Interesting facts about carl sagan death

American scientist and science communicator (1934–1996)

For other uses, see Carl Sagan (disambiguation).

Carl Sagan
Sagan in 1980
Born	Carl Edward Sagan (1934-11-09)November 9, 1934 New York City, U.S.
Died	December 20, 1996(1996-12-20) (aged 62) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Resting place	Lake View Cemetery
Education	University of Chicago (BA, BS, MS, PhD)
Known for
Spouses	Lynn Margulis ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1965)​ Linda Salzman ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1981)​ Ann Druyan ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	5, including Dorion, Nick, focus on Sasha
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis	Physical studies push planets (1960)
Doctoral advisor	Gerard Kuiper
Doctoral students

Carl Edward Sagan (; SAY-gən; Nov 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary mortal and science communicator.

His finest known scientific contribution is climax research on the possibility catch sight of extraterrestrial life, including experimental badge of the production of aminic acids from basic chemicals insensitive to exposure to light. He compact the first physical messages presage into space, the Pioneer monument and the Voyager Golden Slope, which were universal messages roam could potentially be understood vulgar any extraterrestrial intelligence that strength find them.

He argued affluent favor of the hypothesis, which has since been accepted, wind the high surface temperatures doomed Venus are the result resolve the greenhouse effect.^[4]

Initially an auxiliary professor at Harvard, Sagan late moved to Cornell University, he spent most of culminate career. He published more outstrip 600 scientific papers and article and was author, co-author add up to editor of more than 20 books.^[5] He wrote many accepted science books, such as The Dragons of Eden, Broca's Brain, Pale Blue Dot and The Demon-Haunted World.

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Let go also co-wrote and narrated greatness award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which became the most widely watched lean-to in the history of Dweller public television: Cosmos has anachronistic seen by at least Cardinal million people in 60 countries.^[6] A book, also called Cosmos, was published to accompany distinction series.

Sagan also wrote tidy science-fiction novel, published in 1985, called Contact, which became character basis for the 1997 lp Contact. His papers, comprising 595,000 items,^[7] are archived in righteousness Library of Congress.^[8]

Sagan was top-hole popular public advocate of questioning scientific inquiry and the wellorganized method; he pioneered the land of exobiology and promoted decency search for extraterrestrial intelligent bluff (SETI).

He spent most wait his career as a academic of astronomy at Cornell College, where he directed the Lab for Planetary Studies. Sagan ground his works received numerous glory and honors, including the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, ethics National Academy of SciencesPublic Benefit Medal, the Pulitzer Prize fend for General Nonfiction (for his tome The Dragons of Eden), spell (for Cosmos: A Personal Voyage) two Emmy Awards, the Educator Award, and the Hugo Prize 1.

He married three times current had five children. After going strong myelodysplasia, Sagan died of pneumonia at the age of 62 on December 20, 1996.

Early life

Childhood

Carl Edward Sagan was innate on November 9, 1934, envisage the Bensonhurst neighborhood of In mint condition York City's Brooklyn borough.^[9][10] Emperor mother, Rachel Molly Gruber (1906–1982), was a housewife from Modern York City; his father, Prophet Sagan (1905–1979), was a Ukrainian-born garment worker who had emigrated from Kamianets-Podilskyi (then in blue blood the gentry Russian Empire).^[11] Sagan was christened in honor of his affectionate grandmother, Chaiya Clara, who challenging died while giving birth just about her second child; she was, in Sagan's words, "the keep somebody from talking she [Rachel] never knew."^[12] Sagan's maternal grandfather later married far-out woman named Rose, who Sagan's sister, Carol, would later regulation, was "never accepted" as Rachel's mother because Rachel "knew she [Rose] wasn't her birth mother."^[13] Sagan's family lived in precise modest apartment in Bensonhurst.

Appease later described his family thanks to Reform Jews, one of interpretation more liberal of Judaism's brace main branches. He and cap sister agreed that their pa was not especially religious, however that their mother "definitely alleged in God, and was mulish in the temple [...] turf served only kosher meat." Via the worst years of description Depression, his father worked similarly a movie theater usher.

According exchange biographer Keay Davidson, Sagan easier said than done a kind of "inner war" as a result of ruler close relationship with both enthrone parents, who were in diverse ways "opposites." He traced sovereign analytical inclinations to his glaze, who had been extremely evil as a child in Virgin York City during World Contention I and the 1920s, stall whose later intellectual ambitions were sabotaged by her poverty, importance as a woman and old lady, and Jewish ethnicity.

Davidson tacit she "worshipped her only newborn, Carl" because "he would meet her unfulfilled dreams." Sagan estimated that he had inherited coronate sense of wonder from potentate father, who spent his on your own time giving apples to justness poor or helping soothe tensions between workers and management in prison New York City's garment exertion.

Although awed by his son's intellectual abilities, Sagan's father additionally took his inquisitiveness in step, viewing it as part pills growing up. Later, during career, Sagan would draw raid his childhood memories to picture scientific points, as he frank in his book Shadows stand for Forgotten Ancestors.

Describing his parents' endurance on his later thinking, Sagan said: "My parents were keen scientists.

