Neil deGrasse Tyson Narrates Nat Geo Special on Hubble Space Telescope

WASHINGTON, D.C.: National Geographic Channel is marking the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with a new one-hour special, Hubble’s Cosmic Journey, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Set to premiere April 20 at 10 p.m., the special will feature interviews with the key players behind the telescope, the astronauts who fixed it and astrophysicists like Stephen Hawking. “Hubble transformed how people around the world look at our cosmos,” Tyson said. “The telescope represents a stunning combination of science, engineering and, ultimately, poetry. The images are so beautiful, graced with so much detail, that you do not even require a caption to embrace the beauty and majesty of the universe.”

National Geographic Channel recently scored big with its broadcast of Killing Jesus, which nabbed 3.7 million viewers on Sunday night, setting a new ratings record for the network. The three-hour special delivered the highest total viewership in the channel's history. The 8 p.m. premiere garnered a 2.8 household rating, which is the second highest HH in network history. “Killing Jesus was our most ambitious production to date, coupled with one of our largest cross-platform promotional campaigns,” said National Geographic Channels' CEO, Courteney Monroe. “We are thrilled that audiences responded to the film with the same enthusiasm and passion we had for this production since day one. The success of our premiere last night is due to the hard work and dedication of the production team on the ground in Morocco, the talented and versatile cast and the support of our partners at National Geographic and Fox.”