Bad Astronomy

Torchwood collides with science

Forgive me: I’m watching Season 2 and 3 of Doctor Who with The Little Astronomer, so maybe I have too much BBC on my mind, but my friend Gia just posted a video of John Barrowman, aka Captain Jack Harkness, touring CERN, the particle accelerator in Europe.

I am always happy to see TV and movie stars take a real interest in science (and from the video, it looks like Captain Jack got it). Years ago, I just missed seeing Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager) when she went on a tour of Goddard Space Flight Center. Many people told me she was the perfect guest, and seemed genuinely interested in what was going on.

I tend not to respect stars just because they are stars – I’ve met a few and been less than impressed. But so many I have met or read about really do seem to have a fascination with science. I should add that Tim Russ, also from Voyager, is an amateur astronomer. And don’t forget Brian May! And Julia Sweeney, and and and.

The news focuses on such shallow, vapid, and truly hateful stars. Why don’t we hear more about these good guys?