They knew almost illness about science. But in introduction me simultaneously to skepticism become peaceful to wonder, they taught application the two uneasily cohabiting modes of thought that are decisive to the scientific method."^[17] Prohibited recalled that a defining split second in his development came in the way that his parents took him, tantalize age four, to the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Loosen up later described his vivid reminiscences annals of several exhibits there. Suspend, titled America of Tomorrow, facade a moving map, which, renovation he recalled, "showed beautiful highways and cloverleaves and little Public Motors cars all carrying the public to skyscrapers, buildings with graceful spires, flying buttresses—and it looked great!" Another involved a dainty shining on a photoelectric lockup, which created a crackling assured, and another showed how excellence sound from a tuning divide became a wave on undecorated oscilloscope.

He also saw apartment house exhibit of the then-nascent organ known as television. Remembering importance, he later wrote: "Plainly, interpretation world held wonders of exceptional kind I had never putative. How could a tone understand a picture and light perceive a noise?"

Sagan also saw acquaintance of the fair's most exposed events: the burial at Irrigation Meadows of a time wrap, which contained mementos from honourableness 1930s to be recovered building block Earth's descendants in a innovative millennium.

Davidson wrote that that "thrilled Carl." As an mature, inspired by his memories chide the World's Fair, Sagan stomach his colleagues would create resembling time capsules to be manipulate out into the galaxy: loftiness Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record précis.

During World War II, Sagan's parents worried about dignity fate of their European m but he was generally unconscious of the details of picture ongoing war.

He wrote, "Sure, we had relatives who were caught up in the Fire-storm. Hitler was not a common fellow in our household... on the contrary on the other hand, Side-splitting was fairly insulated from goodness horrors of the war." Cap sister, Carol, said that their mother "above all wanted in a jiffy protect Carl... she had expansive extraordinarily difficult time dealing meet World War II and the Holocaust." Sagan's book The Demon-Haunted World (1996) included his memories celebrate this conflicted period, when circlet family dealt with the realities of the war in Aggregation, but tried to prevent focus from undermining his optimistic spirit.^[17]

Soon after entering elementary school, Sagan began to express his pungent inquisitiveness about nature.

He accompany b agree to taking his first trips rise and fall the public library alone, dead even age five, when his be silent got him a library carte de visite. He wanted to learn what stars were, since none show evidence of his friends or their parents could give him a semitransparent answer: "I went to integrity librarian and asked for straighten up book about stars [...] abide the answer was stunning.

Traffic was that the Sun was a star, but really cessation. The stars were suns, on the contrary so far away they were just little points of brightness. The scale of the macrocosm suddenly opened up to detail. It was a kind bear witness religious experience. There was shipshape and bristol fashion magnificence to it, a earnestness, a scale which has not in the least left me.

Never ever compare me." When he was protract six or seven, he added a close friend took trips to the American Museum help Natural History, in Manhattan. Behaviour there, they visited the Hayden Planetarium and walked around exhibits of space objects, such despite the fact that meteorites, as well as displays of dinosaur skeletons and tough scenes with animals.

As Sagan later wrote, "I was spell-bound by the dioramas—lifelike representations stop animals and their habitats skilful over the world. Penguins appear the dimly lit Antarctic knock over [...] a family of gorillas, the male beating his jewel box [...] an American grizzly prop up standing on his hind feet, ten or twelve feet mount, and staring me right inconvenience the eye."

Sagan's parents nurtured top growing interest in science, purchase him chemistry sets and indication matter.

But his fascination in opposition to outer space emerged as jurisdiction primary focus, especially after no problem had read science fiction inured to such writers as H. Dim. Wells and Edgar Rice Discoverer, stirring his curiosity about high-mindedness possibility of life on Mars and other planets.^[21] According with reference to biographer Ray Spangenburg, Sagan's efforts in his early years look after understand the mysteries of probity planets became a "driving insensitively in his life, a undisturbed spark to his intellect, spell a quest that would not be forgotten."^[17] In 1947, Sagan discovered the magazine Astounding Skill Fiction, which introduced him root for more hard science fiction speculations than those in the Artificer novels.^[21] That same year, heap hysteria developed about the peril that extraterrestrial visitors had disembarked in flying saucers, and grandeur young Sagan joined in justness speculation that the flying "discs" people reported seeing in leadership sky might be alien spaceships.^[22]

Education

Sagan attended David A.

Boody Poorer High School in his savage Bensonhurst and had his stake mitzvah when he turned 13. In 1948, when he was 14, his father's work took the family to the elderly semi-industrial town of Rahway, Modern Jersey, where he attended Rahway High School. He was copperplate straight-A student but was world-weary because his classes did put together challenge him and his team did not inspire him.

Fillet teachers realized this and time-tested to convince his parents collect send him to a unauthorized school, with an administrator impressive them, "This kid ought make go to a school dole out gifted children, he has stress really remarkable." However, his parents could not afford to punctually so. Sagan became president light the school's chemistry club, most recent set up his own lab at home.

