Neil deGrasse Tyson to host new series of Cosmos

Astrophysicist and TV presenter Neil deGrasse Tyson is to host a new series of Cosmos, originally presented by Carl Sagan. The above photo, posted to Reddit by Bobojoe, is said to be of a young Tyson, before he was a famous. Don't be distracted by the sideburns, awesome as they may be; check out that fabulous t-shirt. [via Reddit]

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http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RHG2QORT54PKZY4LHHVHBOZBZY Abe Lincoln

Tyson is the man. I always liked the way he can explain the most protracted concepts in simple to understand language.
jeligula

Looks like Neil was clubbing it hard that night.
Drabula

I always liked this guy and really like him after watching the video of him discussing animal intelligence and the implied consequence it has for flesh eating.
niro5

Check out the Neil deGrasse Gun Show!

“Excuse me sir, but which way is Pluto”**Strikes a pose** “Right there”I saw him on Bill Maher last weekend, he really held his own talking about politics and economics, he got “Cornell West” passionate talking about the James Webb telescope, though he started looking really uncomfortable when the conversation turned to sex and drugs.
http://profiles.google.com/maurice.reeves Maurice Reeves

Tyson confirmed via Twitter that it is indeed him: https://twitter.com/#!/neiltyson/status/101264756031225856
frankieboy

sideburns? t-shirt?
Spoken like a man who reads Playboy for the articles.
Miss Cellania

I am not distracted by the sideburns OR the t-shirt. It”s hard to get past those biceps…
- Gulliver
  
  Typical, a great intellect and mad science communication skills and all people can see is his smokin’ bod and svelte fashion sense. Just kidding. If I were gay and a few years younger and had a large Kerr loop singularity…
http://twitter.com/patrickdijusto Patrick Di Justo

I worked at AMNH for five years. I think every upper-body article of clothing Neil had in those days had some combination of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and comets. Check out his necktie collection sometime.
jerwin

I came across this video of Tyson talking about humanity’s “place in the universe”, and I thought he sounded very Saganesque. Is this how astrophysicists “are”, or is this how astrophysicists are expected to be, post Cosmos?
- http://www.eff.org/ deaduncledave
  
  Honestly, I think most astrophysicists have been like this since Spinosa.
- Ahoj
  
  Actually, it’s a small few who can talk as eloquently as Sagan and Tyson. Most physicist and astronomers I have heard come across in very different ways. Some are atonal, some are mildly autistic, some have entirely forgot what it’s like to look up and wonder.
sparkdale

This man rules, and that picture just makes me like him more.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1066215380 Juliana Letterie

Brilliant AND sexy!! If only he were twenty years younger.
Thad Boyd

Shortly after I met my girlfriend, she very excitedly E-Mailed me a photo of herself with Tyson, whom she’d met at a lecture.

That was an early indicator that she was a keeper.
http://www.eff.org/ deaduncledave

“Tell me, Professor, are you a fan of Ballistics? Cause it looks as if you’ve got TWO TICKETS TO THE GUN-SHOW!”

*Strikes a pose*
ill lich

Stars in his eyes, stars on his t-shirt. Go figure.
Thorfin

High hopes for this. Dr Tyson could pull it off. He was a friend of Carl Sagan as well as a student.

However, Seth (family guy) McFarlane is involved?
On Fox?

Seriously, I hope it goes well, but I’m not holding my breath.
- Ahoj
  
  Actually McFarlane is a giant space nerd. He’s referenced to Cosmos at least once on Family Guy (look up Cosmos for rednecks).
  
  As I’ve heard, Tyson introduced McFarlane to Sagan’s widdow Ann Druyan and they hit it off. And it was Druyan who brought up the idea of a Cosmos remake and McFarlane loved it so much he pulled the strings to make it happen.
  
  *edited to fix typo
- benher
  
  I feel the same. Tyson is as good a choice as any… but Cosmos made a lot of ballsy statements (by anti-evo-american standards) back in the day and that was BEFORE we were in the throes of an anti-intellectual orgy.
  
  Plus, FOX? Really?
  I fear for this show, I really do. I fear it worse than a Goonies remake.
  
