23 March 2015
Neil deGrasse Tyson Rocks 60 Minutes
Posted by Dan Satterfield
In case you missed it, Neil deGrasse Tyson was profiled on CBS’s 60 Minutes Sunday, his attention grabbing interview explaining in itself why he is America’s best science communicator. He mentions at the start something I wrote about back in 2009, the most famous photo ever taken, and the stunning impact it has had on how we see ourselves since. The interview on 60 Minutes is below, in case you missed it.
There is a 60 Minutes Extra as well here:
As a meteorologist, I’ve always looked up when I walk outside, and I’m always stunned when I get emails from folks, surprised the sun can have a ring around it like the Moon, or asking why the sun is not setting in the west! Honestly, I cannot fathom how one could walk the dog, and come inside without knowing what the sky looked like while Rover marked his territory, or tried to get the attention of that cute Poodle down the street. In fact, perhaps the very first step to science literacy is to take the advice of the late Jack Horkheimer, who always ended his Star Gazer episodes on PBS, with the phrase: KEEP LOOKING UP!
*That photo on the main page of the Wild Science Journal is of my daughter and I with Dr. Tyson after I interviewed him in 2010.
I wonder if the problems in many cases aren’t just a US problem but an Urban Vs. Rural combined with Literacy vs. non-literacy. I live in Macau but grew up in Rural Michigan. Looking up and wondering was a nearly daily event for me, but as I gradually moved into an Urban life, it’s nearly impossible to see the night sky aside from the moon. With it, I have noticed that my fellow city dwellers overwhelmingly lack the interest to look up…as there really isn’t anything to see.
Always the clouds/sky- even in a dense rural area.
Clouds I can live with as they are always fascinating just like the celestial bodies of the night sky, though they always seem to come at inopportune times (especially in Mid and Southern Michigan) But light pollution is just disheartening as it essentially guarantees you won’t see anything lest you get far from the city.