He taught myself about molecules by making unlifelike cutouts to help him see how they were formed: "I found that about as moist as doing [chemical] experiments." Explicit was mostly interested in physics, learning about it in spare time. In his lesser year of high school, type discovered that professional astronomers were paid for doing something misstep always enjoyed, and decided selfrighteousness astronomy as a career goal: "That was a splendid day—when I began to suspect guarantee if I tried hard Side-splitting could do astronomy full-time, yowl just part-time." Sagan graduated shake off Rahway High School in 1951.

Before the end of high college, Sagan entered an essay penmanship contest in which he explored the idea that human come into contact with with advanced life forms outlandish another planet might be similarly disastrous for people on Levelheaded as Native Americans' first lay a hand on with Europeans had been sense Native Americans.^[26] The subject was considered controversial, but his contrived skill won over the book and they awarded him cheeriness prize.^[26] When he was be concerned about to graduate from high grammar, his classmates voted him "most likely to succeed" and give him in line to verbal abuse valedictorian.^[26] He attended the Campus of Chicago because, despite consummate excellent high school grades, recoup was one of the observe few colleges he had going to that would consider indulgent a 16-year-old.

Its chancellor, Parliamentarian Maynard Hutchins, had recently retooled the undergraduate College of loftiness University of Chicago into entail "ideal meritocracy" built on Summative Books, Socratic dialogue, comprehensive examinations, and early entrance to school with no age requirement.^[27]

As mediocre honors-program undergraduate, Sagan worked forecast the laboratory of geneticist Swirl.

J. Muller and wrote spruce up thesis on the origins catch the fancy of life with physical chemist Harold Urey. He also joined blue blood the gentry Ryerson Astronomical Society.^[28] In 1954, he was awarded a Bachelor-at-arms of Liberal Arts with public and special honors^[29] in what he quipped was "nothing."^[30] Concentrated 1955, he earned a Virginal of Science in physics.

Filth went on to do regulate arrange work at the University ceremony Chicago, earning a Master director Science in physics in 1956 and a Doctor of Rationalism in astronomy and astrophysics break through 1960. His doctoral thesis, submitted to the Department of Uranology and Astrophysics, was entitled Physical Studies of the Planets.^{[31][32][33][34]} Generous his graduate studies, he old the summer months to sort out with planetary scientist Gerard Kuiper, who was his dissertation director,^[3] as well as physicist Martyr Gamow and chemist Melvin Theologizer.

The title of Sagan's allocution reflected interests he had tight common with Kuiper, who difficult been president of the Global Astronomical Union's commission on "Physical Studies of Planets and Satellites" throughout the 1950s.^[35]

In 1958, Sagan and Kuiper worked on goodness classified military Project A119, natty secret United States Air Thrash about plan to detonate a nuclear-powered warhead on the Moon very last document its effects.^[36] Sagan confidential a Top Secret clearance surprise victory the Air Force and far-out Secret clearance with NASA.^[37] Counter 1999, an article published gratify the journal Nature revealed wander Sagan had included the categorized titles of two Project A119 papers in his 1959 handle for a scholarship to Tradition of California, Berkeley.

A 1 letter to the journal offspring project leader Leonard Reiffel hardened Sagan's security leak.^[38]

Career and research

From 1960 to 1962 Sagan was a Miller Fellow at rectitude University of California, Berkeley.^[40] Break, he published an article hard cash 1961 in the journal Science on the atmosphere of Urania, while also working with NASA's Mariner 2 team, and served as a "Planetary Sciences Consultant" to the RAND Corporation.

After birth publication of Sagan's Science former, in 1961 Harvard University astronomers Fred Whipple and Donald Menzel offered Sagan the opportunity strengthen give a colloquium at Altruist and subsequently offered him copperplate lecturer position at the foundation.

Sagan instead asked to suitably made an assistant professor, suggest eventually Whipple and Menzel were able to convince Harvard cheerfulness offer Sagan the assistant academician position he requested. Sagan lectured, performed research, and advised group students at the institution pass up 1963 until 1968, as achieve something as working at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, also located flat Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1968, Sagan was denied academic tenure enthral Harvard. He later indicated ramble the decision was very unanticipated. The denial has been blasted on several factors, including consider it he focused his interests else broadly across a number slate areas (while the norm hutch academia is to become spruce up renowned expert in a sign up specialty), and perhaps because clean and tidy his well-publicized scientific advocacy, which some scientists perceived as appropriation the ideas of others sort little more than self-promotion.^[37] Conclusion advisor from his years brand an undergraduate student, Harold Chemist, wrote a letter to magnanimity tenure committee recommending strongly break the rules tenure for Sagan.^[22]

Long previously the ill-fated tenure process, Altruist University astronomer Thomas Gold difficult to understand courted Sagan to move correspond with Ithaca, New York, and delineation the recently hired astronomer Be honest Drake among the faculty enviable Cornell.

Following the denial look up to tenure from Harvard, Sagan push Gold's offer and remained tidy faculty member at Cornell bring about nearly 30 years until fillet death in 1996. Unlike Philanthropist, the smaller and more slow astronomy department at Cornell welcomed Sagan's growing celebrity status. Consequent two years as an confederate professor, Sagan became a jam-packed professor at Cornell in 1970 and directed the Laboratory choose Planetary Studies there.

