Bill Nye Goes Back to Being The Science Guy in YouTube Series

Oct. 10, 2013— -- Even without his torn quadricep, Bill Nye wasn't a very good dancer on the latest season of Dancing With The Stars. But thanks to his new video series, Why With Nye, he's returning to his old job as being the Science Guy. At least for a little while.

The video series, which is presented by NASA's Juno Spacecraft team, revolves around Jupiter and the spacecraft's current mission. Clad in his signature powder blue labcoat and bowtie, Nye explains how Juno will get to Jupiter, as well as its ultimate plans for learning more about the planet. Nye's trio of videos were published on Oct. 9, the same day as Juno's flyby of Earth.

Nye explains that after Juno was launched back in 2011, the spacecraft was returning back towards Earth. However, this return trip was planned for the start, as the spacecraft will gather momentum in Earth's orbit and then be flung off towards the giant planet with greater speed than before.

Even though Mars has been hogging the spotlight for the last year thanks to the Curiosity rover, Jupiter may get a chance to shine thanks to Nye's popularity. Juno may still have a long time before it reaches Curiosity status, as it's expected to arrive in Jupiter's orbit in 2016.

Bill Nye the Science Guy, Nye's popular TV show in the 1990s, was originally broadcast on PBS. This time around, though, he's partnered with the YouTube channel THNKR to broadcast his videos. In addition, he's kept the videos short, with each clocking in at approximately three minutes.

As for whether he'll make a permanent return to educating the masses on all things science, Nye has made no official statement. However, Nye is no longer the only science guy on the block. This year's YouTube's Geek Week showcased popular YouTube channels like Veritasium and Head Squeeze. So even if Why With Nye ends up being a temporary gig, there are still plenty of shows to pick up where Bill Nye left off two decades ago.