Phil Plait

Boulder

Freelance Science Writer at Bad Astronomy Newsletter

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Articles

An astronomer's guide to seeing the planetary cluster this April

1 week ago | cntravellerme.com | Phil Plait

From blood moons to partial solar eclipses, there's been no shortage of exciting astronomical events in 2025. Over the course of a couple of weeks in mid-April, early risers will get a treat looking to the east before sunrise: three naked-eye planets will be clustered low to the horizon, at times separated by just 8 degrees (less than the apparent size of your fist held at arm’s length).
An Astronomer's Guide to Seeing the Planetary Cluster This April

1 week ago | cntraveler.com | Phil Plait

From blood moons to partial solar eclipses, there's been no shortage of exciting astronomical events in 2025. Over the course of a couple of weeks in mid-April, early risers will get a treat looking to the east before sunrise: three naked-eye planets will be clustered low to the horizon, at times separated by just 8 degrees (less than the apparent size of your fist held at arm’s length).
An Astronomer's Guide to Seeing the Planetary Cluster This April

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Phil Plait

Getty ImagesFrom blood moons to partial solar eclipses, there's been no shortage of exciting astronomical events in 2025. Over the course of a couple of weeks in mid-April, early risers will get a treat looking to the east before sunrise: three naked-eye planets will be clustered low to the horizon, at times separated by just 8 degrees (less than the apparent size of your fist held at arm’s length).
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star—How Do Astronomers Know What You Are?

1 week ago | scientificamerican.com | Phil Plait

I love simple questions that wind up having complicated—or at least not straightforward—answers. Astronomers twist themselves into knots, for example, trying to define what a planet is, even though it seems like you’d know one when you see it. The same is true for moons; in fact, the International Astronomical Union, the official keeper of names and definitions for celestial objects, doesn’t even try to declare what a moon is. That’s probably for the best because that, too, is not so easy.
Most Planets in the Cosmos Probably Don’t Orbit Stars

2 weeks ago | scientificamerican.com | Phil Plait

As J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in The Fellowship of the Ring, “Not all those who wander are lost.” But in the case of planets, it’s possible that most of them are. Rogue planets—planets that are adrift in space, unmoored from any star—have been a topic of science fiction for a long time; both Star Trek and Space:1999 featured them in episodes. But they actually do exist in real life. Astronomers, who sometimes like to kill fun, call these worlds free-floating planets, which is not nearly as cool a term.
Eclipse solar 29 de marzo 2025: qué son los cuernos del diablo y cómo identificarlos

3 weeks ago | glamour.mx | Alejandra Rodríguez |Danijela Pilic |Phil Plait

Estamos a punto de presenciar el Eclipse solar 29 de marzo 2025, y como sucede siempre que hay un fenómeno astronómico de esta magnitud, surgen algunos datos curiosos poco conocidos. En este caso, se trata de los cuernos del diablo. Pero, no te espantes, no hay nada oscuro detrás. Sigue leyendo que aquí te explicamos de qué se trata. Apenas el pasado 14 de marzo, fuimos testigos de un Eclipse Lunar, anterior a esto, la alineación de siete planetas irrumpía en el cielo.
Eclipse solar 29 de marzo 2025: a qué hora y cómo verlo en México

3 weeks ago | glamour.mx | Phil Plait |Alejandra Rodríguez |Danijela Pilic |Hannah Madlener

El Eclipse solar 29 de marzo 2025 está a punto de suceder y aquí te contamos TODO lo que debes saber para verlo y disfrutarlo al máximo. Este año, ya ha estado repleto de emocionantes acontecimientos astronómicos, desde un desfile planetario hasta el reciente Eclipse lunar total ocurrido el pasado 14 de marzo. Los amantes de los fenómenos astronómicos pueden estar muy felices, porque todavía hay muchas maravillas naturales que contemplar.
Eclipse solar 29 de marzo de 2025: cómo aprovechar la energía y atraer prosperidad

3 weeks ago | glamour.mx | Danijela Pilic |Alejandra Rodríguez |Hannah Madlener |Phil Plait

Eclipse solar y Luna Nueva 29 de marzo de 2025: la energía estará cargada al 1000%, por lo que será el mejor momento para avanzar con todos aquellos planes que por alguna u otra razón habíamos pospuesto. A continuación te contamos cómo puedes utilizarla a tu favor para alcanzar la abundancia y prosperidad. ¿A qué hora es el Eclipse solar y Luna Nueva 29 de marzo de 2025 en México?
When Was the First Exoplanet Discovered?

3 weeks ago | scientificamerican.com | Phil Plait

For centuries, humans have wondered if planets exist around other stars and dreamed of what these alien worlds might be like. Eventually technology began catching up with our imagination. Despite many false starts and dead ends over all that time, astronomers announced the first discovery of exoplanets in 1992. These planets were not like Earth, nor were they orbiting a star like the sun, but they were confirmed to exist.
Where and When to See the Partial Solar Eclipse of March 29, 2025

1 month ago | cntraveler.com | Phil Plait

This calendar year has already been filled with exciting astronomical events, from a “planetary parade” to the recent total lunar eclipse. This weekend we have a partial solar eclipse on March 29, 2025, when the moon passes directly in front of the sun as seen from Earth. This will appear as though the moon is “taking a bite” out of the sun—the portion that the sun is covered is highly variable depending on the viewer’s location, but in some places as much as 90% of the sun’s disk will be blocked.