Tyson grew up in theCastle Hill neighborhood of the Bronx and then inRiverdale.[9] From kindergarten throughout high school, Tyson attended public schools in the Bronx: PS 36 Unionport, PS 81 Robert J. Christen, theRiverdale Kingsbridge Academy (MS 141), and graduated fromThe Bronx High School of Science in 1976 where he was captain of thewrestling team and editor-in-chief of thePhysical Science Journal.[10][11] His interest in astronomy began at the age of nine after visiting the sky theater of theHayden Planetarium.[12] He recalled that "so strong was that imprint [of the night sky] that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe called me."[13] During high school, Tyson attended astronomy courses offered by the Hayden Planetarium, which he called "the most formative period" of his life. He credited Mark Chartrand III, director of the planetarium at the time, as his "first intellectual role model" and his enthusiastic teaching style mixed with humor inspired Tyson to communicate the universe to others the way he did.[14]
Tyson obsessively studied astronomy in his teen years; he eventually even gained some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of 15.[16] AstronomerCarl Sagan, who was a faculty member atCornell University, sought to recruit Tyson to Cornell forundergraduate studies.[6] In his book,The Sky Is Not the Limit, Tyson wrote:
My letter of application had been dripping with an interest in the universe. The admission office, unbeknownst to me, had forwarded my application to Carl Sagan's attention. Within weeks, I received a personal letter...[17]
Tyson revisited this moment on his first episode ofCosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Pulling out a 1975 calendar belonging to the famous astronomer, he found the day Sagan invited the 17-year-old to spend a day inIthaca. Sagan had offered to put him up for the night if his bus back to the Bronx did not come. Tyson said, "I already knew I wanted to become a scientist. But that afternoon, I learned from Carl the kind ofperson I wanted to become."[18][19]
Tyson chose to attendHarvard where he majored in physics and lived inCurrier House. He was a member of therowing team during his freshman year, but returned towrestling,lettering (achieving varsity team rank) in his senior year. He was also active in dance (styles includingjazz, ballet,Afro-Caribbean, andLatin Ballroom).[20]
Tyson earned aBachelor of Arts degree in physics atHarvard College in 1980 and then began his graduate work at theUniversity of Texas at Austin,[21] from which he received aMaster of Arts degree in astronomy in 1983. By his own account, he did not spend as much time in the research lab as he should have. His professors encouraged him to consider alternative careers and the committee for his doctoral dissertation was dissolved, ending his pursuit of a doctorate from the University of Texas.[22]
During his thesis research at Columbia University, Tyson became acquainted with ProfessorDavid Spergel atPrinceton University, who visited Columbia University in the course of collaborating with his thesis advisor on the Galactic bulge[30][31][32] typically found inspiral galaxies.
In 1994, Tyson joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist while he was a research affiliate in Princeton University. He became acting director of the planetarium in June 1995 and was appointed director in 1996.[33] As director, he oversaw the planetarium's $210 million reconstruction project, which was completed in 2000. Upon being asked for his thoughts on becoming director, Tyson said "when I was a kid... there were scientists and educators on the staff at the Hayden Planetarium... who invested their time and energy in my enlightenment... and I've never forgotten that... to end up back there as its director, I feel this deep sense of duty, that I serve in the same capacity for people who come through the facility today, that others served for me".[34]
Tyson has written a number of popular books on astrophysics. In 1995, he began to write the "Universe" column forNatural History magazine. In a column Tyson wrote for a special edition of the magazine, called "City of Stars", in 2002, he popularized the term "Manhattanhenge" to describe the two days annually on which the evening sun aligns with thestreet grid inManhattan, making the sunset visible along unobstructed side streets. He had coined the term in 1996, inspired by how the phenomenon recalls the sun's solstice alignment with theStonehenge monument in England.[35] Tyson's column also influenced his work as a professor withThe Great Courses.[36]
Tyson in December 2011 at a conference marking 1,000 days after the launch of the spacecraftKepler
In 2004, Tyson hosted the four-partOrigins miniseries of the PBSNova series[38] and with Donald Goldsmith, co-authored the companion volume for this series,Origins: Fourteen Billion Years Of Cosmic Evolution.[39] He again collaborated with Goldsmith as the narrator on the documentary400 Years of the Telescope, which premiered on PBS in April 2009.[40]
As director of theHayden Planetarium, Tyson bucked traditional thinking in order to keepPluto from being referred to as the ninth planet in exhibits at the center. He has explained that he wanted to look at commonalities between objects, grouping the terrestrial planets together, the gas giants together, and Pluto with like objects, and to get away from simply counting the planets. He has stated onThe Colbert Report,The Daily Show, andBBC Horizon that the decision has resulted in large amounts of hate mail, much of it from children.[41] In 2006, theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU) confirmed this assessment by changing Pluto to thedwarf planet classification.
