Phil Plait
Astronomer
Known for his work in the field of astronomy and for his blogs and public speeches advocating scientific skepticism, he also penned such popular science books as Death from the Skies and Bad Astronomy.
After graduating from the University of Michigan and subsequently earning his doctorate in astronomy from the University of Virginia, he worked for NASA on both the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and Hubble Space Telescope projects.
He established the Badastronomy.com website and blog to debunk astronomy-related pseudoscience.
A native of Washington, D.C., he later settled in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife Marcella and his daughter.
In 2008 and 2009, he was President of the James Randi Educational Foundation.