The Most Astounding Fact - Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was asked by a reader of TIME magazine, "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?" This is his answer.

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Special thanks to:
Reid Gower http://saganseries.com/
Carl Sagan http://www.hulu.com/cosmos
Neil deGrasse Tyson http://www.facebook.com/neiltyson
NASA http://www.nasa.gov/
...for their inspiration.

CREDITS
Narration: TIME Magazine's "10 Questions for Neil Degrasse Tyson"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiOwqD...
Music: "To Build a Home" by the Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson
http://www.cinematicorchestra.com/

Video (in order of appearance):
IMAX: Hubble 3D (Orion)
http://www.imax.com/hubble/
Yellowstone: Battle for Life (Tree & Waterfall)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jcdml
Supernova to Crab Nebula
http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/...
BBC: Wonders of the Solar System (formation of the solar system)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qyxfb
Accretion and First Eukaryotes from the 2011 film "Tree of Life" directed by Terrence Malick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretio...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_o...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline...
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/200...
http://www.twowaysthroughlife.com/
BBC: Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life
http://www.wellcometreeoflife.org/
"Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia" by Ayrton Orio (Model: Xharon Kendelker)
http://vimeo.com/9505354
"Afghanistan - touch down in flight" by Augustin Pictures
http://vimeo.com/31426899
http://lukasugustin.de
"mongolia!" by wiissa
http://vimeo.com/27876709
http://wiissa.com

Excerpt from "Outside In", Copyright Stephen van Vuuren/SV2 Studios (Saturn's moon Mimas)
http://www.outsideinthemovie.com
IMAX: Hubble 3D (Inside Orion Nebula)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Ne...
Shuttle Launch from 1985 IMAX film "The Dream is Alive"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drea...
"Earth -- Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over -- NASA, ISS" by Michael Konig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls9yJT...
http://koenigm.com
Excerpt from "The Island" - La Palma Time Lapse Video by Christoph Malin
http://vimeo.com/27539860
http://christophmalin.com
Galaxy Map and Galaxy Formation by NCSA's Advanced Visualization Lab
http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/
"Mars sunset" captured by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imageg...

Edited by Max Schlickenmeyer

Neil goes on to say "For me, that is the most profound revelation of 20th century astrophysics and I look forward to what the 21st century will bring us, given the frontiers that are now unfolding."

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All copyrighted materials contained herein belong to their respective copyright holders, I do not claim ownership over any of these materials. I realize no profit, monetary or otherwise, from the exhibition of this video.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[donod Fps]

This moves me every time in a way that i cannot explain.

I feel calm and safe.

I feel like everything around me vanishes, and only the life it self makes sense.

Thank you for creating something this beautiful, you inspire people !

[omaroji]

Don't trust atoms, they make up everything

[aeon38]

This is moving, even more so in light of the fact that I know the God who created all this, He is a person not just an impersonal force.

[KamikazeSOF2]

Religion will never go away. It will most likely become less mainstream but I don't ever see it going away. I replied simply to take issue with your "But being either an [sic] Theist, Atheist [sic], or Agnostic [sic], will never go away" comment. You're either a theist, atheist, or you don't care about labels. Agnosticism is simply a knowledge position meaning you have no direct knowledge about the topic presented.  You can be either agnostic theist or atheist but never just agnostic.

[KamikazeSOF2]

I'm about as anti-theist as a person can get without acts of violence and banning religion is a horribly corrupt idea. How would you feel if your worldview was deemed "damaging" and susceptible to government intervention. People should always be free to hold whatever viewpoint they like and ANY intrusion by any government is a direct assault on free thought the world over. Let NDT teach the kids but let these kids be fostered in an environment of critical thinking and not forced worldviews.

[KamikazeSOF2]

The point of this video was to demonstrate that we are, in fact, born of the universe, that we were "created" by the very natural workings of the universe. The open-mindedness comes in when he starts philosophizing about his personal existence being big because of this fact. Open-mindedness =/= open acceptance of every crackpot belief system.

[KamikazeSOF2]

Don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out. The fact that there are good religious people in no way reflects on their beliefs. I say that those people would be good without religion. Often times, the "good" religious people have either dismissed the official tenants of their religion or obscured its teachings so much that it is not indistinguishable from secular alternatives except that there are still "god(s)."

[KamikazeSOF2]

I thought "reformed" religions aligned themselves with modern technology. While we all do have a right to choose, we also have a right, a duty even, to dismiss and ridicule blatantly false ideas, especially if those ideas are treated as irrevocable facts without any evidence to back them up. Not every belief is deserving of respect and thinking the opposite is an affront to a logical and educated society.

[KamikazeSOF2]

I'd say it in a different way. The universe is god. It created us. However, it did not intentionally create us nor did it create us with the intention of us being self aware. The purpose of us is ambiguous but learning about our existence is a great feat. Enjoy that you're living in a time where such knowledge has been achieved and don't throw past knowledge away on mythical fairy tales.

[coolsims94]

Let's play spot the pessimist. 

[Quantum2142]

Like if you were watching porn before you got here.

[Andrew Robles]

...Mother of God...