Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson Coming to Merriam Theater in 2015

Celebrated astrophysicist, author and science communicator Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson brings his space-centered and family-friendly U.S. speaking tour to Philadelphia on February 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Merriam Theater. The Emmy Award winning Tyson is host of FOX's 2014 Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey series and radio show StarTalk. Tyson will share his passion for astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology in an evening of engaging conversation on science, exploration, and the world as we know it.

Tickets go on sale Friday, August 25 at 10 a.m. A limited number of post-show VIP meet and greet tickets are available at $87 Tickets are available from $69 to $89 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Streets (open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is the host of StarTalk, a radio program funded by the National Science Foundation to foster a love of science in otherwise non science-minded people. StarTalk features celebrities on the air interviewed by Tyson with a diverse guest list including Andy Serkis from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, actors Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman, and Whoopi Goldberg, Mythbustershosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and chef Anthony Bourdain. From 2006 to 2011, Tyson also partnered with PBS as the host of Nova ScienceNow, an educational science television program.

Tyson currently serves as the Director of the Hayden Planetarium and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He has authored 12 books including Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier (2012), chronicling "every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration," and his memoir, The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (2004).

Perhaps most recognizable to the public is Tyson's role in the diminution of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet, thus knocking this former ninth planet out of the collective consciousness. He also developed the term "Manhattanhenge" to designate the marvel of the sun lining up with New York City streets twice every year.

Tyson is the recipient of the prestigious 2004 NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and 17 honorary doctorates. Appointed twice to U.S. space commissions by President George W. Bush, Tyson has also served on NASA's Advisory Council. In 2000, he was named People Magazine's "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" and is a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Real Time with Bill Maher.