"I didn't think of it being unusual at the time. All I was doing was talking about what I had expertise in.
"I knew enough about the universe by then because I'd been interested since age 9, so that was a whole six years of reading and my own telescope work... I'm describing the universe... which had become my backyard, and it was odd that they would pay me for describing something I was so familiar with."
He said improvements in science were being made so rapidly that today's advancements would pale in comparison to those made in the future.
"In another 20 years I'll be looking back at today and saying 'Oh they didn't know anything back then'."
The astrophysicist also made a case for increased federal spending on Nasa, saying even a small increase would have a significant impact.
"One half of one penny on [the US] tax dollar goes to Nasa... they're spending it wisely and quite visibly. If you want to go to Mars and you want to have higher ambitions, sure you'd want to up it. How much is the universe worth for you?"
He is concerned about partisan politics impacting the study of space, and also pointed out the hypocrisy of people who are "actively hostile" towards scientific research while at the same time embracing its benefits.
"At the minimum what I would want is people who are indifferent to it rather than actively hostile to it. If you're indifferent... we can deal with that.
"Meanwhile I bet those same people that are actively hostile are pulling out their smartphones finding directions to wherever they want to go, using GPS satellites, physics, engineering and other technologies to enable that level of convenience, but they say 'Oh I don't like science but hand me my smart phone', what's going on there?"
DeGrasse Tyson will be appearing at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch on July 4, and at Auckland's Spark Arena on July 9.
