Neil deGrasse Tyson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil deGrasse Tyson
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Tyson in 2017
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| Born | October 5, 1958 New York City, U.S.
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| Spouse(s) |
Alice Young
(m. 1988) |
| Children | 2 |
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| Scientific career | |
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| Thesis | A Study of the Abundance Distributions Along the Minor Axis of the Galactic Bulge (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | R. Michael Rich |
| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
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| Subscriber and view counts updated as of February 3, 2025. | |
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Neil deGrasse Tyson (born October 5, 1958) is a famous American astrophysicist. He is also a popular author and a great science communicator. This means he helps explain science to everyone.
Tyson studied at top universities like Harvard University and Columbia University. From 1996, he has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. This planetarium is part of the American Museum of Natural History. He even helped lead a huge project to rebuild it!
Neil deGrasse Tyson has written many books about space. He also hosted TV shows like NOVA ScienceNow and Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. He also has a popular podcast called StarTalk. In 2015, he received the Public Welfare Medal for making science exciting for the public.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Neil deGrasse Tyson was born in Manhattan, New York, and grew up in the Bronx. His father was a sociologist, and his mother was a gerontologist. He has two siblings. His middle name, deGrasse, comes from his grandmother, who was from the island of Nevis.
Tyson went to public schools in the Bronx. He graduated from The Bronx High School of Science in 1976. He was even the captain of the wrestling team!
Discovering the Universe
His love for astronomy started when he was nine years old. He visited the sky theater at the Hayden Planetarium. He said that the night sky left such a strong impression that he felt "the universe called" him.
In high school, Tyson took astronomy classes at the Hayden Planetarium. He called this time "the most formative period" of his life. He looked up to Mark Chartrand III, the planetarium's director, who inspired him to share the wonders of the universe with others.
When he was 14, he got a special scholarship. It allowed him to see a total solar eclipse from a ship in 1973. Famous people like Neil Armstrong and Isaac Asimov were also on that trip!
Meeting Carl Sagan
Tyson studied astronomy a lot as a teenager. By age 15, he was already giving lectures about it. The famous astronomer Carl Sagan from Cornell University even tried to get Tyson to study there.
Tyson talked about meeting Carl Sagan on his show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. He remembered a day in 1975 when Sagan invited him to spend time in Ithaca, New York. Sagan even offered him a place to stay if his bus back home didn't come. Tyson said that day he learned from Carl "the kind of person I wanted to become."
College Years
Tyson chose to go to Harvard University. He studied physics there. He was part of the crew team and later the wrestling team. He also enjoyed dancing, including jazz and Latin ballroom.
He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard in 1980. Then, he went to the University of Texas at Austin and received a master's degree in astronomy in 1983.
Later, he joined the astronomy program at Columbia University. He earned his master's degree in astrophysics in 1989. In 1991, he received his PhD in astrophysics. His research involved observing distant galaxies in Chile.
Career Highlights
Neil deGrasse Tyson's research has focused on how the universe began and how stars and galaxies form. He has worked at many important places. These include the University of Maryland and Princeton University.
Hayden Planetarium Director
In 1994, Tyson joined the Hayden Planetarium as a scientist. He became the director in 1996. He led a huge $210 million project to rebuild the planetarium, which finished in 2000. He felt it was his duty to inspire new generations, just as scientists there had inspired him.
Writing and Media
Tyson has written many popular books about space. In 1995, he started writing a monthly column called "Universe" for Natural History magazine.
In one of his columns, he made the term "Manhattanhenge" popular. This describes the two days each year when the sunset perfectly lines up with the streets of Manhattan. It's like the sun's alignment with Stonehenge in England.
In 2001, President George W. Bush asked Tyson to join a government group. This group looked at the future of the U.S. aerospace industry. In 2004, he was on another group about exploring the Moon and Mars. That same year, he received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. This is NASA's highest award for civilians.
