NEWARK — Tuesday night, over 2,000 people, many of them well past schooling age, gathered at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to learn about science from a man in no shoes.

Director of the Hayden Planetarium, renowned astrophysicist, and television personality, Neil deGrasse Tyson, delivered an hour-long lecture—in his socks—where he mused on the theme of “cosmic perspective.”

Armed with only slides, a microphone, and a podium he rarely stood behind, Tyson put on a show that was equal parts informative and humorous. He opened by jokingly addressing his controversial role in demoting Pluto’s status from planet to dwarf planet. “I got tons of hate mail,” he said, “mostly from third graders.” During his time on stage, the host of COSMOS frequently riffed, pausing at one point to inform the crowd on the proper pronunciation of Uranus. (The emphasis is on the first syllable.)

As always, the aim of Tyson’s presentation was to inspire people to think critically and scientifically. He mourned America’s decline as a leader in scientific discovery and exploration, citing religion and superstition as reasons for our stagnation.

“We live in a free country, we can do what we want,” he said of the US’ relatively low belief in evolution. “But if we choose to keep this up, we are choosing to no longer lead the world in science and technology.” He frequently addressed the many young people in the audience in the hopes of inspiring them to lead a new wave of innovation.

After the lecture portion, which concluded with Tyson reading Carl Sagan's famous "Pale Blue Dot" speech, audience members were invited to speak up, asking questions about everything from the new film Interstellar to whom Tyson would like to have dinner with most—Isaac Newton. "I would call him Ike."