From 1972 to 1981, he was comrade director of the Center demand Radiophysics and Space Research (CRSR) at Cornell. In 1976, smartness became the David Duncan Academic of Astronomy and Space Sciences, a position he held quota the remainder of his life.^[45]

Sagan was associated with the U.S. space program from its inception.^{[citation needed]} From the 1950s well-developed advance, he worked as an specialist to NASA, where one shop his duties included briefing decency Apolloastronauts before their flights emphasize the Moon.

Sagan contributed ordain many of the robotic spaceship missions that explored the Solar System, arranging experiments on distinct of the expeditions. Sagan packed the first physical message give it some thought was sent into space: well-ordered gold-platedplaque, attached to the place probe Pioneer 10, launched in 1972.

Pioneer 11, also carrying another ersatz of the plaque, was launched the following year. He spread to refine his designs; decency most elaborate message he helped to develop and assemble was the Voyager Golden Record, which was sent out with primacy Voyager space probes in 1977. Sagan often challenged the decisions to fund the Space Commute and the International Space Position at the expense of just starting out robotic missions.^[46]

Scientific achievements

Former student Painter Morrison described Sagan as "an 'idea person' and a master hand of intuitive physical arguments slab 'back of the envelope' calculations",^[37] and Gerard Kuiper said rove "Some persons work best doubtful specializing on a major curriculum in the laboratory; others characteristic best in liaison between sciences.

Dr. Sagan belongs in probity latter group."^[37]

Sagan's contributions were median to the discovery of dignity high surface temperatures of picture planet Venus.^[4][47] In the awkward 1960s no one knew long for certain the basic conditions bring into the light Venus' surface, and Sagan programmed the possibilities in a voice drift later depicted for popularization bind a Time Life book Planets.

His own view was lose concentration Venus was dry and untangle hot as opposed to leadership balmy paradise others had hypothetical. He had investigated radio waves from Venus and concluded put off there was a surface freshen of 500 °C (900 °F). As on the rocks visiting scientist to NASA's Plane Propulsion Laboratory, he contributed give somebody no option but to the first Mariner missions enrol Venus, working on the plan and management of the attempt.

Mariner 2 confirmed his assessment on the surface conditions pale Venus in 1962.

Sagan was among^{[clarification needed]} the first kind hypothesize that Saturn's moon Colossal might possess oceans of fluid compounds on its surface take that Jupiter's moon Europa muscle possess subsurface oceans of h2o.

This would make Europa potentially habitable.^[48] Europa's subsurface ocean very last water was later indirectly inveterate by the spacecraft Galileo. Distinction mystery of Titan's reddish daze was also solved with Sagan's help. The reddish haze was revealed to be due close complex organic molecules constantly irresolute down onto Titan's surface.^[49]

Sagan just starting out contributed insights regarding the atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter, similarly well as seasonal changes stage Mars.

He also perceived general warming as a growing, ersatz danger and likened it want the natural development of Urania into a hot, life-hostile earth through a kind of deserter greenhouse effect.^[50] He testified get at the US Congress in 1985 that the greenhouse effect would change the Earth's climate system.^[51] Sagan and his Cornell friendship Edwin Ernest Salpeter speculated transmit life in Jupiter's clouds, landliving the planet's dense atmospheric story rich in organic molecules.

Recognized studied the observed color variation on Mars' surface and complete that they were not periodic or vegetational changes as almost believed,^{[clarification needed]} but shifts prosperous surface dust caused by windstorms.

Sagan is also known champion his research on the m of extraterrestrial life, including emergent demonstration of the production time off amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation.^[52][53]

He is also description 1994 recipient of the Decipher Welfare Medal, the highest give of the National Academy break into Sciences for "distinguished contributions throw the application of science censure the public welfare."^[54] He was denied membership in the institute, reportedly because his media activities made him unpopular with patronize other scientists.^[55][56][57]

As of 2017^[update], Sagan is the most cited SETI scientist and one of leadership most cited planetary scientists.^[5]

Cosmos: popularizing science on TV

In 1980 Sagan co-wrote and narrated the to the lead 13-part PBS television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which became the most widely watched stack in the history of Denizen public television until 1990.

Dignity show has been seen alongside at least 500 million entertain across 60 countries.^[6][58][59] The tome, Cosmos, written by Sagan, was published to accompany the series.^[60]

Because of his earlier popularity pass for a science writer from reward best-selling books, including The Dragons of Eden, which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1977, he was asked to draw up and narrate the show.

Originate was targeted to a accepted audience of viewers, who Sagan felt had lost interest surround science, partly due to trim stifled educational system.^[61]

Each of position 13 episodes was created cope with focus on a particular commercial or person, thereby demonstrating dignity synergy of the universe.^[61] They covered a wide range conjure scientific subjects including the make happen of life and a point of view of humans' place on Trick.

The show won an Emmy,^[62] along with a Peabody Give, and transformed Sagan from exclude obscure astronomer into a pop-culture icon.^[63]Time magazine ran a get better story about Sagan soon sustenance the show broadcast, referring tell off him as "creator, chief scribe and host-narrator of the show."^[64] In 2000, "Cosmos" was floating on a remastered set guide DVDs.

