AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE

PEOPLE TO TALK TO.

PLEASE WELCOME NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON!

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

COME ON UP HERE.

♪ ♪ ♪ ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )

GOOD TO THERE AREN'T A LOT OF SCIENTISTS

THAT AUDIENCES WILL GET ON THEIR FEET FOR.

>> I'M DEEPLY MOVED.

>> Stephen: I TA TO A FEW.

>> I'M FEELING THE COSMIC LOVE.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR WEARING THE VEST.

YOU GOTTA HAVE THE VEST.

>> A FLASHER I HAVE ABOUT 120 TIES, WHICH I WOULD WEAR WITHOUT

THE VEST, BECAUSE THEY SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

>> Stephen: SURE.

>> B VEST, THEN I HAVE TO WEAR A TIE

BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S TOO MUCH GOING ON.

>> Stephen: TOO MU NEIL.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> SO I GOT ABOUT A HALF DOZEN T. MANY MORE TIES. WHAT THAT IS.

>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA THAT

PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS WEEK, THE SOON WAS

MAKING NEWS JUST YESTERDAY.

WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?

AND-- R HAS ANAME IN PRACTICALLY EVERY

CULTURE.

>> Stephen: I KNOW, LIKE HARVEST MOON.

OR HUNTER'S MOON.

>> THERE'S A BLUE MOON, A HUNTER'S MOON, A SNOW MOON.

>> Stephen: OKAY, WHAT IS TECHNICALLY A BLUE MOON?

>> BLUE MOON-- DID YOU JUST ASK ME DO I KNOW

>> Stephen: BECAUSE I'M NOT-- >> DID YOU ASK THAT

QUESTION.

>> Stephen: I'M GUESSING IT'S NOT AN OFFICIAL-- THERE IT IS.

>> BEAUTIFUL.

THE EARTH DOESN'T ROTATE.

>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND.

>> NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.

>> Stephen: I WANT TO SHOW ALL SIDES OF THE STORY.

I WANT TO SHOW ALL SIDES OF THE STORY.

>> ALL SIDES OF THE STORY.

>> Stephen: I ASK THAT.

>> -- THEYREN'T SCIENTIFIC LABE.

THEY'RE FOLK LABELS.

>> THEY COME MOST FROM THE DAYS WHEN WE WERE AGRARIAN.

NATIVE AMERICANS WERE REALLY BIG WITH THAT BECAUSE THEY COUNTED

TIME BY THE CYCLE OF THE MOONS.

SO THEY HAD A WHOLE FULL PORTFOLIO OF MOON NAMES.

A BLUE MOON, TRADITIONALLY, IS THE SECOND FULL MOON IN A MONTH.

BECAUSE THE AVERAGE TIME BETWEEN FULL MOONS IS 29.5 DAYS AND IF

YOU JUST FIT THAT INTO A 30-DAY MONTH OR 31-DAY MONTH THE SECOND

FULL MOON IS A BLUE MOON.

>> Stephen: IT DOESN'T HAPPEN THAT OFTEN.

>> YES, IT HAPPENS ONES ONCE-IN-A-BLUE MOON.

I HAVE A COOL ONE.

ARE YOU READY?

THERE'S ANOTHER MOON, THE MOON IN JUNE IT'S FULL MOON IS ALWAYS

OPPOSITE THE SUN.

SO WHEN THE SUN SETS IN JUNE, IT'S ACTUALLY VERY SHALLOW BELOW

THE HORIZON.

>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH.

>> THAT'S WHERE IT IS.

IT IS VERYLOW ABOVE THE HORIZON.

IT NEVER REALLY GETS HIGH ENOUGH TO SHED ISELF OF SUNSET COLORS.

SO IT TAKES ON AN AMBER HUE.

SO THE FULL MOON IN JUNE IS CALLED THE HONEYMOON.

>> Stephen: THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).

JUST SAYING -- NO-- THERE IS NO ASTNOPHYSICIST ON THE PLANET WHO

PLAYS THE AUDIENCE LIKE YOU DO.

( LAUGHTER ) LIKE AN INSTRUMENT.

YOU ALL CATCH THAT?

DID YOU ALL CATCH WHAT I JUST DID?

DID YOU ALL SEE THAT?

OKAY, ALL RIGHT.

OKAY.

SO LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THE MOON.

SO THE STRAWBERRY MOON IS WHAT?

WHY DO WE CALL IT THE STRAWBERRY MOON DID YOU SAY I DON'T KNOW.

>> STRAWBERRY IS IN SEASON NOW?

I DON'T KNOW.

BUT IT COULD BE THAT.

>> Stephen: WHAT WAS SPECIAL ABOUT THE MOON THAT JUST

HAPPENED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO.

>> MOST PEOPLE WANT SOMETHING IN THE SKY TO BE SPECIAL AND UNIQUE

TO THEIR LIFETIME ON EARTH.

AN EARTH THAT HAS BEEN HERE FOR 4.5 BILLION YEARS.

SO THIS IS EVIDENCE OF A DELUSIONAL STATE THAT YOU WANT

THE UNIVERSE TO-- ( CHEERS )

>> Stephen: SOMETHING SPECIAL HAPPENED IN MY LIFETIME AND MY

LIFE HAS SOME KIND OF MEANING I'M NOT JUST PHOTO PLASM THAT

L BE GONE.S CONFIGURATION OF THE MOON AND PLANET WILL NOT REPEAT

FOR 60,000 YEARS.

BUT THEY DON'T TELL YOU TOMORROW'S CONFIGURATION ALSO

WON'T REPEAT FOR 60,000 YEARS.

EVERY DAY YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING THAT WON'T REPEAT FOR, YOU KNOW,

MILLENNIA.

SO SOMETHING CAN BE RARE BUT UNINTERESTING.

BECAUSE OF HOW COMMON ITS RARITY IS.