 21st, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Are the aliens on-board little green Plaits?
October 21st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
The picture is too clear – if it was an actual extraterrestrial, you wouldn’t be able to read the text on the cover.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I was abducted by the book! I swear, I have been aboard with a strange race of curiously bald-headed men who tortured me with lots of bad puns!
October 21st, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I really need this book published here in Brazil!
Ok, I can read in english without any problem… but in portuguese would be nice!!!!
October 21st, 2008 at 6:11 pm
You know, I think that video may have been doctored in some way. maybe Captain Disillusion will have something to say about it.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Lucky I had just finished my coffee. LOL. Nick is right, my familiarity with Captain Disillusion’s video made it a real snorter.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Hey, that must be how my copy got to me on time! It arrived today! Yipee! Reading under the covers with a flashlight, oh boy!
On second thought, I’ll just sit in my oversized Lazy Boy; much more comfortable!
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:20 am
I got mine today
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 am
I put it on my Christmas wish-list :-/
Bad choice! What if we get fried by a GMB before then????
*chews nails*
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
I’m so glad imminent death is not very likely from outer space. We humans are doing a great job of destroying this planet on our own. We got dibs! However, the Plaitians we come to save us!
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 am
Was this from the files the British administration just released?
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Needs more theramin.
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
FAKE!!!!!!!
1) clearly filmed at night (just after sunset) but the bottom sides of the flying objects are brightly lit. Where is the light coming from? (Must be studio lights.)
2) I don’t see *any* stars.
3) The shadows aren’t parallel. (In fact there aren’t any shadows at all.)
4) At least one of the objects has some kind of lettering on it. They must be directions to the prop men telling them where to place them on the set.
5) The palm trees aren’t waving in the breeze as they should be.
I think this was filmed in the same vacuum soundstage at Area 51 where the Moon landings were filmed.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:36 am
I’m about halfway through the book. Its my after work reading. I’m nowhere near as smart as Phil Plait in this arena but I am a degreed aerospace engineer so I’m not stupid, well unless….nevermind.
However, this might be a stupid question.
When whatever phenomena (sp?) that blocks our sunlight, would it be possible to increase the greenhouse gasses to increase the greenhouse effect to preclude a global glaciation? Or would that make it worse? I believe I thought of this during the GRB chapter.
I love the book. I had an ex-girlfriend who freaked out that the Sun was going to explode in like 5 billion years.
I think I made her feel a little better/silly when O said that we only have 1826244999999 days to live.