Background

Born on 5 October 1958 in Manhattan as a middle child with two siblings, Neil deGrasse Tyson grew up around the Bronx. His mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson was a gerontologist, and his father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson was a sociologist. Tyson discovered his love for the stars at an early age. When he was nine, he took a trip to the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History where he got his first taste of star-gazing. Tyson later took classes at the Planetarium and got his own telescope. As a teenager, he would watch the skies from the roof of his apartment building.

Education

Growing up, Neil went to the Bronx High School of Science from 1972-1976 and he became interested in astronomy after a school trip to a planetarium. He later attended astronomy courses offered by the Hayden Planetarium. Neil had varied interests at school, being the captain of their wrestling team and editor-in-chief of the school’s "Physical Science" journal. In his teen years, he developed an obsession for astronomy and made his mark on the community of astronomy lovers by giving lectures when he was just fifteen.

So much was his passion for astronomy that Dr. Carl Sagan from Cornell University personally sought him out to invite him for undergraduate programs. Tyson, however, chose to attend Harvard University where he majored in physics.

He graduated from Harvard in 1980 with a degree in physics and kept his academic career moving forward with an acceptance to the University of Texas for a Master’s Program. He completed his Master of Arts in astronomy 1983, and he intended to pursue a doctorate from the college. But he hit a roadblock, and Tyson himself admits that the roadblock was largely of his own making. Looking back, he has admitted that he didn’t devote as much time to doing lab research during his graduate years as he should have and could have, and this prevented him from being able to go right from his Master’s program to earn a doctoral degree. He even had professors tell him to stop working in the field of astronomy.

Thankfully for the scientific community, Tyson’s break from academics was short-lived. With his undergraduate achievements and a start on a graduate degree, he was able to land a teaching job at the University of Maryland, and eventually found his way back onto the doctoral track in the Ivy Leagues. In 1991, fifteen years after scrubbing toilets to pay for his undergraduate degree, Tyson graduated from Columbia University with a doctorate in astrophysics. He then stayed in the Ivy League system, moving to Princeton for a postdoctoral position.

Career

Neil deGrasse Tyson was appointed as a lecturer in astronomy at the University of Maryland in 1986. He remained there only till 1987 and was accepted into Columbia University the next year. After two years of rigorous research, he was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in astrophysics in 1991. His mentor at Columbia University was Professor R. Michael Rich who helped him in obtaining funds to support his doctoral research from NASA and the ARCS Foundation. With the help of the funding, he attended international meetings in Italy, Switzerland, Chile, and South Africa. He also began writing in the 1990s. He started writing the column, "Universe" for the "Natural History" magazine in 1995 which went on to become very popular. The magazine released a special edition titled "City of Stars" (2002), in which Tyson popularized the term "Manhattanhenge" which describes the two days in a year on which the evening sun aligns with the street grid in Manhattan.

As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson oversaw a complete replacement of the facility, which opened in 2000. The new planetarium’s exhibit categorized the solar system’s bodies into groups. Pluto was not classified with either the terrestrial or Jovian planets but was grouped with the Kuiper belt objects. That decision (made six years before the International Astronomical Union designated Pluto as a dwarf planet) proved quite controversial, and Tyson was deluged with angry letters. He wrote about that experience in The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet (2009), in which he attributed some of the sentimental attachment to Pluto’s planethood to cultural factors such as Pluto being the only planet discovered by an American (astronomer Clyde Tombaugh) and having the popular cartoon character of Mickey Mouse’s dog named after it.

The United States President George Bush appointed Tyson as a member of the 12-member commission to study the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry in 2001. Working along with the other members, he played a key role in the publication of the final report in 2002 which contained recommendations for the government on optimizing the future of space exploration and national security.

President Bush once again appointed him in 2004 to serve on a 9-member commission to the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy. A couple of years later he was appointed by the head of NASA to serve on its Advisory Council. In 2004, he hosted the four-part miniseries "Origins" of the PBS "Nova" series. Along with Donald Goldsmith, he co-authored "Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution" as a companion book for the series. He was a speaker at the "Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival" symposium in November 2006. He became a regular on the series "The Universe," broadcast on "The History Chanel." In 2009, he again collaborated with Donald Goldsmith as the narrator in the documentary "400 Years of the Telescope" which premiered on PBS.

From 2015 Tyson presided over a television talk show based on his radio program. It aired on the "National Geographic Channel." In 2014 he hosted the television series "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," a "continuation" (as he termed it) of astronomer Carl Sagan’s popular series "Cosmos" (1980). He also made occasional appearances as himself in films and on television. He voiced an imaginary weasel in the children’s animated movie "Ice Age: Collision Course" (2016).

Achievements

• In 2004, he received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by NASA. In 2009, he was presented with the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award from the Space Foundation for significant contributions to public awareness of space programs. The same year he also received the Isaac Asimov Award from the American Humanist Association.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Origins: Fourteen Billion Years Of Cosmic Evolution

    (An exploration of new theories about the formation and ev...)

    2004
  • Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier

    (This book represents the best of Tyson’s commentary, incl...)

    2012
  • StarTalk

    (This illustrated companion to the popular podcast and Nat...)

    2016
  • Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour

    (The New York Times bestselling tour of the cosmos from th...)

    2016
  • Just Visiting This Planet: Merlin Answers More Questions about Everything under the Sun, Moon, and Stars

    (In this companion volume to Merlin's Tour of the Universe...)

    1998
  • Letters from an Astrophysicist

    (Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of t...)

    2019
  • The Sky Is Not the Limit

    (From the author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and...)

    2004
  • Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military

    (New York Times Bestseller An exploration of the age-old c...)

    2018
  • Universe Down to Earth

    (This witty and amusing exploration of the physical univer...)

