By the way, were we to find life-forms on Venus, we would probably call them Venutians, just as people from Mars would be Martians. But according to rules of Latin genitives, to be โof Venusโ ought to make you a Venereal. Unfortunately, medical doctors reached that word before astronomers did. Canโt blame them, I suppose. Venereal disease long predates astronomy, which itself stands as only the second oldest profession.
Neil deGrasse TysonA television advertisement must illustrate the scientific method to substantiate any claim.... That is why stains are lifted, ring-around-the-collar is removed, paper towels become soaked, excess stomach acid is absorbed, and headaches go away-all during the commercial.
Neil deGrasse TysonI try to keep this in mind when tied in to a rope 75 feet up in a tree... The history of ideas about our place in the universe has been a long series of let-downs for those who like to believe we are special.
Neil deGrasse TysonWhenever people have used religious documents to make accurate predictions about our base knowledge of the physical world, they have been famously wrong.
Neil deGrasse TysonWhy can't Pluto be a planet? Some people like Pluto. And if it doesn't exist then they don't have a favorite planet. Right? Please write back but not in cursive because I can't read cursive.
Neil deGrasse TysonThere are photons that have been traveling for 30,000 years, and I'm... snatching them from this journey and planting them into my digital detector. And then I started feeling bad for the photon, and I said maybe it wanted to continue but I got in its way. But then I said, no, those are probably happier photons than the one that slammed into the mountainside that will go unanalyzed and will not contribute to the depth of our understanding of the universe.
Neil deGrasse Tyson