Pluto's Reclassification
As the director of the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson made a big decision. He decided not to call Pluto the ninth planet in the planetarium's exhibits. He wanted to group objects by their similarities. He grouped rocky planets together, gas giants together, and Pluto with other icy, smaller objects.
This decision caused a lot of discussion, especially from children! In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially agreed with Tyson. They changed Pluto's classification to a dwarf planet.
TV Shows and Podcasts
From 2006 to 2011, Tyson hosted the TV show NOVA ScienceNow on PBS. In 2009, he started hosting his weekly podcast StarTalk. This show talks about science with comedians and other guests.
In 2014, he hosted Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. This was a new version of Carl Sagan's famous 1980 series. He returned with a follow-up season called Cosmos: Possible Worlds in 2020.
Since 2015, Tyson has also hosted a late-night TV talk show called StarTalk on the National Geographic Channel. On this show, he interviews celebrities and talks about how science connects to their lives.
Views and Impact
Neil deGrasse Tyson often talks about science and how it connects to our lives. He believes that science helps us understand the universe and ourselves.
Science and Society
Tyson has spoken about the importance of science for society. He believes that investing in science, even if it costs a lot, brings huge benefits. It helps us gain knowledge and inspires interest in discovery.
He is a strong supporter of NASA. He argues that NASA is very important for inspiring a nation's dreams. He points out that NASA's budget is actually very small compared to what people think.
Tyson has also spoken about the importance of equal opportunity in science. He believes that everyone should have the chance to pursue science, no matter their background. He wants to inspire all young people to explore science.
Media Appearances
Neil deGrasse Tyson is well-known for his many appearances in media. He helps make science understandable and fun for a wide audience.
He has been a guest on many TV shows, including The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has also appeared on late-night shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Tyson has been a guest on many podcasts, such as The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. He is also very active on Reddit, where he answers questions from fans.
He has even appeared as himself in TV shows like Stargate Atlantis and The Big Bang Theory. He was also in movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In 2016, he narrated a science documentary called Food Evolution.
Tyson has also lent his voice to animated characters. He was "Neil deBuck Weasel" in Ice Age: Collision Course. He has also appeared in episodes of Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.
In 2012, Tyson even helped DC Comics choose a real star for Superman's home planet, Krypton. He picked a red dwarf star called LHS 2520 in the constellation Corvus.
Personal Life
Neil deGrasse Tyson lives in New York City with his wife, Alice Young. They have two children, Miranda and Travis. He met his wife in a physics class. They named their first child Miranda after one of Uranus's moons.
Tyson also enjoys collecting wine. His wine collection has been featured in magazines.
Recognition and Awards
Neil deGrasse Tyson has received many awards and honors for his work.
Awards
- 2004 NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
- 2007 Klopsteg Memorial Award
- 2009 Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award for sharing space programs with the public
- 2014 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host
- 2015 Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences
- 2017 Hubbard Medal from the National Geographic Society
- 2017 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication
- 2020 YouTube Gold Creator Award
Honors
- 2001: An asteroid was named after him: 13123 Tyson.
- 2007: Named one of the "Time 100" – one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
- 2008: Selected as one of "The 10 Most Influential People in Science" by Discover Magazine.
Honorary Doctorates
He has received many honorary doctorates from universities around the world, recognizing his contributions to science and education.
Species Named After Him
- 2016: A leaping frog, Indirana tysoni, was named after him.
Works
Neil deGrasse Tyson has written many books that help explain the universe in an easy-to-understand way.
Books
- Merlin's Tour of the Universe (1989)
- Universe Down to Earth (1994)
- Just Visiting This Planet (1998)
- One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos (2000)
- Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution (2004)
- The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (2004)
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2007)
- The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (2009)
- Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier (2012)
- Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour (2016)
- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (2017)
- Letters from an Astrophysicist (2019)
- Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going (2021)
- Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization (2023)
- To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery (2023)
Images for kids
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Tyson in conversation with Richard Dawkins at Howard University, 2010.
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See also
In Spanish: Neil deGrasse Tyson para niños
