Bad Astronomy Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax"

In the first volume in Wiley?s exciting new Bad Science series, Plait sets the scientific record straight, clearing up the misconceptions relating to our Earth, Moon and night sky. Bad Astronomy explains the real science behind the various space hoaxes and frauds that have become the hallmark of bad astronomy in the media. Not only does Plait reveal the principles that actually make the universe work, he takes the reader down the commonsense path of understanding such basics as the flow of water down a drain to how starlight moves through the vacuum of space. Here is a fascinating and enlightening exploration for amateurs and experts alike.

PHILIP PLAIT, Ph.D., works in the physics and astronomy department at Sonoma State University in California. He maintains the Web site badastronomy.com and writes monthly articles on astronomy for the German newspaper Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His work has appeared in the Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook of Science and the Future and Astronomy magazine. He also writes a monthly column for astronomy.com.