Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson spent part of his own birthday morning with the KTLA Morning News team Thursday to discuss his newest book and answer burning questions about the universe, extraterrestrial life — and Superman.
KTLA’s Melvin Roberts introduced Tyson as “one of the great minds of this generation” and welcomed the #1 New York Times bestselling author to the news desk to preview his book: “Just Visiting This Planet: Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: Further Scientific Adventures of Merlin from Omniscia.”
The story surrounds the beloved fictional character Merlin, whom Tyson created from a pen name he once used in a Q&A column. Merlin appears in the new book as “a timeless space traveler from Planet Omniscia, who answers a collection of imaginative questions about the cosmos from curious stargazers.”
Just like Merlin, Tyson himself was met with a collection of imaginative questions — only this time, the curious stargazers were the KTLA Morning News anchors.
Roberts began by asking Tyson why he is passionate about teaching science.
“Well,” Tyson replied, “I was passionate just as a kid, and then I realized other people also like looking up. And, if I can feed that curiosity, then we get to share the joy of cosmic discovery.”
KTLA’s Frank Buckley jumped in next, saying, “Okay, we’re going to hit you with questions now. As you know, I hit you before you even sat down.” Tyson lifted his hands, beckoning the team to bring it on.
Buckley asked Tyson his thoughts on Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third-ever interstellar comet discovered passing through our solar system.
“We should always investigate new stuff,” Tyson said.
However, regarding theories that the comet could be alien technology, Tyson cautioned, “Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean aliens did it.”
“But it could be?” Buckley asked.
Quoting astronomer Carl Sagan, Tyson replied: “If you’re gonna make an extraordinary claim — which that would be — you’re gonna need extraordinary evidence, not just simply something you can’t explain.”
Tyson said Sagan inspired him to be a better educator — to listen to others, to understand how people best receive information and then “clad” it with science.
He offered an example from his new book, referencing the iconic moment in the 1978 Superman film where the hero flies backward around Earth to reverse its rotation and turn back time.
“So that’s kind of fun to watch,” Tyson said. “But then I have to say, if he did that, he would have killed a billion people!”
Laughing with the news team, he explained that stopping the Earth’s rotation would have flooded North and South America with the Pacific Ocean. “He would have saved Lois Lane, but killed a billion people,” Tyson said.
KTLA’s Jessica Holmes followed up by asking Tyson how parents can foster a love of science.
“You don’t have to foster it,” Tyson said. “You just have to get out of its way.”
Before wrapping up, the KTLA team surprised Tyson with a nod to his birthday. Even on his special day, he said he was “just channeling the universe” — sharing his passion for science with anyone who will listen.
His new book, Just Visiting This Planet, releases Oct. 21 and is available for preorder now.