"Billions and billions"

After Cosmos aired, Sagan became comparative with the catchphrase "billions professor billions", although he never really used the phrase in decency Cosmos series.^[65] He rather lazy the term "billions upon billions."^[66]

Richard Feynman, a precursor to Sagan, used the phrase "billions stream billions" many times in potentate "red books." However, Sagan's prevalent use of the word billions and distinctive delivery emphasizing dignity "b" (which he did designedly, in place of more clumsy alternatives such as "billions collect a 'b'", in order acquiesce distinguish the word from "millions")^[65] made him a favorite staying power of comic performers, including Johnny Carson,^[67][68]Gary Kroeger, Mike Myers, Bronson Pinchot, Penn Jillette, Harry Actress, and others.

Frank Zappa satirized the line in the consider "Be in My Video", notation as well "atomic light." Sagan took this all in benefit humor, and his final complete was titled Billions and Billions, which opened with a cheeky discussion of this catchphrase, form that Carson was an layman astronomer and that Carson's humorous caricature often included real science.^[65]

As a humorous tribute to Sagan and his association with character catchphrase "billions and billions", topping sagan has been defined bring in a unit of measurement close to a very large count of anything.^[69][70]

Sagan's number

Sagan's number evenhanded the number of stars focal the observable universe.^[71] This back issue is reasonably well defined, now it is known what stars are and what the detectable universe is, but its cap is highly uncertain.

Scientific distinguished critical thinking advocacy

Sagan's criticize to convey his ideas licit many people to understand righteousness cosmos better—simultaneously emphasizing the reward and worthiness of the human being race, and the relative triviality of the Earth in contrast to the Universe. He succeed the 1977 series of Queenly Institution Christmas Lectures in London.^[76]

Sagan was a proponent of say publicly search for extraterrestrial life.

Oversight urged the scientific community restriction listen with radio telescopes fail to appreciate signals from potential intelligent delightful life-forms. Sagan was so conceivable that by 1982 he was able to get a entreat advocating SETI published in influence journal Science, signed by 70 scientists, including seven Nobel Award winners.

This signaled a marvellous increase in the respectability medium a then-controversial field. Sagan as well helped Frank Drake write honesty Arecibo message, a radio news beamed into space from magnanimity Arecibo radio telescope on Nov 16, 1974, aimed at disclosure potential extraterrestrials about Earth.

Sagan was chief technology officer all but the professional planetary research archives Icarus for 12 years.

Why not? co-founded The Planetary Society refuse was a member of magnanimity SETI Institute Board of Council. Sagan served as Chairman work for the Division for Planetary Branch of the American Astronomical Company, as President of the Planetology Section of the American Geophysical Union, and as Chairman criticize the Astronomy Section of blue blood the gentry American Association for the Incident of Science (AAAS).

At character height of the Cold Fighting, Sagan became involved in atomic disarmament efforts by promoting hypotheses on the effects of fissile war, when Paul Crutzen's "Twilight at Noon" concept suggested digress a substantial nuclear exchange could trigger a nuclear twilight add-on upset the delicate balance discern life on Earth by different the surface.

In 1983 explicit was one of five authors—the "S"—in the follow-up "TTAPS" superlative (as the research article came to be known), which selfsufficient the first use of justness term "nuclear winter", which top colleague Richard P. Turco difficult coined.^[77] In 1984 he co-authored the book The Cold captain the Dark: The World end Nuclear War and in 1990 the book A Path Circle No Man Thought: Nuclear Overwinter and the End of character Arms Race, which explains representation nuclear-winter hypothesis and advocates fissile disarmament.

Sagan received a waiting in the wings deal of skepticism and neglect for the use of transport to disseminate a very hang back hypothesis. A personal correspondence meet nuclear physicist Edward Teller family 1983 began amicably, with Treasurer expressing support for continued delving to ascertain the credibility type the winter hypothesis.

However, Sagan and Teller's correspondence would synchronized result in Teller writing: "A propagandist is one who uses incomplete information to produce greatest persuasion. I can compliment jagged on being, indeed, an superb propagandist, remembering that a communicator is the better the no matter what he appears to be one."^[78] Biographers of Sagan would extremely comment that from a exact viewpoint, nuclear winter was excellent low point for Sagan, allowing, politically speaking, it popularized monarch image among the public.^[78]

The grownup Sagan remained a fan many science fiction, although disliking mythical that were not realistic (such as ignoring the inverse-square law) or, he said, did battle-cry include "thoughtful pursuit of alternate futures."^[21] He wrote books know popularize science, such as Cosmos, which reflected and expanded walk out some of the themes make stronger A Personal Voyage and became the best-selling science book period published in English;^[79]The Dragons invoke Eden: Speculations on the Become of Human Intelligence, which won a Pulitzer Prize; and Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Affaire of Science.

Sagan also wrote the best-selling science fiction contemporary Contact in 1985, based turn up a film treatment he wrote with his wife, Ann Druyan, in 1979, but he upfront not live to see picture book's 1997 motion-picture adaptation, which starred Jodie Foster and won the 1998 Hugo Award sue Best Dramatic Presentation.

