As usual, Earth wasn’t destroyed today. We’re really on a streak.

Back in Dec 2012, the internet swore the ancient Maya calendar predicted the end of everything—thanks to mangled history and worse astronomy. Reality check: the Maya calendar didn’t “end” any more than ours does on Dec 31. It just rolls over. Yes, the Sun lines up near the Milky Way’s center in mid-December. Cool science. Apocalypse? Hard no.

🔗 https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/worried-about-the-end-of-the-world-on-dec-21-dont-be

#BadAstronomy #MayaCalendar #ApocalypseThatWasnt #Debunked

The great thing about geosynchronous orbits is that you can put those suckers *anywhere* you want

#BadAstronomy #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds #Foundation

"In 2023, astronomers detected a cosmic blast so powerful it released more energy than ALL THE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE COMBINED. The cause: two black holes colliding and merging… which is a problem, because they were way bigger than we thought possible." - #BadAstronomy's Phil Plait

https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-biggest-black-hole-merger-ever-detected-so-far-rocked-the-universe-dc6b8bba789d58bd

While we're on the subject of #BadAstronomy, if you see this picture in a book or a website, move on. They have nothing to teach you 😄

#BadAstronomy #HotPerihelion

So I’m watching the documentary “Apollo 11” from 2019, and they have a scene that includes the date, July 20, 1969, and a full Moon with some wispy clouds going by, suggesting the view is from the Earth.

Back in my Twitter days, I made note of a radio program hosted by Brian Eno and Brian Cox, with a bunch of Moon tunes and memories of the event. Brian Eno remembers looking at the full Moon that night.

Except…
#BadAstronomy #Astronomy #Apollo11

I bought a bunch of eclipse glasses and they came with a book that explained everything. I didn’t bother looking at the book until now - I’m doing a Marie Kondo on the office. I was wondering whether to recycle or donate, when I found this pic.

Social mediamites, it’s time for What’s Wrong WIth This Picture?!
The diagram is meant to illustrate types of shadows behind the Moon, when an eclipse is *not* happening, so it's not that 😊

(There are a *few* possible answers here, one or two that I didn't really mind, and two that made me recycle the book 😉)

#Astronomy #BadAstronomy #InfoGraphic

I’m watching old “The Expanse” episodes. The opening scenes trigger me *every* time.

#BadAstronomy #TheExpanse #WhatsWrongWithThisPicture
#Astronomy

This is a freaking amazing article

#badAstronomer #badastronomy #philPlait
The Brightest #GammaRay Burst Ever Recorded Rattled Earth's Atmosphere | Scientific American #grb #astronomy #space
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-brightest-gamma-ray-burst-ever-recorded-rattled-earths-atmosphere/