Tyson recounted the heated online debate on theCambridge Conference Network (CCNet), a "widely read, UK-based Internet chat group", followingBenny Peiser's renewed call for reclassification of Pluto's status.[42] Peiser's entry, in which he posted articles from the AP andThe Boston Globe, spawned fromThe New York Times's article entitled "Pluto's Not a Planet? Only in New York".[43][44]
In May 2009, Tyson launched a one-hour radio talk show calledStarTalk, which he co-hosted with comedianLynne Koplitz. The show was syndicated on Sunday afternoons onKTLK AM in Los Angeles andWHFS in Washington DC. The show lasted for thirteen weeks, but was resurrected in December 2010 and then, co-hosted with comediansChuck Nice andLeighann Lord instead of Koplitz. Guests range from colleagues in science to celebrities such asGZA,Wil Wheaton,Sarah Silverman, andBill Maher. The show is available via the Internet through a live stream or in the form of apodcast.[47]
In April 2011, Tyson was the keynote speaker at the 93rd International Convention of thePhi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-year School. He andJames Randi delivered a lecture entitledSkepticism, which related directly with the convention's theme ofThe Democratization of Information: Power, Peril, and Promise.[48]
In 2012, Tyson announced that he would appear in aYouTube series based on his radio showStarTalk. It was distributed on theNerdist YouTube Channel[49] for a while untilStarTalk became its own dedicated YouTube channel.[50] On February 28, 2014, Tyson was a celebrity guest at theWhite House Student Film Festival.[51]
On April 20, 2015, Tyson began hosting a late-night talk show entitledStarTalk on the National Geographic Channel, where he interviews pop culture celebrities and asks them about their life experiences with science.[56] Around 2016, he was co-developing asandbox video game with Whatnot Entertainment,Neil deGrasse Tyson Presents: Space Odyssey, which aimed to help provide players with a realistic simulation of developing a space-faring culture, incorporating educational materials about space and technology. The development was abandoned after April 2020.[57]
Views
Spirituality and philosophy
[A] most important feature is the analysis of the information that comes your way. And that's what I don't see enough of in this world. There's a level of gullibility that leaves people susceptible to being taken advantage of. I see science literacy as kind of a vaccine against charlatans who would try to exploit your ignorance.
Tyson has written and broadcast extensively about his views of science, spirituality, and the spirituality of science, including the essays "The Perimeter of Ignorance"[60] and "Holy Wars",[61] both appearing inNatural History magazine and the 2006Beyond Belief workshop. In an interview with comedianPaul Mecurio, Tyson offered his definition of spirituality, "For me, when I say spiritual, I'm referring to a feeling you would have that connects you to the universe in a way that it may defy simple vocabulary. We think about the universe as an intellectual playground, which it surely is, but the moment you learn something that touches an emotion rather than just something intellectual, I would call that a spiritual encounter with the universe."[62] He has argued that many great historical scientists' belief inintelligent design limited their scientific inquiries, to the detriment of the advance of scientific knowledge.[61][63]
When asked during a question session at theUniversity at Buffalo if he believed in a higher power, Tyson responded: "Every account of a higher power that I've seen described, of all religions that I've seen, include many statements with regard to the benevolence of that power. When I look at the universe and all the ways the universe wants to kill us, I find it hard to reconcile that with statements of beneficence."[64][65]: 341 In an interview withBig Think, he said: "So, what people are really after is what is my stance on religion or spirituality or God, and I would say if I find a word that came closest, it would be 'agnostic'... at the end of the day I'd rather not be any category at all."[66] Additionally, in the same interview withBig Think, Tyson mentioned that he edited Wikipedia's entry on him to include the fact that he is an agnostic:
I'm constantlyclaimed 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, "All right, I have to word it a little differently." So I said, "Okay, Neil deGrasse Tyson, widely claimed by atheists, is actually an agnostic."[66]
During the interview "Called by the Universe: A Conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson" in 2009, Tyson said: "I can't agree to the claims by atheists that I'm one of that community. I don't have the time, energy, interest of conducting myself that way... I'm not trying to convert people. I don't care."[67]
In March 2014, philosopher and secularism proponentMassimo Pigliucci asked Tyson: "What is it you think about God?" Tyson replied: "I remain unconvinced by any claims anyone has ever made about the existence or the power of a divine force operating in the universe." Pigliucci then asked him why he expressed discomfort with the label "atheist" in hisBig Think video. Tyson replied by reiterating his dislike for one-word labels, saying: "That's what adjectives are for. What kind of atheist are you? Are you an ardent atheist? Are you a passive atheist? An apathetic atheist? Do you rally, or do you just not even care? So I'd be on the 'I really don't care' side of that, if you had to find adjectives to put in front of the word 'atheist'."
Pigliucci contrasted Tyson with scientistRichard Dawkins: "[Dawkins] really does consider, at this point, himself to be an atheist activist. You very clearly made the point that you are not." Tyson replied: "I completely respect that activity. He's fulfilling a really important role out there."[68] Tyson has spoken aboutphilosophy on numerous occasions. In March 2014, during an episode ofThe Nerdist Podcast, he said that philosophy is "useless" and that a philosophy major "can really mess you up",[69] which was met with disapproval.[70][71][72][73] Pigliucci, a philosopher, later criticized him for "dismiss[ing] philosophy as a useless enterprise".[74]
Race and social justice
In 2005, at a conference at theNational Academy of Sciences, Tyson responded to a question about whether genetic differences might keep women from working as scientists. He said that his goal to become an astrophysicist was "hands down the path of most resistance through the forces... of society... My life experience tells me, when you don't find Blacks in the sciences, when you don't find women in the sciences, I know these forces are real and I had to survive them in order to get where I am today. So before we start talking about genetic differences, you gotta come up with a system where there's equal opportunity. Then we can start having that conversation."[75]
In a 2014 interview withGrantland, Tyson said that he related his experience on that 2005 panel in an effort to make the point that the scientific question about genetic differences can not be answered until the social barriers are dismantled. "I'm saying before you even have that conversation, you have to be really sure that access to opportunity has been level." In the same interview, Tyson said that race is not a part of the point he is trying to make in his career or with his life. According to Tyson, "[T]hat then becomes the point of people's understanding of me, rather than the astrophysics. So it's a failed educational step for that to be the case. If you end up being distracted by that and not [getting] the message." He purposefully no longer speaks publicly about race. "I don't give talks on it. I don't even give Black History Month talks. I decline every single one of them. In fact, since 1993, I've declined every interview that has my being black as a premise of the interview."[76]
Tyson is an advocate for expanding the operations of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration. Arguing that "the most powerful agency on the dreams of a nation is currently underfunded to do what it needs to be doing".[81] He has suggested that the general public has a tendency to overestimate how much revenue is allocated to the space agency. At a March 2010 address, referencing the proportion of tax revenue spent on NASA, he stated, "By the way, how much does NASA cost? It's a half a penny on the dollar. Did you know that? The people are saying, 'Why are we spending money up there...' I ask them, 'How much do you think we're spending?' They say 'five cents, ten cents on a dollar.' It's a half a penny."[81]
Right now, NASA's annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar—we can transform the country from a sullen, dispirited nation, weary of economic struggle, to one where it has reclaimed its 20th century birthright to dream of tomorrow.[82][83]
Inspired by Tyson's advocacy and remarks,Penny4NASA, a campaign of the Space Advocates nonprofit[84] was founded in 2012 by John Zeller and advocates doubling NASA's budget to one percent of the federal budget.[85]
Neil deGrasse Tyson was the keynote speaker atTAM6 of theJREF.
