Phil Plait is one of the best-known names in the online astronomy community.
A contributor to Scientific American, Plait writes the "Bad Astronomer" newsletter, where he holds forth about astronomy and much more.
On Saturday, he was the keynote speaker at the "ROC the Eclipse" festival at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, entertaining a packed auditorium with a witty, humorous explanation of how eclipses happen and why they matter.
Ironically, Plait won't get to see totality this time; instead, he will be home in Virginia with his family and dogs.
Before his talk at the festival, he spoke with WXXI's Scott Fybush, who also served as emcee for the festival for the day.
