Astrozombification is a serious condition of involuntary astronomy education in the face of supermoon hype. Maki Naro has a case study on the condition and its spread in the Sci-ənce Super Woo series. Read it, feel grateful you survived last night’s peak-hype, and prepare for the next inevitable outbreak.
http://sci-ence.org/series/super-woo/
What is astrozombification? It’s the undeniable, irrepressible urge to respond to supermoon-hype with calm, logical astronomy education. It’s highly contagious, with every space-related science communicator inexorably drawn in to offer their own version of, “Well, the moon doesn’t actually change size…” At least supermoons are always a good excuse to chill out stargazing, and maybe take some pretty pictures?
Thankfully, with peak-moon behind us, we can resume our usual dream-crushing debunkery by discussing how Yellowstone isn’t set for imminent explosion, the new thruster tested by NASA is more likely a lab measurement error than a major scientific breakthrough, or whatever over-hyped or erroneous bit of science is making the rounds next.
This isn’t the first time Naro has completely nailed it for a science story in the news — previously we’ve featured his BoxPlot comics oncosmic rays and on diy goop.
