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Video: Stephen Colbert demands Neil deGrasse Tyson reinstate Pluto as a planet

Published Jul 15th, 2015 1:32PM EDT
Stephen Colbert vs Neil deGrasse Tyson
Image: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

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The photos of Pluto this week have been absolutely stunning, but Stephen Colbert isn’t satisfied. While the rest of us are waiting on pins and needles for more information, Colbert decided to wrangle Neil deGrasse Tyson for an interview in order to bash him for downgrading Pluto to a dwarf planet.

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“After almost a century of near total mystery, we finally know what Pluto really looks like: a malted milk ball left in the rain 4.7 billion miles from the sun,” says Colbert in his very scientifically accurate introduction.

After explaining the New Horizons mission, Colbert turns his attention to Tyson and proceeds to eviscerate him. When Colbert claims that Pluto is actually larger than we suspected, Tyson points out that in 1930, a New York Times article reported that Pluto was the same size as Earth.

Colbert fires back with a quote from the Agence France-Presse (AFP): “Already, scientists have learned from New Horizons that Pluto is 12-18 miles larger than previously thought, with a radius of 736 miles.”

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It’s a real war of the minds, and hopefully yet another great indication of how hysterically funny and relaxed The Late Show will be when it premiere this fall.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.