Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Death by Black Hole

Whether discussing the universe's origins as host of NOVA's "scienceNOW" or asserting that Pluto is a not a planet on "The Colbert Report," astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson translates the universe's complexities for a broad audience.

Known as the great explainer of all things cosmic, Tyson first became known in the astronomy community by lecturing on the subject at the age of fifteen. He is currently the director of New York's Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, where he also teaches. Tyson has written seven popular books including the bestselling Death by Black Hole and the memoir The Sky Is Not The Limit.

His professional research explores star formation, dwarf galaxies, exploding stars, and the structure of the Milky Way, topics which he writes about in his long running "Universe" column in Natural History magazine. Tyson's varied honors include the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and People Magazine's 2000 "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" - City Arts & Lectures