Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Neil deGrasse Tyson (2010)
Signature of Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson (born October 5, 1958 in New York City ) is an American astrophysicist , cosmologist , science journalist , television presenter and non-fiction author . As an astrophysicist, he is particularly concerned with stellar evolution , dwarf galaxies and the shape of the Milky Way . He became known to a wide audience for proposing that Pluto no longer be called a planet.

Life

Tyson was born the second of three children in Manhattan and grew up in the Bronx . His mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson, was a gerontologist and his father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist . Neil attended the Bronx High School of Science (specialization in astrophysics) from 1972 to 1976 , he was captain of the wrestling team and editor-in-chief of the physics journal published by the school. From the age of nine he showed great interest in astronomy . At the age of 15 he was already giving lectures. Though the astronomer Carl Sagan , who was a faculty member at Cornell University , wanted to recruit him, Tyson began studying physics at Harvard . There he completed his bachelor's degree in 1980 . He then graduated in 1983 from the University of Texas at Austin in astronomy with a Master of Arts and a thesis on star formation models for dwarf galaxies. In 1989 he received another master's degree in astrophysics and in 1991 Tyson received his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University on the subject of "Galactic Bulge - chemical evolution, abundances and structure".

Career

Tyson's research focuses on observations in cosmology, stellar evolution, galactic astronomy, and star formation. He has held numerous positions at academic institutions such as the University of Maryland and Princeton University and has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York since 1996 .

At the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson worked to ensure that Pluto was no longer referred to as the ninth planet in exhibitions . He explained that he wanted to move away from just counting the planets, and that he would instead look at objects in common and group them together, i.e. the terrestrial planets , the gas planets and Pluto with similar objects. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union confirmed this assessment and classified Pluto as a dwarf planet .

He wrote a number of popular science books on astronomy. He has been writing a column for Natural History magazine since 1995 . In one of these columns he coined the term " Manhattanhenge " with reference to the two days of the year on which the evening sun is aligned with the cross streets of Manhattan. On these days, the sunset can be seen unhindered through Manhattan's road network. Based on his essays in Natural History Magazine, Tyson designed a lecture program for The Great Courses .

Tyson was nominated by George W. Bush for two committees: Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry (2001) and President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy (2004), also called "Moon, Mars and Beyond". Shortly thereafter, he received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal .

Tyson in December 2011 at a conference 1000 days after the launch of the Kepler Space Telescope

Tyson was the vice president, president and chairman of the Planetary Society . For the Public Broadcasting Service he was editor-in-chief and presenter of the science programs Origins (2004) and NOVA Science Now (2006/2007). He is a member of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the American Astronomical Society . In 2009 he started a radio talk show called StarTalk, where he repeatedly invited well-known personalities as co-presenters. The show is available on the Internet as a live stream and podcast. Carl Sagan's wife Ann Druyan announced at the event evening for the landing of Curiosity that Neil deGrasse Tyson would host the new edition of Carl Sagan'sOur Cosmos ”. The first episode was broadcast on March 9, 2014 on the US TV channel FOX under the title Our Cosmos: The Journey Goes On . In 2015, Tyson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

Views

Tyson argues that the concept of intelligent design hinders the advancement of science . When asked whether he believed in God or a higher power, he replied: “Every conception of a higher power that I know about, of all religions that I know, contains many statements about the benignity of that power. When I look at the universe and the many ways it tries to kill us, I find it difficult to reconcile that with these pronouncements about good. ”Tyson defines himself as an agnostic . He has written extensively about his views on religion and spirituality in his essays "The Perimeter of Ignorance" and "Holy Wars". Tyson is an eyewitness to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and has written a report on his observations.

Honors

  • NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
  • Tyson has received nineteen honorary doctorates.
  • The asteroid (13123) Tyson was named after him.
  • American Institute of Physics, 2005 Science Writing Prize for In the Beginning (In: Natural History , September 2003)
  • Columbia University Medal of Excellence
  • Time 100 Most Influential People in 2007
  • Discover : 50 Natural Scientists 2008

Works

  • Merlin's Journey through the Universe (1997; reprint: Why do the stars twinkle , 2003; Original edition: Merlin's Tour of the Universe , 1989)
  • A Study of the Abundance Distributions Along the Minor Axis of the Galactic Bulge (Dissertation, 1991)
  • Universe Down to Earth (1994)
  • Merlin's Journey to Earth (1999; Original Edition: Just Visiting this Planet , 1998)
  • The Sky Is Not the Limit Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (2000)
  • One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos with Charles Liu and Robert Irion (2000)
  • Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution with Donald Goldsmith (2005)
  • 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)
  • Das Universum für Urilige (2018; Original Edition : Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: Essays on the Universe and Our Place Within It , 2017)
  • Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military (with Avis Lang, 2018)

films and series

Web links

Commons : Neil deGrasse Tyson  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Neil deGrasse Tyson . PBS Nova: Forgotten Genius. (PDF; 113 kB)
  2. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson - Called by the Universe . The Science Network. Accessed July 6, 2013.
  3. Tonya Gary: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson - The Prodigy Astronomer. Parlé Magazine, October 5, 1958, accessed June 10, 2016 .
  4. a b Curriculum Vitae. Accessed October 10, 2018 .
  5. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson: Curriculum Vitae. Hayden Planetarium, accessed May 9, 2020 .
  6. ^ Hayden Planetarium Staff. American Museum of Natural History, accessed May 9, 2020 .
  7. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson: The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet . WW Norton & Company, January 19, 2008.
  8. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson: Books. Hayden Planetarium, accessed May 9, 2020 .
  9. Neil deGrasse Tyson . In: The Great Courses . Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  10. StarTalk Radio Show . Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  11. Cosmos Will Get a Sequel Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson , article in Wired magazine
  12. COSMOS promo . YouTube. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  13. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson: "The Perimeter of Ignorance" . Haydenplanetarium.org. November 1, 2005. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  14. YouTube video . Youtube.com. April 9, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  15. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson: Neil deGrasse Tyson - Communicating Science . Center for Inquiry. February 28, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  16. Neil deGrasse Tyson: Neil explains his views on Youtube . Big Think on YouTube . Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  17. The Perimeter of Ignorance from Tyson's homepage
  18. Holy Wars from PBS
  19. ^ "The Horror, The Horror" from Tyson's homepage
  20. Matt Donnelly: 'Batman v Superman': 8 Real Media Stars Who Reported From Gotham and Metropolis . March 26, 2016 ( thewrap.com [accessed December 31, 2016]).