Skip to the content

The Sky Is Not the Limit

Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist

By Neil deGrasse Tyson

The captivating story of a boy from the Bronx who grew up to be America’s most prominent astrophysicist.

As the director of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium, Neil deGrasse Tyson is America’s best-known astrophysicist, constantly called upon by the media to explain news-making scientific phenomena, such as the discovery of water on Mars, to the general public. How did an African-American kid growing up in the Bronx, expected by everyone to be a star athlete (he was a wrestler) not an intellectual, become an extraordinarily successful scientist? This is the entrancing account of Tyson’s lifelong passion for astronomy, beginning with the fateful evening when he, as a small boy, happened to turn a pair of binoculars up toward the moon and was struck with wonder.

Overflowing with gorgeous descriptions of the night sky, The Sky Is Not the Limit invokes grandeur of the cosmos as it tells Tyson’s compelling personal story. In addition, it is a perceptive look at life and society as seen through the eyes of an astrophysicist, providing valuable insight into how scientists work in and think about the social, political and physical world. From that eye-opening first glimpse of the magnified moon, through his struggle to fulfill his dream of becoming an astrophysicist, to his plans for the triumphant reopening of the new Hayden Planetarium in February 2000, Tyson’s story is a memorable one. This is the breakout book of a rising scientific star, poised to become America’s next Carl Sagan.

Available From

Any referral fees received from these sellers are sent to educational charities each year.

Publisher details

Hardcover

February 2000
Doubleday
208 pages

Paperback

May 2004
Prometheus Books
203 pages

eBook

March 2010
Prometheus Books
4.7 MB