People are still sending hate mail to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson for his role in determining what constitutes a planet.
The scientist, 65, shared with PEOPLE at the Speak No Evil premiere in New York City on Monday, Sept. 9, why certain individuals are “angry” at him.
Asked what clue about himself he would want to see included in Puzzler, PEOPLE’s crossword puzzle, the author of To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery offered up, “Party to the demotion of Pluto.”
“I’m implicated as an accessory to the demotion of Pluto,” he added, referring to when Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006. “Just Google it, you’ll see. I have legions of angry elementary school children from that era that just send me hate mail. Yeah, they’re bad.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson in New York City on Sept. 9, 2024.
Roy Rochlin/Getty
At the time nearly two decades ago, as Hayden Planetarium’s director, Tyson was influential in bringing the planet count down from nine to eight.
The demotion of Pluto to dwarf planet classification incited heated debate among scientists, as well as everyday space lovers around the world, including kids learning about the solar system in schools.
Neil deGrasse Tyson in New York City on Sept. 9, 2024.
Michael Loccisano/Getty
Before the Pluto controversy, Tyson was named the sexiest astrophysicist alive in PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive issue in 2000, which he recalled at Monday’s premiere.
“I didn’t get big-headed about that,” Tyson said in 2014. “Considering the category, it’s not like I was the sexiest action star or anything.”
Throughout the years, Tyson has tried to make astrophysics more accessible with his commentary on social media. “I’ll tweet something that’s interesting and a little bit mind-blowing, and I’ll get responses like, ‘I just had a nerd-gasm.’ Whatever gets people interested in the universe! I’m happy to serve as a conduit to the cosmos,” he added.
Speaking this week about Speak No Evil, a psychological horror starring James McAvoy, Tyson explained that there are limits to being curious.
“What gets me in horror movies is that people get closer to the danger out of curiosity,” he said. “Now, as a scientist, curiosity is a fundamental part of what drives discovery. But there’s a limit to where it could get you killed, and so, you got to know where that limit is.”
