Anyone who loves science, or who at least pays attention to American popular culture, knows the name Neil deGrasse Tyson. Since the late-1990s, via his lectures, books, and TV shows, Dr. Tyson has surpassed his mentor, Carl Sagan, as our nation’s most well-known astrophysicist. With his booming laugh and child-like enthusiasm, Tyson is a disarming blend of likable comedian and commanding presence (think Bill Cosby–before his fall–crossed with Morgan Freeman).

To paraphrase a comment which a viewer posted underneath one of his ubiquitous YouTube clips, Dr. Tyson takes abstract scientific concepts and simplifies them for the common folk in a way that’s both entertaining and profound.