Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, an author, a passionate lover of the universe, and, as fans will begrudgingly acknowledge, an occasional fact-checking buzzkill. Having previously crushed your dreams regarding the science behind Alien: Covenant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Force Awakens, and The Walking Dead, just to name a few, Tyson recently took to Twitter to remind everyone that, despite the hype surrounding last week’s solar eclipse, eclipses are actually quite common, they happen roughly every few years and everyone should calm down about their rarity. “You go to it. You have an airplane,†Tyson replied when The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah points out that not every eclipse is conveniently visible to every person. “I’m just saying, if you care about them. I’ve got people who’ve seen ten eclipses.†Noah joked back, “You said it like you and the eclipse are in a relationship. ‘Oh, well if you cared about the eclipse, you would go to the eclipse.’â€
Interestingly, Tyson went on to discuss his new book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, in which he notes that dedicating one’s time to contemplating the cosmic perspective is often a privilege not afforded to people preoccupied by the immediate pressures of survival — people who, ostensibly, might not be able to easily travel to see an eclipse and would be justifiably hyped to see a cosmic event from the convenience of their own hometowns. Because last Monday, didn’t we all feel, in our own way, like we were in a relationship with America’s most wonderful girlfriend, the solar eclipse?