    1994
  • Merlin's Tour of the Universe: A Skywatcher's Guide to Everything from Mars and Quasars to Comets, Planets, Blue Moons, and Werewolves

    (From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Astrophy...)

    1989
  • Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge

    (Cosmic Horizons illuminates the most recent discoveries o...)

    2000
  • The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet

    (The New York Times best-selling author chronicles America...)

    2009
  • Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry

    (Neil deGrasse Tyson’s New York Times best-selling guide t...)

    2019
  • Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

    (A vibrant collection of essays on the cosmos from the nat...)

    2007
  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    (The essential universe, from our most celebrated and belo...)

    2017

• documentary

  • Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Everything

    (Astrophysicist and "StarTalk Radio" host Neil deGrasse Ty...)

    2015

Religion

Neil deGrasse Tyson once said: "I'm constantly claimed by atheists. I find this intriguing. In fact, on my Wiki page - I didn't create the Wiki page, others did, and I'm flattered that people cared enough about my life to assemble it - and it said "Neil deGrasse Tyson is an atheist." I said, "Well that's not really true." I said, "Neil deGrasse Tyson is an agnostic." I went back a week later, it said: "Neil deGrasse Tyson is an atheist" again - within a week! - and I said, "What's up with that?" and I said, "Alright, I have to word it a little differently." So I said, okay "Neil deGrasse Tyson, widely claimed by atheists, is actually an agnostic."

Politics

Tyson has served as a presidential advisor. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed the astrophysicist to a commission on the future of the aerospace industry. Tyson also served another commission three years later to examine United States policy on space exploration.

Views

One of Tyson's most controversial decisions at the time was the removal of Pluto from the display of planets. He classified Pluto as a dwarf planet, which invoked a strong response from some visitors. While some asked for the planet Pluto back, the International Astronomical Union followed Tyson's lead in 2006. The organization officially labeled Pluto as a dwarf planet.

In addition to breaking down barriers between scientists and the general public, Tyson has brought diversity to astrophysics. He is one of the few African Americans in his field.

Quotations: "The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it."

"Curious that we spend more time congratulating people who have succeeded than encouraging people who have not."

"We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us."

Membership

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a member of the following professional societies: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, New York Academy of Sciences, American Astronomical Society, American Physical Society, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, International Planetarium Society and others.

• 

  American Academy of Arts and Sciences , United States

  2015 - present

• 

  New York Academy of Sciences , United States

  1996 - present

• 

  American Astronomical Society , United States

• 

  American Physical Society , United States

  2001 - present

• 

  Astronomical Society of the Pacific , United States

• 

  International Planetarium Society

Personality

Tyson is known for his ability to make difficult concepts accessible to every audience, his oratory skills and his sense of humor, which has led to appearances on such shows as Real Time with Bill Maher, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show.

At one point, struggling as a student and broke, Tyson considered a very different job than that of a professor or museum director. He thought about becoming an exotic dancer. He even went so far as to go to a show to see if he could do it. When the dancers came out and their skimpy undergarments were lit up as they gyrated to a rendition of "Great Balls of Fire," Tyson decided that no matter how broke he was, exotic dancing wasn’t for him.

He’s appeared as a guest star on Family Guy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and as a character in New Ice Age. The Big Bang Theory, with its nerdy cast, of course, welcomed Tyson on as a guest.

He even made an appearance on Avenged Sevenfold’s album The Stage. He didn’t sing but instead delivered a monologue during one of the band’s songs. A musical appearance that was rumored to happen, but never did, was that Tyson would appear on an album with Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. Though the appearance didn’t happen, it speaks to Tyson’s breadth of talents and popularity that many people thought it was a very probable thing for Tyson to do. While the album didn’t happen, Tyson and GZA did appear together when GZA rapped on StarTalk.

He and his wife, Alice are both foodies. Tyson has said they probably spend too much money on food, but living in Manhattan they have so many restaurants to explore and so many food options to try out they take every opportunity they can to enjoy new foods.

Tyson is a also wine connoisseur. His love of science plays a big role in his enjoyment of wine, helping him to understand why different wines taste different and how they can be best served. Like much else, Tyson explains these concepts simply so that non-scientists can understand them, too.

Tyson can create beautiful lettered art with a feather pen but is especially passionate about fountain pens. He loves them so much that his wife spent 6,000 dollars to buy him a Japanese-made pen as a gift when he finalized the contract for his autobiography. He even gave an entire interview to the New York Times on the pen and his love of calligraphy. In the interview, he described his own mathematical theory behind how you can tell if a pen is perfect for calligraphy. Having to dip the pen to refresh the ink after 6 to 8 words mean you’re writing with a beautiful rhythm, he says.

Physical Characteristics: This popular astrophysicist was named the "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" by People Magazine in 2000.

Interests

• food, wine, calligraphy

• Politicians

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Writers

  "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, The "Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton, The "Mismeasure of Man" by Stephen Jay Gould, "Sidereus Nuncius, or The Sidereal Messenger" by Galileo Galilei, "The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design" by Richard Dawkins

• Artists

  Vincent van Gogh

• Sport & Clubs

  wrestling

• Music & Bands

  Andrew Lloyd Webber, jazz, latino

Connections

Tyson lives in New York City with his wife, Alice Young, who holds a doctorate in mathematical physics. The couple has two kids, Miranda and Travis.

Father:

Cyril deGrasse Tyson

Mother:

Sunchita Feliciano Tyson

Spouse:

Alice Young

Daughter:

Miranda Tyson

Son:

Travis Tyson

Friend:

Carl Sagan

Acquaintance:

Bill Nye

References

• Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson
  2018
• Twitter - Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Instagram - Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Facebook - Neil deGrasse Tyson
• StarTalk Youtube Channel