Discover Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Bibliography and Media Work

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, writer, educator, and television and radio host. Between his decade writing a column for Natural History magazine, bestselling non-fiction books (including 2017’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry), his podcast and TV show StarTalk, his many television and radio appearances, and his nearly 14 million Twitter followers, he’s become perhaps the world’s most recognizable living scientist. Dr. Tyson is also the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History.

In 1975, Carl Sagan contacted a teenage Tyson, then an aspiring astrophysicist and high school student from the Bronx, to visit Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where Sagan taught. Sagan offered not only to show Neil around but to let him spend the night if he had trouble catching the bus home. Neil went on to study at Harvard University, the University of Texas, and Columbia University, He was a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University, where he is also an educator.

In 2009, Tyson began hosting the weekly radio show StarTalk with co-host Lynne Koplitz. The show blends science, everyday life, and comedy covering—as Neil describes it—“Everything under the sun; Or rather under the universe!” It is the first popular radio show devoted to all things astrophysics, hosting a new notable guest every week from scientists to celebrities. The show now runs as a podcast on the StarTalk radio network.

Tyson's books, many of them bestsellers and popular audiobooks, translate complex scientific ideas into reader-friendly language. Here are the 17 books authored by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

1. 1. Merlin's Tour of the Universe (1997): Tyson's first book imagines conversations between the wizard Merlin and historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci or Johannes Kepler to answer reader questions about astronomy and the mysteries of the universe.
2. 2. Universe Down to Earth (1994): This book is a collection of Neil’s essays gathered from his lectures to introductory astronomy classes at Columbia University, University of Texas, and University of Maryland.
3. 3. Just Visiting This Planet (1998): This book is a collection of six years of Q&A columns for StarDate magazine. It is also a follow-up to Merlin's Tour of the Universe in which Tyson addresses more questions about the cosmos from readers of all ages.
4. 4. One Universe : At Home in the Cosmos (2000): Neil wrote this book about the relationship between everyday life and astrophysics to celebrate the opening of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City.
5. 5. The Sky Is Not The Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (2000): Neil’s memoir documents his early love of cosmology and his path from young stargazer to Director of the Hayden Planetarium.
6. 6. City of Stars: A New Yorker’s Guide to the Cosmos (2002): In this special-issue natural history text, Neil unpacks the various unexpected ways that the cosmos colors the lives of New Yorkers, who may feel like their city is the so-called center of the universe.
7. 7. Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution (2005): Neil co-wrote this book with Donald Goldsmith, taking readers on a journey across the universe in search of the origin of the cosmos from the discovery of water on Jupiter's moons to the first image we have of a galaxy birth.
8. 8. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2007): Neil compiles some of his work from Natural History magazine in this essay collection, delving into cosmic mysteries including the hypothetical experience of being inside a black hole.
9. 9. The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (2009): This New York Times bestseller is about the farthest-flung planet in our solar system Pluto, which was officially demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006.
10. 10. Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier (2012): Neil passionately argues for space exploration in this book released after NASA ended its space exploration program. He reports on NASA's past and imagines the future of American space travel.
11. 11. StarTalk (2016): This book is an illustrated companion book to Neil’s popular radio program StarTalk, in which Tyson meets with guests to discuss the latest in astrophysics.
12. 12. Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour (2016): This New York Times bestseller takes readers on a journey through the latest discoveries in astrophysics. Neil co-wrote the book with fellow Princeton University professors Michael A. Strauss and J. Richard Gott.
13. 13. Astrophysics For People in a Hurry (2017): Neil addresses some of the universe's hottest topics from the Big Bang to the search for extraterrestrial life. This is Tyson's most popular book, which has sold over a million copies and was on The New York Times Best Seller list for over a year.
14. 14. Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military (2018): Accessory to War is a thoroughly-researched book about the relationship between astrophysics and warmakers which Neil co-Wrote with art historian and curator Avis Lang.
15. 15. Letters from an Astrophysicist (2019): Neil wrote this collection of 101 letters to curious readers who wanted to know more about the cosmos as a follow-up to the popular Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.
16. 16. Astrophysics For Young People in a Hurry (2019): Neil adapted his bestselling book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry younger readers, complete with full-color illustrations and simplified scientific explanations for children.
17. 17. Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going (2021): This book documents some of the ideas explored in Neil’s popular radio show StarTalk and was co-written with physicist James Trefil.

Neil became a household name by appearing on-screen in many popular documentary television series about astrophysics. Here are four of those TV shows.

1. 1. Nova ScienceNow (2006–2011): Neil began hosting this spinoff of PBS's NOVA from its second season to its fifth season. The show took a whimsical approach to science, using cartoons and animation to explore science and astrophysics.
2. 2. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014): This documentary television series was a follow-up to the 1980 series hosted by Neil's mentor Carl Sagan. Neil hosted the updated show, which used computer-animated graphics and updated scientific research to educate viewers about ideas such as evolution and the creation of the universe. The series was nominated for 12 Emmy awards, winning 4, and also won the Peabody Award in the Education category.
3. 3. StarTalk (2015–2019): StarTalk was a spinoff of Neil's popular radio show of the same name in which Neil spoke with a guest each week about popular topics in astrophysics like space exploration and black holes.
4. 4. Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020): This series is a sequel to the 2014 Cosmos series, unpacking what other habitable worlds may exist on other planets, as well as what we can do to protect our Earth from the threat of climate change.

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