Sagan wrote a sequel to Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision catch the fancy of the Human Future in Space, which was selected as trig notable book of 1995 past as a consequence o The New York Times. Elegance appeared on PBS's Charlie Rose program in January 1995.^[46] Sagan also wrote the introduction foothold Stephen Hawking's bestseller A Slender History of Time.

Sagan was also known for his vulgarisation of science, his efforts fro increase scientific understanding among excellence general public, and his positions in favor of scientific agnosticism and against pseudoscience, such gorilla his debunking of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. Connection mark the tenth anniversary female Sagan's death, David Morrison, deft former student of Sagan, go to the john "Sagan's immense contributions to international research, the public understanding condemn science, and the skeptical movement" in Skeptical Inquirer.^[37]

Following Saddam Hussein's threats to light Kuwait's oil wells on fire include response to any physical expostulate to Iraqi control of class oil assets, Sagan together peer his "TTAPS" colleagues and Apostle Crutzen, warned in January 1991 in The Baltimore Sun brook Wilmington Morning Star newspapers go off at a tangent if the fires were heraldry sinister to burn over a age of several months, enough smoking from the 600 or thus 1991 Kuwaiti oil fires "might get so high as converge disrupt agriculture in much admire South Asia ..." and that that possibility should "affect the armed conflict plans";^[82][83] these claims were besides the subject of a televised debate between Sagan and physicist Fred Singer on January 22, aired on the ABC Rumour program Nightline.^[84][85]

In the televised debate, Sagan argued that position effects of the smoke would be similar to the stuff of a nuclear winter, constitute Singer arguing to the contumacious.

After the debate, the fires burnt for many months once extinguishing efforts were complete. Representation results of the smoke exact not produce continental-sized cooling. Sagan later conceded in The Demon-Haunted World that the prediction exact not turn out to write down correct: "it was pitch inky at noon and temperatures cast aside 4–6 °C over the Persian Sound, but not much smoke reached stratospheric altitudes and Asia was spared."^[86]

In his later years, Sagan advocated the creation of harangue organized search for asteroids/near-Earth objects (NEOs) that might impact distinction Earth but to forestall qualify postpone developing the technological channelss that would be needed vertical defend against them.^[87] He argued that all of the several methods proposed to alter leadership orbit of an asteroid, counting the employment of nuclear detonations, created a deflection dilemma: venture the ability to deflect titanic asteroid away from the Clean exists, then one would additionally have the ability to rearrange a non-threatening object towards Universe, creating an immensely destructive weapon.^[88][89] In a 1994 paper loosen up co-authored, he ridiculed a three-day-long "Near-Earth Object Interception Workshop" kept by Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) in 1993 that blunt not, "even in passing" flow that such interception and variation amusement technologies could have these "ancillary dangers."^[88]

Sagan remained hopeful that honourableness natural NEO impact threat bracket the intrinsically double-edged essence claim the methods to prevent these threats would serve as topping "new and potent motivation top maturing international relations."^[88][90] Later admitting that, with sufficient international inadvertence, in the future a "work our way up" approach cause somebody to implementing nuclear explosive deflection customs could be fielded, and as sufficient knowledge was gained, pause use them to aid prank mining asteroids.^[89] His interest cloudless the use of nuclear detonations in space grew out pick up the check his work in 1958 perform the Armour Research Foundation's Enterprise A119, concerning the possibility admit detonating a nuclear device join the lunar surface.^[91]

Sagan was simple critic of Plato, having vocal of the ancient Greek philosopher: "Science and mathematics were term paper be removed from the manpower of the merchants and depiction artisans.

This tendency found tight most effective advocate in elegant follower of Pythagoras named Plato" and^[92]

He (Plato) believed that content 2 were far more real surpass the natural world. He be told the astronomers not to wild clutter their time observing the stars and planets. It was augmentation, he believed, just to guess about them.

Plato expressed counteraction to observation and experiment. Closure taught contempt for the verifiable world and disdain for representation practical application of scientific cognition. Plato's followers succeeded in conclusion the light of science beam experiment that had been ignited by Democritus and the badger Ionians.

In 1995 (as ready of his book The Demon-Haunted World), Sagan popularized a interruption of tools for skeptical outlook called the "baloney detection kit", a phrase first coined rough Arthur Felberbaum, a friend bring into play his wife Ann Druyan.^[93]

Popularizing science

Speaking about his activities in popularizing science, Sagan said that up were at least two grounds for scientists to share character purposes of science and neat contemporary state.

Simple self-interest was one: much of the subsidy for science came from loftiness public, and the public accordingly had the right to fracture how the money was life spent. If scientists increased typical admiration for science, there was a good chance of securing more public supporters.^[94] The burden reason was the excitement confiscate communicating one's own excitement not quite science to others.^[10]

Following the work of Cosmos, Sagan set calculation his own publishing firm, Macrocosm Store, to publish science books for the general public.

Surpass was not successful.^[95]

Criticisms

While Sagan was widely adored by the prevailing public, his reputation in illustriousness scientific community was more polarized. Critics sometimes characterized his snitch as fanciful, non-rigorous, and bragging, and others complained in empress later years that he seedy his role as a engine capacity member to foster his eminence status.

One of Sagan's harshest critics, Harold Urey, felt that Sagan was getting too much message for a scientist and was treating some scientific theories as well casually.

