What to Drink While Stargazing, a Wine Guide by Neil deGrasse Tyson

We know Neil deGrasse Tyson as an astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and fearless host of Cosmos, the remake of Carl Sagan's original series on space exploration. Many may not know, though, that Neil is not only an aficionado of the stars — but of wine as well. We asked the Internet's favorite science educator to craft wine pairings with our solar system's planets, and he indulged! Neil didn't specify which grape goes well with Mars, however. That planet is still a puzzle to us. But he did reveal which wine he'd drink while stargazing.

Neil explained, "It's not that I drink wine when I'm contemplating the universe; it works both ways. But also I contemplate the universe when I drink wine." Continue on for the wine pairings you never knew went perfectly with planet watching or watching Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey now that it's available on Blu-ray and DVD. Source: Getty / Cindy Ord

General Stargazing and a Soft Merlot

General Stargazing and a Soft Merlot

"I don’t want anything too complicated because the universe is complex enough, and you don’t want to compete with that. So I would probably come up with a soft Merlot." — Neil deGrasse Tyson Source: NASA/ESA and Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Mercury and Petite Sirah

Mercury and Petite Sirah

Venus and Chardonnay

Venus and Chardonnay

Source: NASA and Parducci

Earth and Burgundy Pinot Noir

Earth and Burgundy Pinot Noir

Jupiter and Cabernet Sauvignon

Jupiter and Cabernet Sauvignon

Saturn and Sauternes

Saturn and Sauternes

Source: NASA and Sigalas Rabaud

Neptune/Uranus and Sauvignon Blanc

Neptune/Uranus and Sauvignon Blanc