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Cover of Accessory to War by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Accessory to War

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Avis Lang

  • 592 pages · about 10 hours
  • First published 2018
  • 6 editions
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1 About this book

Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military is the fifteenth book by American astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson, which he co-wrote with researcher and writer Avis Lang. It was released on September 11, 2018 by W. W. Norton & Company.

The book chronicles war and the use of space as a weapon going as far back as before the Ancient Greeks, and includes examples such as Christopher Columbus' use of his knowledge of a lunar eclipse and the use of satellite intelligence by the United States during the Gulf War. Tyson told National Geographic that he regards the collaboration between science and the military as a "two-way street."

Marcelo Gleiser wrote that the book "rings like a wake-up call, even if an uncomfortable one."

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: astronomy, history, politics, and a long read.

  • Astronomy
  • Military Science
  • Astrophysics
  • Military art and science
  • History
  • Military art and science, history
  • Political science
  • Science

2 About Neil deGrasse Tyson

Born 1958

Neil deGrasse Tyson (US: də-GRASS; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University. From 1991 to 1994, he was a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University. In 1994, he joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist and the Princeton faculty as a visiting research scientist and lecturer.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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