Neil DeGrasse Tyson has published only academic papers.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a 2017 popular science book by Neil deGrasse Tyson , centering around a number of basic questions about the universe . Neil deGrasse Tyson . After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science , where he was editor-in-chief of the Physical Science Journal , he completed a bachelor 's degree in physics at Harvard University in 1980 . From 1995 to 2005 , Tyson wrote monthly essays in the `` Universe '' column for Natural History magazine , some of which were published in his books Death by Black Hole ( 2007 ) and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry ( 2017 ) . During the same period , he wrote a monthly column in Star Date magazine , answering questions about the universe under the pen name `` Merlin '' .