So really, Pluto was never the ninth planet it was the first of a new class of objects that we didn't really discover the rest of until the early 1990s." its orbit is elongated so severely that it crosses the orbit of Neptune, there are six moons in the solar system that are bigger than Pluto. During an interview with NPR, Tyson explained that Pluto was just too different from the rest of the solar system's orbital bodies to be classified the same way. While not solely responsible for the movement that led to the demotion of Pluto-a movement led by astronomer Mike Brown- Tyson admits that he did help drive the "getaway car." He refused to refer to Pluto in the Hayden Planetarium's display as the ninth planet. After the demotion of Pluto to the status of "dwarf planet" in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union, the phrase has been revised to "My very eager mother just served us nachos." Pizzas and nachos aside, Tyson had a hand in Pluto's eventual embarrassment. If Superman is coming to you for help, you know you're doing something right.įor years, children across the country learned the planets of our solar system with the mnemonic: "My very eager mother just served us nine pizzas." No longer. In the comic, Tyson and astronomers around the world help Superman watch the demise of Krypton by harnessing the power of space telescopes worldwide to catch a glimpse of the planet. LHS 2520 was an apt choice, as the red dwarf planet matches characteristics of the fictional "Rao" from Superman canon, and it belongs to the constellation Corvus ("The Crow"), which is the fictional mascot of Smallville's high school team. Tyson, who appears on the pages of the comic in one of his trademark star-spangled vests, agreed to the idea and helped the comic developers out by picking a real star- LHS 2520-as the doomed location of Krypton's solar system. DC Comics approached Tyson and asked for permission to use the planetarium and Tyson's likeness in the comic, in which Superman visits the Hayden in an attempt to witness the destruction of his home planet. In Action Comics 14, Tyson and his Hayden Planetarium play a pivotal role in the plot. That's right, Neil deGrasse Tyson once gave an assist to the Man of Steel. Not for me.' I'm embarrassed to say that it wasn't until that moment when I said to myself, 'Maybe I should be a math tutor.' I don't know why I didn't think of that first." So I went just to observe it if it was something I could do, and they came out with jockstraps having been soaked in lighter fluid-asbestos jockstraps, ignited-coming out dancing to Jerry Lee Lewis' 'Great Balls of Fire.' I said, 'Nope. "They invited me because I needed more money, I was broke. Tyson even considered going into exotic, Chippendale-style dancing for extra cash after a few of his fellow dancers at UT began doing so. In 1985, he even won a gold medal with the team at a national tournament in the Latin Ballroom style. While at UT, Tyson became active in wrestling again as well as the school's dance program, competing with the college team in styles including ballet, jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and Latin Ballroom. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.During our chat last night Neil Degrasse Tyson showed me this pic and revealed that he was an amateur wrestler in high school and college! #JackedNeilTyson #TheCompetitionContinuesĪ photo posted by Ken Anderson on at 12:01pm PSTĪfter lettering in wrestling during his senior year at Harvard, Tyson went on to the University of Texas for his graduate studies in astronomy. You can watch the 4.5-minute segment on Comedy Central's website here: įollow Mike Wall on Twitter and Google+. Tyson paused for a beat, and then added, "And, by the way? This is called gravity!" Cue the mic drop. " Isaac Newton, my man, said, 'If I have seen farther than others, it's by standing on the shoulders of giants.' Can I get an amen? So that's right, B.o.B - when you stand on the shoulders of those who came before, you might just see far enough to realize the Earth isn't f-ing flat." "Discovery and exploration got us out of the caves, and each generation benefits from what previous generations have learned," he added. "There's a growing anti-intellectual strain in this country that may be the beginning of the end of our informed democracy," Tyson, the head of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York City, said on the show.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |