Neil de Grasse Tyson 1958–

Astrophysicist

At a Glance…

Selected writings

Establishing a reputation as both an eminent astrophysicist and a writer who makes complex scientific concepts accessible to the layperson, Neil de Grasse Tyson has been a highly visible figure on the science scene through his writings, research efforts, and television appearances. As current director of the famed Hayden Planetarium in New York City, he helps bring a greater knowledge and appreciation of astronomy to thousands of people each year.

Tyson’s interest in pursuing a career in astronomy was sparked when he was a young boy. Around age ten, he asked to look through a friend’s binoculars, which he had used previously only at sporting events. When his friend asked him to look up, he pointed the binoculars at the moon and was startled by the details of the lunar surface revealed to him. Since then, his fascination with the cosmos never waned. “All of a sudden there was this place out there,” remarked Tyson in a telephone interview with CBB about his magnified look at the moon. “From then on, I’ve just been looking up.”

The young Tyson took advantage of every opportunity available for pursuing his interest in astronomy in the New York City of his boyhood. He acquired a telescope, joined astronomy clubs, and spent many hours at the Hayden Planetarium. “I remember looking at the star-filled dome at the Hayden Planetarium and thinking it was a hoax,” he said. At the planetarium, Tyson attended various astronomy courses for young people, as well as sky shows with specially focused subject matter. He also spoke with officials there whose knowledge of stars he yearned to make his own. While in junior high, Tyson heeded the advice of the chairman of the Hayden Planetarium, who told him to take extra mathematics courses in high school to prepare for an astronomy career.

After graduating from the highly regarded Bronx High School of Science in New York City, Tyson entered Harvard University and pursued a major in physics. According to Tyson during an interview with CBB, he got a taste of social consciousness while on the school’s wrestling team. A black teammate told him, “The black community of the nation cannot afford to have you study astrophysics.” Up to this time, Tyson had not really considered that he had any obligation to better the condition of his community with his intellect. “Those words sat heavily with me, because here I was just following my love of the universe, without any particular reference to the plight of society,” remembered Tyson.

Years later as a graduate student, Tyson had a revelation while watching a prerecorded television interview of him discussing a recent explosion on the sun. While watching himself, he suddenly realized that he had never before seen a black person on television discussing a subject that was not a black issue. The experience made him see his career in a new light, as one that helped promote positive images of blacks. “It occurred

At a Glance…

Born October 5, 1958, in New York, NY; married Alice Young, 1988; children: Miranda.Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1980; University of Texas, Austin, M.A., 1983; Columbia University, Ph.D., 1991.

Princeton University, Department of Astrophysics, postdoctoral research associate, 1991-94, visiting research scientist and lecturer, 1994-; American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, New York, NY, assistant astronomer, 1994-96, Frederick P. Rose Director, 1996-, project scientist, 1997-. Author, numerous research papers in Astronomical Journal and Astrophysical Journal, 1980s-90s; regular columns in Star Date and Natural History magazines. Consultant, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Buffalo, NY, New York Times “Science Times Questions and Answers,” New York, NY, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill science text series for high schools, Cleveland, OH, Scholastic Book Service, New York, NY. Science instructor with “Science in the City* program for inner city children of homeless single parents and the Department of Education of the American Museum of Natural History. Science expert on Good Morning America, Today Show, ABC Nightline, Charlie Rose, CBS Evening News, ABC World NewsTonight, NOVA, and other television programs.

Memberships: American Astronomical Society; New York Academy of Sciences; American Physical Society; Astronomical Society of the Pacific; International Planetarium Society; Astronauts Memorial Foundation (board of directors).

Selected awards: Named one of 40 most influential and up-and-coming New York City residents by Craines magazine, 1996.

Addresses: Home -New York, NY; Office-Department of Astronomy, Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 81 st Street, New York, New York 10024; Office-Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.

to me that whatever stereotypes are harbored in the United States, one way to explode them is to march along and provide counter-stereotypes whenever that’s possible,” claimed Tyson during a CBB interview.

After earning his Ph.D. in astrophysics at Columbia University, Tyson became a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Astrophysics at Princeton University in 1991. Three years later he returned to the source of his great inspiration as a child by becoming assistant astronomer at the Hayden Planetarium, eventually becoming director there in 1996. As a project scientist at the Hayden, Tyson is involved with a $70-million reconstruction of the facility planned for completion in the fall of 1999.

Tyson’s prolific writing career branched out of esoteric research and into the realm of popular reading when he began writing a question-and-answer column for Star Date magazine in 1983. Over time Tyson’s columns attracted the attention of Columbia University Press, and Tyson was approached about publishing a compilation of his columns. The result was Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, which entered the bookstores in 1989, while Tyson was still in graduate school.

In 1995, Tyson began writing a monthly column entitled “Universe” for Natural History magazine, while still continuing his contributions to Star Date. Although he has found the deadlines of magazine work challenging, he has refused to rely on formula writing. “I try to have my writing say more than just convey information,” noted Tyson to CBB about his magazine output. “I try to add a dose of personality, a dose of unusual points of view that could truly reach the heart of the readers and give them insights that they might not have ever had.” Over the years Tyson’s articles have covered everything from black holes and the structure of the solar system to the possibilities of life elsewhere in the universe.

Tyson really hit his stride as a writer with his Universe Down to Earth, published in 1994. This collection of informative yet entertaining explanations of scientific methods and phenomena has been acclaimed for breaking down complicated information into language readily understood by the average person. As the author noted in the preface, “The book’s objective is to convey ideas that etch deeply enough on the mind so that the concepts are not just remembered—they are absorbed into one’s intuition.”Universe Down to Earth demystified stellar evolution, conservation of energy, the electromagnetic spectrum, gravity, thermodynamics, and a variety of other topics. None other than acclaimed science writer Carl Sagan called the book a “sprightly, easy-to-read introduction to some key ideas of physics and astronomy.” Noted physicist Freeman Dyson added, “Tyson writes in a simple style with a lightness of touch, which can come only to one who is absolute master of his subject.”

In addition to working at the Hayden, Tyson lectures at Princeton University. He appears regularly at scientific colloquia, and is frequently interviewed on television as a scientific expert. As a consultant with the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), he helps to debunk fraudulent reports of paranormal observation. He has also been involved with programs to promote science education among disadvantaged children in New York City.

Tyson feels privileged to be working in astronomy. “Every period has its discoveries to be proud of,” he noted to CBB.”What might distinguish modern times is the pace of those discoveries-that they’re happening almost weekly.” As chairman of the Hayden Planetarium, he makes a point of being available to children visiting the facility who have a budding interest in astronomy like he did as a child. “That’s part of the payback for my career,” said Tyson.

Selected writings

Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, Columbia University Press, 1989.

Universe Down to Earth, Columbia University Press, 1994.

Just Visiting This Planet, Doubleday, 1997.

Books

Tyson, Neil de Grasse, Universe Down to Earth, Columbia University Press, 1994.

Tyson, Neil de Grasse, Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, Columbia University Press, 1989.

Periodicals

Natural History, July 1995, p. 14; October 1995, p. 20; June 1996, p. 70.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained from a CBB telephone interview with Neil de Grasse Tyson and materials supplied by the Hayden Planetarium.

—Ed Decker