Derrick Pitts (born January 22, 1955) is an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

and

science communicator Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

. Pitts studied at St. Lawrence University and has been employed at the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

since 1978 where he is chief astronomer and director of the institute's Fels Planetarium. Pitts is a frequent guest on radio and television to explain the science of astronomy and share his enthusiasm for science in general.

Early life and education

Pitts was born in the Tioga-Nicetown section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on January 22, 1955. As a young child he was fascinated by space travel and astronomy. The power of science to determine reliable information about objects in space had a profound effect on him. He learned that by the careful examination of light many things could be learned even from very distant objects. This realization caused him to look "into the sky with a totally different understanding of it than I had just a few hours before". He attended

Germantown Academy Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the Gree ...

from 1969-1973 enrolling as its second African-American student. Pitts attended St. Lawrence University, graduating in 1978 with a degree in Geology.

Franklin Institute

Pitts has been at the Franklin Institute since he was a college student. He is the Institute's chief astronomer, show producer for the Institute's Fels Planetarium, and primary public figure. His responsivities include the design and presentation of exhibits and public programs. His goal is to create “content, exhibits, and programs that translate complex science topics to levels that can be understood by interested people of all ages”.

Views on Science

Pitts says that "Science is really questioning what you see, therefore, the essence of science is looking. You have to look". It is Pitts' belief that science just can't be housed in a planetarium or museum; ubiquitous as gravity, it's everywhere. He often uses the slogan "Eat, breathe, do science. Sleep later".

Media and Public appearances

Pitts has made numerous television appearances, including shows such as ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focuse ...

'', ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...

'', ''

Countdown with Keith Olbermann ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program hosted by Keith Olbermann that aired on MSNBC from 2003 to 2011 and on Current TV from 2011 to 2012. The show presented five selected news stories o ...

'', ''

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell ''The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'' is an American weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Friday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell from Mondays to Thursdays and re ...

'', and ''

The Ed Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. Since 1991, he's co-hosted a weekly radio discussion program called ''Skytalk'' on

WHYY-FM WHYY-FM (90.9 MHz, "91 FM") is a public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its broadcast tower is located in the city's Roxborough neighborhood at () while its studios and offices are located on Independence Mall in Cen ...

in Philadelphia, PA. He narrated 2001: A Space Odyssey concert at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts to honor astronaut, and fellow Philadelphia local, Col.

Guion Bluford Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (born November 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut in which capacity he became the second person of African descent to ...

Jr. Science advisor and host for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

The Great Comet Crash, guest scientist for

Newton's Apple ''Newton's Apple'' is an American educational television program produced and developed by KTCA of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran from October 15, 1983, to January 3, 1998, with reruns cont ...

, and science guy for Kid's corner. In January 2022 Pitts, along with actor and TikToker Kalpana Pot, began hosting a webseries for

The Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memoria ...

entitled "A Practical Guide to the Cosmos". The series explores "exoplanets, galaxies, black holes, and space missions" as well as how to spot celestial bodies, and astronomical phenomena in the night sky.

Awards, memberships, and recognition

Pitts was named a NASA Solar System Ambassador, received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

and

Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. It was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents. ...

College of Mathematics and Science(Philadelphia, PA), the Mayor's Liberty Bell, the St. Lawrence University Distinguished Alumni Award, and the G. W. Carver Medal and Please Touch Museum’s “Great Friend To Kids” Award. Pitts was inducted into the Germantown Historical Society Hall of Fame and selected as one of the “50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science” by ''Science Spectrum'' Magazine in 2004. He received the 2010 David Rittenhouse Award from LaSalle University in 2011. Pitts was a member of the

board of trustees.

Personal life

Pitts is an a cappella singer. He sang barbershop quartet in high school and madrigal singing in college. As of 2020 he lived in Philadelphia with his wife, Linda.

References

External links

* at Franklin Institute * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitts, Derrick American astronomers African-American scientists St. Lawrence University alumni Living people Franklin Institute Scientists from Philadelphia La Salle University alumni Germantown Academy alumni People from Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania 1955 births Science communicators