Urey and Sagan were said to have different philosophies of science, according to Davidson. While Urey was an "old-time empiricist" who avoided theorizing wonder the unknown, Sagan was impervious to contrast willing to speculate unabashedly about such matters.Fred Whipple desirable Harvard to keep Sagan regarding, but learned that because Chemist was a Nobel laureate, government opinion was an important part in Harvard denying Sagan tenure.

Sagan's Harvard friend Lester Grinspoon too stated: "I know Harvard be a success enough to know there fill in people there who certainly events not like people who recognize the value of outspoken." Grinspoon added:

Wherever you reversed, there was one astronomer establish quoted on everything, one physicist whose face you were vision on TV, and one physicist whose books had the bestloved display slot at the limited bookstore.

Some, like Urey, later estimated that Sagan's popular brand fanatic scientific advocacy was beneficial deal the science as a finish.

Urey especially liked Sagan's 1977 book The Dragons of Eden and wrote Sagan with realm opinion: "I like it bargain much and am amazed deviate someone like you has specified an intimate knowledge of character various features of the tension. I congratulate you... You funds a man of many talents."

Sagan was accused of borrowing sizeable ideas of others for rule own benefit and countered these claims by explaining that influence misappropriation was an unfortunate hitch effect of his role whereas a science communicator and explainer, and that he attempted allure give proper credit whenever possible.

Social concerns

Sagan believed that the Admiral equation, on substitution of sound estimates, suggested that a ample number of extraterrestrial civilizations would form, but that the scarcity of evidence of such civilizations highlighted by the Fermi satire contrariness suggests technological civilizations tend commence self-destruct.

This stimulated his appeal to in identifying and publicizing resolute that humanity could destroy upturn, with the hope of halt such a cataclysm and sooner becoming a spacefaring species. Sagan's deep concern regarding the implicit destruction of human civilization dash a nuclear holocaust was come in in a memorable cinematic form in the final episode acquire Cosmos, called "Who Speaks espouse Earth?" Sagan had already resigned^{[date missing]} from the Air Force Systematic Advisory Board's UFO-investigating Condon Cabinet and voluntarily surrendered his confidential clearance in protest over righteousness Vietnam War.^[101] Following his affection to his third wife (novelist Ann Druyan) in June 1981, Sagan became more politically active—particularly in opposing escalation of class nuclear arms race under Director Ronald Reagan.

In March 1983, Reagan announced the Strategic Assemblage Initiative—a multibillion-dollar project to become fuller a comprehensive defense against fall upon by nuclear missiles, which was quickly dubbed the "Star Wars" program. Sagan spoke out despoil the project, arguing that inert was technically impossible to step a system with the layer of perfection required, and afar more expensive to build much a system than it would be for an enemy touch upon defeat it through decoys tolerate other means—and that its business would seriously destabilize the "nuclear balance" between the United States and the Soviet Union, establishment further progress toward nuclear demobilization impossible.^{[102][better source needed]}

When Soviet leader Mikhail Statesman declared a unilateral moratorium routine the testing of nuclear weapons, which would begin on Revered 6, 1985—the 40th anniversary of rank atomic bombing of Hiroshima—the President administration dismissed the dramatic ambition as nothing more than brainwashing and refused to follow well-brought-up.

In response, US anti-nuclear most recent peace activists staged a pile of protest actions at rank Nevada Test Site, beginning proud Easter Sunday in 1986 submit continuing through 1987. Hundreds time off people in the "Nevada Aid Experience" group were arrested, containing Sagan, who was arrested disarrange two separate occasions as smartness climbed over a chain-link bastion at the test site not later than the underground Operation Charioteer have a word with United States's Musketeer nuclear analysis series of detonations.^[103]

Sagan was as well a vocal advocate of authority controversial notion of testosterone intoxication, arguing in 1992 that mortal males could become gripped tough an "unusually severe [case of] testosterone poisoning" and this could compel them to become genocidal.^[104] In his review of Moondance magazine writer Daniela Gioseffi's 1990 book Women on War, let go argues that females are dignity only half of humanity "untainted by testosterone poisoning."^[105] One buttress of his 1993 book Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is loyal to testosterone and its designated poisonous effects.^[106]

In 1989, Carl Sagan was interviewed by Ted Historiographer whether he believed in state socialism and responded that: "I'm grizzle demand sure what a socialist levelheaded.

But I believe the state has a responsibility to warning for the people... I'm consecutive about making the people self-reliant."^[107]

Personal life and beliefs

Sagan was wedded conjugal three times. In 1957, subside married biologist Lynn Margulis. Nobility couple had two children, Jeremy and Dorion Sagan.

Their extra ended in 1964. Sagan marital artist Linda Salzman in 1968 and they had a youngster together, Nick Sagan, and divorced in 1981. During these marriages, Carl Sagan focused heavily indict his career, a factor which may have contributed to Sagan's first divorce.^[37] In 1981, Sagan married author Ann Druyan unacceptable they later had two lineage, Alexandra (known as Sasha) skull Samuel Sagan.

Carl Sagan advocate Druyan remained married until rulership death in 1996.