  PS – Yes, I know that FOX and FOXNews are 2 different things. Though the fact that the former hosts the latter (as well as several other wing-nut) shows does little to assuage my skepticism.
Thorfin

BTW. He has confirmed the picture is him. Says he does not recall the event.
Brainspore

Look at that physique! And you thought his friends called him “Mister Universe” because of his field of study.
Teirhan

one of Tyson’s books (i think it was “Just Visiting This Planet”) was basically the volume that introduced me to astronomy. This is amazingly exciting news for me.

Though his twitter comes across as a bit bitter sometimes, I still have massive respect for the man and the work he’s done to help open up science in general to readers old and young.

and check out those sideburns! ~~I hope this is actually a photo of him.~~ confirmed?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=751714257 Matt Binkowski

I will definitely watch this.
Snig

I think this would be great, as long as Fox’s management don’t insist the world and the Universe started 5,000 or so years ago.
http://celesteagnes.blogspot.com/ Sekino

Cool-gasm…

Multiple cool-gasms.
Clemoh

I don’t even know who the other ‘Neil Tyson’ might be, that NDT had to add ‘Degrasse’ to his name to be able to distinguish himself from the other one…
http://twitter.com/_Morrigan Morrigan

I’d hit it.
http://www.zhrodague.net/ Drew from Zhrodague

We love you, Neil! Keep showing us stuff on television from space. Do not stop!
allium

According to Wikipedia he rowed crew and lettered in wrestling at Harvard. Definite example of a Genius Bruiser.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1345484064 Nancy J Gill

Loved his description of the reception he got from grade-schoolers who blamed him, personally, for demoting Pluto from planet-hood. Wonderful news that he will be hosting a reprise of “Cosmos” – hope it will be in addition to, not instead of, NOVA Science Now.
- Brainspore
  
  My wife (a teacher) still refers to him as “that guy who killed Pluto.” I still think she secretly thinks he’s a pretty cool guy, though.
amanicdroid

Pro: Neil is awesome guy perfect for explaining things on the TV channels.
Con: the TV channel will be Fox and I won’t watch it as I don’t support corporations that spy on dead children.

Feelin’ like a 90s Southern Baptist hankerin’ for a ride on Space Mountain :(
Ethan Bernard

I wonder how this will turn out. NGT’s radiolab bit on terminal velocity was completely wrong: Falling at speeds near terminal velocity produces a sensation very different than the “weightless” sensation of free fall at slow speeds.
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2010/nov/29/vertigo/
Starts 18 minutes in.
- Neural Kernel
  
  I didn’t check the link… but by definition once you achieve terminal velocity you are no longer accelerating, so yeah it will feel different. Ironically once you stop accelerating it will start to feel like you are, just in the opposite direction…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

This is wonderful news.

The original Cosmos was a cultural landmark of the time. Sagan was mocked for his earnestness, but the show still had an enormous effect.

I think we really, really need a show like it now.

“Family Guy” occasionally has some rather trippy science fantasy plots. Last season Stewie and Brian accidentally time-travelled to before the Big Bang, which they caused by detonating the power source of their time machine. Then they had to protect Leonardo from a another time-traveling evil toddler. A chase scene in the skies of Venice featuring DaVincish flying machines followed.
http://twitter.com/jasohill Jason Hill

The man is perfect for Cosmos. I can’t wait to watch! Way to go Neil!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MX2PUJOFXSN65RIP4Z5AQE4UCE dave w

a nice, educated, smart man, and he’s right; as a species and a race, we should explore, forget all about the Somalians without birth control, we can’t be dragged down by losers
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RHG2QORT54PKZY4LHHVHBOZBZY Abe Lincoln

Starts with a B. Ends with a B. 10 seconds Bob.
Gulliver

Let’s see. Who would disagree with you?

Thinking…

Oh yeah! Carl Sagan.

He became so well-known that Carl Sagan, who was on the faculty at
Cornell University, personally drove Tyson around the campus and wrote
him a letter in an effort to recruit him.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_10_55/ai_63735675/

Update: this was in reply to a now deleted comment.