The Universe of Neil deGrasse Tyson

Imagine that a staff member of one of the planetariums in Varna, Smolyan or Gabrovo manages to make a fortune of USD 2 million, and do that only through their scientific work. In Bulgaria, it may sound impossible. On the other side of the planet, however, such a success has been achieved by the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has started his career at the Hayden Planetarium and has gradually become one of the world's most popular science propagators.

Today, by his reputation, the astronomer can compete even with his popular namesake – the boxer Mike Tyson. His interview for CNBC at the end of 2018, in which he made a distinct assessment of the influence of some of the richest people on the planet - Ilon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs, is indicative for his well-standing. He then said that Musk has been much more important to our society than the other big technology entrepreneurs and visionaries, and the media and analysts around the world have repeatedly reiterated his words.

Who is this man

who can presume to give assessments to the richest people in the world and his opinion on the topic to be perceived almost as a last resort by the general public?

Neil deGrasse Tyson was born in Bronx, New York, in the family of a Puerto Rican mother and an African-American father. At the age of nine, young Neil got passionate about astronomy after visiting the Hayden Planetarium, an institution in which he would work and even manage years later. We may say that his whole life was later devoted to the secrets of the Universe and, to a great extent, to their popularisation among the general public. He was only 17 years old when he was invited by another world-famous science propagator, Carl Sagan himself, to take part in his projects. Though he did not accept the invitation, this was the moment when Neil deGrasse Tyson realised that he not only wanted to deal with astrophysics but also to make it more accessible to the ordinary people. He started working at the Hayden Planetarium in 1994, and headed it just two years later.

His entire career after this moment has not been just an exciting journey into space, but also impressive evidence that anyone can make a fortune on the path of science if they are stubborn and enterprising enough. Currently, Neil deGrasse Tyson's wealth is estimated at USD 2 million. A digit that can serve as

an inspiration for thousands of scientists around the world

since this wealth was not inherited or won by a lottery but is entirely earned through his scientific work. To a great extent, thanks to the large number of books he has written, the television shows he hosts, his articles in renowned journals, as well as his positions in some of the most prestigious scientific institutions.

Tyson has published more than ten books in the fields of astrophysics and cosmology, including “One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos”, “Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution”, “The Sky is not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist”, “Space Chronicles” and “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”. His work is devoted mainly to topics such as the formation and evolution of stars, the development of galaxies and other areas of cosmology.

He hosts Nova ScienceNow on PBS and takes part in another popular science show – The Universe on History Channel. He regularly appears on other TV shows, as well as on the StarTalk radio show. In 2014, he started an ambitious project for the successor of Carl Sagan's Cosmos programme, which made thousands of people around the world keen on astronomy and astrophysics. The new show was called “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” (a game of words with the legendary novel by Arthur Clarke “2001: A Space Odyssey”) and was produced by the popular actor and producer Seth MacFarlane. Tyson is also a columnist of the “Universe” column in the Natural History Magazine, an author of numerous scientific articles and lectures in various parts of the world. The popular astrophysicist has also held a number of prestigious positions at universities, such as those in Princeton and Maryland, as well as at the American Museum of Natural History. He also remains the Director of the Hayden Planetarium.

One of the most prominent supporters of the expansion of NASA's activity and funding, Tyson has even inspired the Penny4NASA campaign, designed to lobby for doubling the budget of the institution. He also holds the

honorary medal of the space agency

under the government of George Walker Bush, he participated in the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry, as well as in the President's Commission on the Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, which later became known as the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond”.

Neil deGrasse Tyson may have accumulated a wealth from his scientific activity, but the greatest fortune he gives to society is the enormous love and interest in the cosmos. His comprehensible and understandable books, as well as his popular programmes, have kindled the interest in astronomy in people all over the world, showing how interesting the research of the Universe might be. Apart from purely astrophysical issues, his novels, essays and articles are often also devoted to much broader topics, such as the centuries-long relation between science and war, or science and spirituality. Three years ago, the US National Academy of Sciences awarded him a medal for his work for the common good. But the greatest recognition for him remains his millions of followers on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube who absorb every new article or commentary from the distinguished scientist and share his belief that the future path of humanity goes through our transformation into a cosmic civilisation and that it is high time we start acting as such.