As a science communicator, Tyson regularly appears on television, radio, and various other media outlets. He has been a regular guest onThe Colbert Report, and hostStephen Colbert refers to him in his comedic bookI Am America (And So Can You!), noting in his chapter on scientists that most scientists are "decent, well-intentioned people", but presumablytongue-in-cheek, that "Neil DeGrasse [sic] Tyson is an absolute monster."[87]
In 2007, Tyson was the keynote speaker during the dedication ceremony ofDeerfield Academy's new science center, the Koch Center inMassachusetts, named forDavid H. Koch '59. He emphasized the impact science will have on the twenty-first century, as well as explaining that investments into science may be costly, but their returns in the form of knowledge gained and piquing interest is invaluable. He has also appeared as the keynote speaker atThe Amazing Meeting, a science andskepticism conference hosted by theJames Randi Educational Foundation.[95]
In a May 2011StarTalk Radio show,The Political Science of the Daily Show, Tyson said he donates all income earned as a guest speaker.[97] he is a frequent participant in the websiteReddit's AMAs (Ask Me Anythings) where he is responsible for three of the top ten most popular AMAs of all time.[98]
InAction Comics #14 (January 2013), which was published November 7, 2012, Tyson appears in the story, in which he determines thatSuperman's home planet,Krypton, orbited thered dwarfLHS 2520 in theconstellation Corvus 27.1lightyears from Earth. He assistedDC Comics in selecting a real-life star that would be an appropriate parent star to Krypton, and picked Corvus, which is Latin for "Crow",[99][100] and which is the mascot of Superman's high school, the Smallville Crows.[101][102] Tyson also had a minor appearance as himself in the 2016 filmBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.[103]
During November and December 2018, Tyson was accused of rape by a woman while an additional three women alleged inappropriate sexual advances.[121][122][123] Tchiya Amet El Maat accused Tyson of drugging and raping her while both were graduate students at UT Austin in 1984.[124] Katelyn Allers, a professor at Bucknell University, alleged Tyson touched her inappropriately at a 2009 American Astronomical Society gathering.[125][126] Ashley Watson, Tyson's assistant onCosmos, alleged Tyson made inappropriate sexual advances to her in 2018 which led her to resign from the position days later.[125][126] In what Tyson described as a Native American handshake, he held her hand and looked her in the eye for 10 seconds. When she left, he told her he wanted to hug her but would rather not in case he wanted more.[127] A fourth anonymous woman alleged Tyson made inappropriate comments to her during a 2010 holiday party at theAmerican Museum of Natural History.[121] Tyson denied El Maat's rape accusation, while corroborating the basic facts around the situation of Allers and Watson's assertions, but claimed his actions were misinterpreted and apologized for any misunderstanding or offense.[128][129][130]
Fox, National Geographic, the Museum of Natural History, and the producers ofCosmos announced investigations, which Tyson said that he welcomed.[131] The National Geographic Channel announced on January 3, 2019, that they were putting further episodes ofStarTalk on hiatus so as "to allow the investigation to occur unimpeded".[132][133] The premiere ofCosmos: Possible Worlds, initially scheduled for March 3, 2019, was also delayed while the investigation continued.[134] On March 15, 2019, both National Geographic and Fox announced, "The investigation is complete, and we are moving forward with bothStarTalk andCosmos," and that: "There will be no further comment." The networks affirmed that bothStarTalk andCosmos would resume, but that no date had been set.[135] In July, the American Museum of Natural History said that Neil deGrasse Tyson would keep his job as director of the Hayden Planetarium.[127]
2016 The leaping frogIndirana tysoni was named after him by Neelesh Dahanukar, Nikhil Modak, Keerthi Krutha, P. O. Nameer, Anand D. Padhye, and Sanjay Molur.[160][161]
To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery (2023).ISBN978-1-426-22330-3. Coauthored with Lindsey Nyx Walker.
Research publications
Twarog, Bruce A.; Tyson, Neil D. (1985). "UVBY Photometry of Blue Stragglers in NGC 7789".Astronomical Journal90: 1247.doi:10.1086/113833.
Tyson, Neil D.; Scalo, John M. (1988). "Bursting Dwarf Galaxies: Implications for Luminosity Function, Space Density, and Cosmological Mass Density".Astrophysical Journal329: 618.doi:10.1086/166408.
Tyson, Neil D. (1988). "On the possibility of Gas-Rich Dwarf Galaxies in the Lyman-alpha Forest".Astrophysical Journal (Letters)329: L57.doi:10.1086/185176.
Tyson, Neil D.; Rich, Michael (1991). "Radial Velocity Distribution and Line Strengths of 33 Carbon Stars in the Galactic Bulge".Astrophysical Journal367: 547.doi:10.1086/169651.
Tyson, Neil D.; Gal, Roy R. (1993). "An Exposure Guide for Taking Twilight Flatfields with Large Format CCDs".Astronomical Journal105: 1206.doi:10.1086/116505.
Tyson, Neil D.; Richmond, Michael W.; Woodhams, Michael; Ciotti, Luca (1993). "On the Possibility of a Major Impact on Uranus in the Past Century".Astronomy & Astrophysics (Research Notes)275: 630.
Schmidt, B. P., et al. (1994). "The Expanding Photosphere Method Applied to SN1992am at cz = 14600 km/s".Astronomical Journal107: 1444.
Wells, L. A. et al. (1994). "The Type Ia Supernova 1989B in NGC3627 (M66)".Astronomical Journal108: 2233.doi:10.1086/117236.
Hamuy, M. et al. (1996). "BVRI Light Curves For 29 Type Ia Supernovae".Astronomical Journal112: 2408.doi:10.1086/118192.
Lira, P. et al. (1998). "Optical light curves of the Type IA supernovae SN 1990N and 1991T".Astronomical Journal116: 1006.doi:10.1086/300175.
Scoville, N. et al. (2007). "The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS): Overview".Astrophysical Journal Supplement172: 1.doi:10.1086/516585.
Scoville, N. et al. (2007). "COSMOS: Hubble Space Telescope Observations".Astrophysical Journal Supplement172: 38.doi:10.1086/516580.
Liu, C. T.; Capak, P.; Mobasher, B.; Paglione, T. A. D.; Scoville, N. Z.; Tribiano, S. M.; Tyson, N. D. (2008). "The Faint-End Slopes of Galaxy Luminosity Functions in the COSMOS Field".Astrophysical Journal Letters672: 198.doi:10.1086/522361.
^Bried, Erin."Sunchita Tyson".How to Rock Your Baby and other timeless tips for modern moms. Hyperion. Archived fromthe original on March 20, 2014. RetrievedMay 2, 2014.
^Farmer, Vernon L.; Shepherd-Wynn, Evelyn (2012).Voices of Historical and Contemporary Black American Pioneers. New York City:ABC-CLIO. p. 304.ISBN9780313392245.
^Louie, Elaine."POSSESSED; Stars In His Eyes Over A Pen",The New York Times, March 9, 2003. Accessed April 30, 2017. "Neil de Grasse Tyson, an astrophysicist and the Frederick P. Rose director of the Hayden Planetarium, is a big guy. He stands 6-foot-2 and has hands that can palm a basketball. He speaks in a booming baritone. In his TriBeCa loft, he ambles around a space with 14-foot ceilings."
^abcdefghij"Tyson".National Space Grant Foundation. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2025.
^"News Release 2004:CUNY Commencement 2004".www1.cuny.edu. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2025.Honorary Doctor of Science; Dr Neil de Grass Tyson, first Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium and Visiting Research Scientist in astrophysics at Princeton University.
^STAFF, Jacqueline Reis TELEGRAM & GAZETTE."Geeks inheriting Earth urged to keep integrity".The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2025.The college awarded honorary degrees to Mr. Tyson,Ms. Dunsire and Bernard M. Gordon, the electrical engineer who started Gordon Engineering, which became Peabody-based Analogic Corp.
^Republican, Manon L. Mirabelli | Special to The (May 21, 2012).""Sexiest astrophysicist" Neil DeGrasse Tyson tells Mount Holyoke grads they must fix the world".masslive. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2025.From alumna Mallika Dutt and best-selling author Azar Nafisi to civil rights figure Bernard LaFayette and renowned astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the speeches incorporated wit, wisdom, humor, confidence, humility and observations on what it means to be a woman with a Mount Holyoke education. All four speakers were awarded honorary doctorate degrees.
^"Honorary Degree Recipients".Western New England University. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2025.2012 LL.D. Honorable Barbara A. Lenk Sc. D. Neil DeGrasse Tyson Sc. D. Steven Schonholz
^Neelesh Dahanukar; Nikhil Modak; Keerthi Krutha; P. O. Nameer; Anand D. Padhye; Sanjay Molur (September 15, 2016). "Leaping frogs (Anura: Ranixalidae) of the Western Ghats of India: An integrated taxonomic review".Journal of Threatened Taxa.8 (10): 9221.doi:10.11609/JOTT.2532.8.10.9221-9288.ISSN0974-7893.WikidataQ57537786.
^abcdef"Neil deGrasse Tyson (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedDecember 18, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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