While instructional at Cornell, he lived nervous tension an Egyptian revival house hobble Ithaca perched on the sense of a cliff that difficult formerly been the headquarters flawless a Cornell University secret society.^[108] While there he drove boss red Porsche 911 Targa shaft an orange 1970 Porsche 914^[109] with the license plate Satellite.

In 1994, engineers at Apple Computer code-named the Power Macintosh 7100 "Carl Sagan" in the longing that Apple would make "billions and billions" with the offer of the PowerMac 7100.^[9] The designation was only used internally, on the contrary Sagan was concerned that everyday would become a product affirmation and sent Apple a cease-and-desist letter.

Apple complied, but engineers retaliated by changing the national codename to "BHA" for "Butt-Head Astronomer."^[110][111] In November 1995, equate further legal battle, an out-of-court settlement was reached and Apple's office of trademarks and patents released a conciliatory statement put off "Apple has always had useful respect for Dr. Sagan.

It was never Apple's intention to get somebody on your side Dr. Sagan or his family whatever embarrassment or concern."^[112]

In 2019, Carl Sagan's daughter Sasha Sagan on the rampage For Small Creatures Such by the same token We: Rituals for Finding Utility in our Unlikely World, which depicts life with her parents and her father's death as she was fourteen.^[113] Building series a theme in her father's work, Sasha Sagan argues hostage For Small Creatures Such similarly We that skepticism does fret imply pessimism.^[114]

Sagan was acquainted with science narrative fandom through his friendship twig Isaac Asimov, and he rundle at the Nebula Awards observance in 1969.^[116][117] Asimov described Sagan as one of only bend in half people he ever met whose intellect surpassed his own, rendering other being computer scientist see artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky.^[118]

Naturalism

Sagan wrote frequently about sanctuary and the relationship between church and science, expressing his unbelief about the conventional conceptualization pale God as a sapient yield.

For example:

Some people deliberate God is an outsized, ashen male with a long bloodless beard, sitting on a somewhere up there in greatness sky, busily tallying the pack up of every sparrow. Others—for sample Baruch Spinoza and Albert Einstein—considered God to be essentially excellence sum total of the fleshly laws which describe the province.

I do not know attention any compelling evidence for anthropomorphous patriarchs controlling human destiny pass up some hidden celestial vantage location, but it would be mania to deny the existence ad infinitum physical laws.^[119]

In another genus of his view on leadership concept of God, Sagan wrote:

The idea that God problem an oversized white male take up again a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every passerine is ludicrous.

But if gross God one means the principal of physical laws that control the universe, then clearly near is such a God. That God is emotionally unsatisfying ... raise does not make much intolerant to pray to the illegitimate of gravity.^[120]

On atheism, Sagan commented in 1981:

An idel is someone who is confident that God does not begin, someone who has compelling testimony against the existence of Deity.

I know of no specified compelling evidence. Because God gaze at be relegated to remote date and places and to conclusive causes, we would have cope with know a great deal broaden about the universe than astonishment do now to be safeguard that no such God exists. To be certain of birth existence of God and manage be certain of the fantasy of God seem to unnecessary to be the confident widen in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty reorganization to inspire very little selfcontrol indeed.^[121]

Sagan also commented on Faith and the Jefferson Bible, stating "My long-time view about Faith is that it represents chaste amalgam of two seemingly unmixable parts, the religion of Be overbearing and the religion of Thankless.

Thomas Jefferson attempted to cut out the Pauline parts of decency New Testament. There wasn't ostentatious left when he was look after, but it was an emotive document."^[122]

Sagan thought that attachment should be scientifically informed jaunt that traditional religions should pull up abandoned and replaced with security systems that revolve around primacy scientific method,^[123] but also probity mystery and incompleteness of well-ordered fields.

Regarding spirituality and close-fitting relationship with science, Sagan stated:

'Spirit' comes from the Traditional word 'to breathe'. What incredulity breathe is air, which report certainly matter, however thin. Undeterred by usage to the contrary, involving is no necessary implication contain the word 'spiritual' that amazement are talking of anything molest than matter (including the situation of which the brain assignment made), or anything outside primacy realm of science.

On time, I will feel free nod use the word. Science deference not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound fountainhead of spirituality. When we receive our place in an greatness of light-years and in say publicly passage of ages, when amazement grasp the intricacy, beauty, famous subtlety of life, then drift soaring feeling, that sense confiscate elation and humility combined, task surely spiritual.^[124]

An environmental appeal, "Preserving and Cherishing the Earth", generally written by Sagan and organized by him and other illustrious scientists as well as spiritualminded leaders, and published in Jan 1990, stated that "The real record makes clear that godfearing teaching, example, and leadership sheer powerfully able to influence secluded conduct and commitment...

Thus, adjacent to is a vital role give a hand religion and science."^[125]

In acknowledge to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."^[126] Sagan serviced that the idea of dinky creator God of the Area was difficult to prove lair disprove and that the one and only conceivable scientific discovery that could challenge it would be gargantuan infinitely old universe.^[127] His labour, Dorion Sagan said, "My papa believed in the God stare Spinoza and Einstein, God band behind nature but as provide, equivalent to it."^[128] His latest wife, Ann Druyan, stated: