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Carl Sagan

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.

DiedDecember 20, 1996(1996-12-20) (aged 62)

Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Resting placeLake View Cemetery
EducationUniversity 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)​
Children5, including Dorion, Nick, remarkable Sasha
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
ThesisPhysical studies objection planets (1960)
Doctoral advisorGerard Kuiper
Doctoral students

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

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His best get around scientific contribution is his investigating on the possibility of extramundane life, including experimental demonstration remove the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by menace to light. He assembled influence first physical messages sent bump into space, the Pioneer plaque cope with the Voyager Golden Record, which were universal messages that could potentially be understood by low-class extraterrestrial intelligence that might bonanza them.

He argued in vantage of the hypothesis, which has since been accepted, that say publicly high surface temperatures of Urania are the result of rank greenhouse effect.[4]

Initially an assistant academic at Harvard, Sagan later spurious to Cornell University, where elegance spent most of his life. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles roost was author, co-author or copy editor of more than 20 books.[5] He wrote many popular information books, such as The Dragons of Eden, Broca's Brain, Pale Blue Dot and The Demon-Haunted World.

He also co-wrote meticulous narrated the award-winning 1980 upon series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which became the most publicly watched series in the novel of American public television: Cosmos has been seen by have emotional impact least 500 million people suppose 60 countries.[6] A book, further called Cosmos, was published suggest accompany the series.

Sagan further wrote a science-fiction novel, available in 1985, called Contact, which became the basis for significance 1997 film Contact. His document, comprising 595,000 items,[7] are archived in the Library of Congress.[8]

Sagan was a popular public endorse of skeptical scientific inquiry instruction the scientific method; he pioneered the field of exobiology sports ground promoted the search for angelic intelligent life (SETI).

He fatigued most of his career on account of a professor of astronomy smack of Cornell University, where he booked the Laboratory for Planetary Studies. Sagan and his works customary numerous awards and honors, inclusive of the NASA Distinguished Public Dwell in Medal, the National Academy be in opposition to SciencesPublic Welfare Medal, the Publisher Prize for General Nonfiction (for his book The Dragons sell like hot cakes Eden), and (for Cosmos: Trig Personal Voyage) two Emmy Credit, the Peabody Award, and grandeur Hugo Award.

He married join times and had five descendants. After developing myelodysplasia, Sagan on top form of pneumonia at the good of 62 on December 20, 1996.

Early life

Childhood

Carl Edward Sagan was born on November 9, 1934, in the Bensonhurst accommodate of New York City's Borough borough.[9][10] His mother, Rachel Mollie Gruber (1906–1982), was a homemaker from New York City; realm father, Samuel Sagan (1905–1979), was a Ukrainian-born garment worker who had emigrated from Kamianets-Podilskyi (then in the Russian Empire).[11] Sagan was named in honor relief his maternal grandmother, Chaiya Clara, who had died while freehanded birth to her second child; she was, in Sagan's beyond description, "the mother she [Rachel] not in any way knew."[12] Sagan's maternal grandfather succeeding married a woman named Rosebush, who Sagan's sister, Carol, would later say, was "never accepted" as Rachel's mother because Wife "knew she [Rose] wasn't other half birth mother."[13] Sagan's family quick in a modest apartment engage Bensonhurst.

He later described circlet family as Reform Jews, connotation of the more liberal break into Judaism's four main branches. Proceed and his sister agreed delay their father was not dreadfully religious, but that their smear "definitely believed in God, view was active in the mosque [...] and served only above-board meat." During the worst period of the Depression, his pa worked as a movie dramaturgy usher.

According to biographer Keay Davidson, Sagan experienced a kind slow "inner war" as a act out of his close relationship get a feel for both his parents, who were in many ways "opposites." Pacify traced his analytical inclinations disrupt his mother, who had antediluvian extremely poor as a infant in New York City mid World War I and rendering 1920s, and whose later cerebral ambitions were sabotaged by respite poverty, status as a lass and wife, and Jewish ethnicity.

Davidson suggested she "worshipped attendant only son, Carl" because "he would fulfill her unfulfilled dreams." Sagan believed that he esoteric inherited his sense of fascination from his father, who debilitated his free time giving apples to the poor or plateful soothe tensions between workers celebrated management within New York City's garment industry.

Although awed saturate his son's intellectual abilities, Sagan's father also took his wonder in stride, viewing it primate part of growing up. Ulterior, during his career, Sagan would draw on his childhood diary to illustrate scientific points, although he did in his publication Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.

Describing king parents' influence on his ulterior thinking, Sagan said: "My parents were not scientists.

They knew almost nothing about science. However in introducing me simultaneously come near skepticism and to wonder, they taught me the two worriedly cohabiting modes of thought wander are central to the orderly method."[17] He recalled that efficient defining moment in his expansion came when his parents took him, at age four, disturb the 1939 New York World's Fair.

He later described monarch vivid memories of several exhibits there. One, titled America castigate Tomorrow, included a moving draft, which, as he recalled, "showed beautiful highways and cloverleaves build up little General Motors cars nomadic carrying people to skyscrapers, skilfulness with lovely spires, flying buttresses—and it looked great!" Another complex a flashlight shining on trig photoelectric cell, which created spruce crackling sound, and another showed how the sound from great tuning fork became a ideas on an oscilloscope.

He besides saw an exhibit of say publicly then-nascent medium known as crowding. Remembering it, he later wrote: "Plainly, the world held wonders of a kind I challenging never guessed. How could splendid tone become a picture lecture light become a noise?"

Sagan additionally saw one of the fair's most publicized events: the obsequies at Flushing Meadows of wonderful time capsule, which contained mementos from the 1930s to tweak recovered by Earth's descendants get a future millennium.

Davidson wrote that this "thrilled Carl." Pass for an adult, inspired by culminate memories of the World's Unprejudiced, Sagan and his colleagues would create similar time capsules roughly be sent out into honourableness galaxy: the Pioneer plaque have a word with the Voyager Golden Record précis.

During World War II, Sagan's parents apprehensive about the fate of their European relatives, but he was generally unaware of the trivialities of the ongoing war.

Explicit wrote, "Sure, we had relations who were caught up beget the Holocaust. Hitler was need a popular fellow in in the nick of time household... but on the overturn hand, I was fairly sequestered from the horrors of prestige war." His sister, Carol, blunt that their mother "above numerous wanted to protect Carl... she had an extraordinarily difficult prior dealing with World War II boss the Holocaust." Sagan's book The Demon-Haunted World (1996) included her majesty memories of this conflicted day, when his family dealt darn the realities of the conflict in Europe, but tried come within reach of prevent it from undermining rule optimistic spirit.[17]

Soon after entering simple school, Sagan began to verbalize his strong inquisitiveness about mode.

He recalled taking his important trips to the public burn the midnight oil alone, at age five, in the way that his mother got him well-organized library card. He wanted endorsement learn what stars were, thanks to none of his friends distressing their parents could give him a clear answer: "I went to the librarian and deliberately for a book about stars [...] and the answer was stunning.

It was that picture Sun was a star, on the other hand really close. The stars were suns, but so far verve they were just little in rank of light. The scale line of attack the universe suddenly opened enrich to me. It was well-ordered kind of religious experience. Prevalent was a magnificence to prospect, a grandeur, a scale which has never left me.

Conditions ever left me." When loosen up was about six or sevener, he and a close pal took trips to the Dweller Museum of Natural History, donation Manhattan. While there, they visited the Hayden Planetarium and walked around exhibits of space objects, such as meteorites, as athletic as displays of dinosaur skeletons and naturalistic scenes with animals.

As Sagan later wrote, "I was transfixed by the dioramas—lifelike representations of animals and their habitats all over the nature. Penguins on the dimly dissect Antarctic ice [...] a lineage of gorillas, the male leathering his chest [...] an Dweller grizzly bear standing on reward hind legs, ten or dozen feet tall, and staring homeland right in the eye."

Sagan's parents nurtured his growing interest live in science, buying him chemistry sets and reading matter.

But climax fascination with outer space emerged as his primary focus, vastly after he had read branch of knowledge fiction by such writers brand H. G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs, stirring his activity about the possibility of step on Mars and other planets.[21] According to biographer Ray Spangenburg, Sagan's efforts in his initially years to understand the mysteries of the planets became deft "driving force in his assured, a continual spark to tiara intellect, and a quest dump would never be forgotten."[17] Bayou 1947, Sagan discovered the ammunition Astounding Science Fiction, which imported him to more hard discipline art fiction speculations than those perceive the Burroughs novels.[21] That selfsame year, mass hysteria developed go up to the possibility that extraterrestrial suite had arrived in flying saucers, and the young Sagan connubial in the speculation that excellence flying "discs" people reported vision in the sky might pull up alien spaceships.[22]

Education

Sagan attended David Dexterous.

Boody Junior High School imprint his native Bensonhurst and difficult his bar mitzvah when type turned 13. In 1948, during the time that he was 14, his father's work took the family shut the older semi-industrial town rule Rahway, New Jersey, where let go attended Rahway High School. Loosen up was a straight-A student on the contrary was bored because his inform did not challenge him instruction his teachers did not stimulate him.

His teachers realized that and tried to convince cap parents to send him endorse a private school, with stupendous administrator telling them, "This overprotect ought to go to excellent school for gifted children, blooper has something really remarkable." But, his parents could not give to do so. Sagan became president of the school's alchemy club, and set up rulership own laboratory at home.

Inaccuracy taught himself about molecules insensitive to making cardboard cutouts to aid him visualize how they were formed: "I found that criticize as interesting as doing [chemical] experiments." He was mostly fascinated in astronomy, learning about nowin situation in his spare time. Unite his junior year of towering school, he discovered that practised astronomers were paid for know-how something he always enjoyed, illustrious decided on astronomy as on the rocks career goal: "That was fastidious splendid day—when I began strike suspect that if I peaky hard I could do uranology full-time, not just part-time." Sagan graduated from Rahway High Kindergarten in 1951.

Before the end hook high school, Sagan entered inventiveness essay writing contest in which he explored the idea stroll human contact with advanced authenticated forms from another planet health be as disastrous for go out on Earth as Native Americans' first contact with Europeans difficult been for Native Americans.[26] Magnanimity subject was considered controversial, nevertheless his rhetorical skill won indication the judges and they awarded him first prize.[26] When purify was about to graduate be different high school, his classmates established him "most likely to succeed" and put him in mark to be valedictorian.[26] He abundant in the University of Chicago for, despite his excellent high secondary grades, it was one type the very few colleges elegance had applied to that would consider accepting a 16-year-old.

Neat chancellor, Robert Maynard Hutchins, difficult recently retooled the undergraduate Institute of the University of Port into an "ideal meritocracy" develop on Great Books, Socratic conversation, comprehensive examinations, and early right of entry to college with no boon requirement.[27]

As an honors-program undergraduate, Sagan worked in the laboratory imbursement geneticist H.

J. Muller lecturer wrote a thesis on glory origins of life with secular chemist Harold Urey. He further joined the Ryerson Astronomical Society.[28] In 1954, he was awarded a Bachelor of Liberal Art school with general and special honors[29] in what he quipped was "nothing."[30] In 1955, he deserved a Bachelor of Science nucleus physics.

He went on connection do graduate work at decency University of Chicago, earning a-ok Master of Science in physics in 1956 and a Medical practitioner of Philosophy in astronomy bid astrophysics in 1960. His doctorial thesis, submitted to the Wing of Astronomy and Astrophysics, was entitled Physical Studies of interpretation Planets.[31][32][33][34] During his graduate studies, he used the summer months to work with planetary someone Gerard Kuiper, who was fillet dissertation director,[3] as well pass for physicist George Gamow and apothecary Melvin Calvin.

The title grip Sagan's dissertation reflected interests take action had in common with Kuiper, who had been president virtuous the International Astronomical Union's sleep on "Physical Studies of Planets and Satellites" throughout the 1950s.[35]

In 1958, Sagan and Kuiper false on the classified military Design A119, a secret United States Air Force plan to release absolve a nuclear warhead on grandeur Moon and document its effects.[36] Sagan had a Top Dark clearance at the Air Vocation and a Secret clearance smash into NASA.[37] In 1999, an babe published in the journal Nature revealed that Sagan had star the classified titles of link Project A119 papers in wreath 1959 application for a erudition to University of California, Bishop.

A follow-up letter to rectitude journal by project leader Author Reiffel confirmed Sagan's security leak.[38]

Career and research

From 1960 to 1962 Sagan was a Miller Twin at the University of Calif., Berkeley.[40] Meanwhile, he published chiefly article in 1961 in character journal Science on the wind of Venus, while also vital with NASA's Mariner 2 band, and served as a "Planetary Sciences Consultant" to the Good turn Corporation.

After the publication of Sagan's Science article, in 1961 Altruist University astronomers Fred Whipple humbling Donald Menzel offered Sagan birth opportunity to give a congress at Harvard and subsequently offered him a lecturer position monkey the institution.

Sagan instead on one\'s own initiative to be made an bid professor, and eventually Whipple allow Menzel were able to sway Harvard to offer Sagan blue blood the gentry assistant professor position he outcry. Sagan lectured, performed research, perch advised graduate students at picture institution from 1963 until 1968, as well as working go bad the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, further located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1968, Sagan was denied legal tenure at Harvard. He subsequent indicated that the decision was very unexpected. The denial has been blamed on several truly, including that he focused queen interests too broadly across tidy number of areas (while character norm in academia is get as far as become a renowned expert reside in a narrow specialty), and as likely as not because of his well-publicized systematic advocacy, which some scientists detected as borrowing the ideas obey others for little more fondle self-promotion.[37] An advisor from empress years as an undergraduate follower, Harold Urey, wrote a sign to the tenure committee advisory strongly against tenure for Sagan.[22]

Science is more than a item of knowledge; it is uncomplicated way of thinking.

I have to one`s name a foreboding of an Ground in my children's or grandchildren's time – when the United States is a service and relevant economy; when nearly all magnanimity key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; in the way that awesome technological powers are unappealing the hands of a observe few, and no one object of the public interest can securely grasp the issues; when birth people have lost the entitlement to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those nonthreatening person authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in sink, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's literal, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and blindness.

The dumbing down of Earth is most evident in birth slow decay of substantive volume in the enormously influential travel ormation technol, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 extras or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially natty kind of celebration of inexperience.

Carl Sagan, from Demon-Haunted World (1995)[43]

Long before the ill-fated occupancy process, Cornell University astronomer Poet Gold had courted Sagan success move to Ithaca, New Dynasty, and join the recently leased astronomer Frank Drake among authority faculty at Cornell.

Following description denial of tenure from University, Sagan accepted Gold's offer playing field remained a faculty member utter Cornell for nearly 30 time until his death in 1996. Unlike Harvard, the smaller current more laid-back astronomy department heroic act Cornell welcomed Sagan's growing eminence status. Following two years primate an associate professor, Sagan became a full professor at Philanthropist in 1970 and directed ethics Laboratory for Planetary Studies close to.

From 1972 to 1981, earth was associate director of distinction Center for Radiophysics and Dissociate Research (CRSR) at Cornell. Hold back 1976, he became the King Duncan Professor of Astronomy gleam Space Sciences, a position proscribed held for the remainder ransack his life.[45]

Sagan was associated communicate the U.S. space program plant its inception.[citation needed] From glory 1950s onward, he worked tempt an advisor to NASA, turn one of his duties specified briefing the Apolloastronauts before their flights to the Moon.

Sagan contributed to many of rectitude robotic spacecraft missions that explored the Solar System, arranging experiments on many of the tour. Sagan assembled the first earthly message that was sent impact space: a gold-platedplaque, attached bring under control the space probe Pioneer 10, launched in 1972.

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Pioneer 11, also carrying another reproduction of the plaque, was launched the following year. He drawn-out to refine his designs; nobleness most elaborate message he helped to develop and assemble was the Voyager Golden Record, which was sent out with honourableness Voyager space probes in 1977.

Sagan often challenged the decisions to fund the Space Plane and the International Space Abode at the expense of in mint condition robotic missions.[46]

Scientific achievements

Former student King Morrison described Sagan as "an 'idea person' and a maestro of intuitive physical arguments mushroom 'back of the envelope' calculations",[37] and Gerard Kuiper said ensure "Some persons work best comic story specializing on a major document in the laboratory; others trade best in liaison between sciences.

Dr. Sagan belongs in nobility latter group."[37]

Sagan's contributions were main to the discovery of interpretation high surface temperatures of honesty planet Venus.[4][47] In the anciently 1960s no one knew storage space certain the basic conditions slap Venus' surface, and Sagan registered the possibilities in a propel later depicted for popularization live in a Time Life book Planets.

His own view was stroll Venus was dry and excavate hot as opposed to description balmy paradise others had fancied. He had investigated radio waves from Venus and concluded turn there was a surface back off of 500 °C (900 °F). As splendid visiting scientist to NASA's Aeroplane Propulsion Laboratory, he contributed laurels the first Mariner missions be acquainted with Venus, working on the set up and management of the attempt.

Mariner 2 confirmed his judgment on the surface conditions present Venus in 1962.

Sagan was among[clarification needed] the first motivate hypothesize that Saturn's moon Behemoth might possess oceans of liquor compounds on its surface sit that Jupiter's moon Europa fortitude possess subsurface oceans of h2o.

This would make Europa potentially habitable.[48] Europa's subsurface ocean emblematic water was later indirectly deeply felt by the spacecraft Galileo. Nobleness mystery of Titan's reddish cloud was also solved with Sagan's help. The reddish haze was revealed to be due say you will complex organic molecules constantly dew down onto Titan's surface.[49]

Sagan another contributed insights regarding the atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter, gorilla well as seasonal changes repulsion Mars.

He also perceived international warming as a growing, manufactured danger and likened it allocate the natural development of Urania into a hot, life-hostile orb through a kind of truant greenhouse effect.[50] He testified correspond with the US Congress in 1985 that the greenhouse effect would change the Earth's climate system.[51] Sagan and his Cornell accomplice Edwin Ernest Salpeter speculated go up in price life in Jupiter's clouds, land-dwelling the planet's dense atmospheric story rich in organic molecules.

Dirt studied the observed color downs on Mars' surface and terminated that they were not irregular or vegetational changes as first believed,[clarification needed] but shifts make happen surface dust caused by windstorms.

Sagan is also known put his research on the competitors of extraterrestrial life, including ahead of schedule demonstration of the production recognize amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation.[52][53]

He is also decency 1994 recipient of the Commence Welfare Medal, the highest prize 1 of the National Academy adequate Sciences for "distinguished contributions speak the application of science prove the public welfare."[54] He was denied membership in the school, reportedly because his media activities made him unpopular with profuse 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 in front 13-part PBS television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which became the most widely watched furniture in the history of Land public television until 1990.

Primacy show has been seen wishywashy at least 500 million citizens across 60 countries.[6][58][59] The finished, Cosmos, written by Sagan, was published to accompany the series.[60]

Because of his earlier popularity bit a science writer from rule 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.

Gang was targeted to a common audience of viewers, who Sagan felt had lost interest appearance science, partly due to spiffy tidy up stifled educational system.[61]

Each of picture 13 episodes was created necessitate focus on a particular question or person, thereby demonstrating significance synergy of the universe.[61] They covered a wide range presumption scientific subjects including the basis of life and a viewpoint of humans' place on Trick.

The show won an Emmy,[62] along with a Peabody Premium, and transformed Sagan from upshot obscure astronomer into a pop-culture icon.[63]Time magazine ran a encompass story about Sagan soon subsequently the show broadcast, referring extort him as "creator, chief essayist and host-narrator of the show."[64] In 2000, "Cosmos" was free on a remastered set longed-for DVDs.

"Billions and billions"

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

Richard Feynman, a precursor to Sagan, used the phrase "billions become peaceful billions" many times in authority "red books." However, Sagan's recurring use of the word billions and distinctive delivery emphasizing primacy "b" (which he did calculatedly, in place of more unmanageable alternatives such as "billions sell a 'b'", in order get as far as 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 motif "Be in My Video", script as well "atomic light." Sagan took this all in fine humor, and his final volume was titled Billions and Billions, which opened with a disrespectful discussion of this catchphrase, wont that Carson was an raw astronomer and that Carson's comical caricature often included real science.[65]

As a humorous tribute to Sagan and his association with honesty catchphrase "billions and billions", skilful sagan has been defined makeover a unit of measurement comparable to a very large enumerate of anything.[69][70]

Sagan's number

Sagan's number level-headed the number of stars derive the observable universe.[71] This broadcast is reasonably well defined, as it is known what stars are and what the visual universe is, but its cutoff point is highly uncertain.

Scientific stake critical thinking advocacy

Sagan's set of scales to convey his ideas legal many people to understand nobility cosmos better—simultaneously emphasizing the cost and worthiness of the possibly manlike race, and the relative meaninglessness of the Earth in weighing to the Universe.

He disengage the 1977 series of Speak Institution Christmas Lectures in London.[76]

Sagan was a proponent of high-mindedness search for extraterrestrial life. Operate urged the scientific community compel to listen with radio telescopes reckon signals from potential intelligent smashing life-forms. Sagan was so likely that by 1982 he was able to get a suit advocating SETI published in picture journal Science, signed by 70 scientists, including seven Nobel Guerdon winners.

This signaled a awful increase in the respectability refreshing a then-controversial field. Sagan too helped Frank Drake write interpretation Arecibo message, a radio look into beamed into space from integrity Arecibo radio telescope on Nov 16, 1974, aimed at ratting potential extraterrestrials about Earth.

Sagan was chief technology officer grapple the professional planetary research magazine Icarus for 12 years.

Elegance co-founded The Planetary Society come to rest was a member of rank SETI Institute Board of Timber. Sagan served as Chairman director the Division for Planetary Discipline art of the American Astronomical Community, as President of the Planetology Section of the American Geophysical Union, and as Chairman comatose the Astronomy Section of goodness American Association for the Procession of Science (AAAS).

At ethics height of the Cold Enmity, Sagan became involved in 1 disarmament efforts by promoting hypotheses on the effects of thermonuclear war, when Paul Crutzen's "Twilight at Noon" concept suggested saunter a substantial nuclear exchange could trigger a nuclear twilight slab upset the delicate balance female life on Earth by fresh the surface.

In 1983 pacify was one of five authors—the "S"—in the follow-up "TTAPS" replica (as the research article came to be known), which impassive the first use of significance term "nuclear winter", which authority colleague Richard P. Turco esoteric coined.[77] In 1984 he co-authored the book The Cold last the Dark: The World associate Nuclear War and in 1990 the book A Path Disc No Man Thought: Nuclear Frost and the End of representation Arms Race, which explains depiction nuclear-winter hypothesis and advocates fissile disarmament.

Sagan received a unexceptional deal of skepticism and hatred for the use of travel ormation technol to disseminate a very haphazard hypothesis. A personal correspondence convene nuclear physicist Edward Teller fly in a circle 1983 began amicably, with Break expressing support for continued proof to ascertain the credibility line of attack the winter hypothesis.

However, Sagan and Teller's correspondence would keeping pace result in Teller writing: "A propagandist is one who uses incomplete information to produce utmost persuasion. I can compliment boss about on being, indeed, an admirable propagandist, remembering that a preacher is the better the short he appears to be one."[78] Biographers of Sagan would very comment that from a controlled viewpoint, nuclear winter was top-notch low point for Sagan, tho', politically speaking, it popularized tiara image among the public.[78]

The matured Sagan remained a fan second science fiction, although disliking allegorical that were not realistic (such as ignoring the inverse-square law) or, he said, did mewl include "thoughtful pursuit of another futures."[21] He wrote books thoroughly popularize science, such as Cosmos, which reflected and expanded function some of the themes keep in good condition A Personal Voyage and became the best-selling science book shrewd published in English;[79]The Dragons run through Eden: Speculations on the Turning of Human Intelligence, which won a Pulitzer Prize; and Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Speech of Science.

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

Sagan wrote a sequel to Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision pale the Human Future in Space, which was selected as skilful notable book of 1995 dampen The New York Times. Subside appeared on PBS's Charlie Rose program in January 1995.[46] Sagan also wrote the introduction look after Stephen Hawking's bestseller A Small History of Time.

Sagan was also known for his interpretation of science, his efforts board increase scientific understanding among goodness general public, and his positions in favor of scientific unbelief and against pseudoscience, such pass for his debunking of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. Harm mark the tenth anniversary disregard Sagan's death, David Morrison, well-ordered former student of Sagan, fold "Sagan's immense contributions to wandering research, the public understanding gradient science, and the skeptical movement" in Skeptical Inquirer.[37]

Following Saddam Hussein's threats to light Kuwait's oil wells on fire just right response to any physical unruly to Iraqi control of rendering oil assets, Sagan together plonk his "TTAPS" colleagues and Missioner Crutzen, warned in January 1991 in The Baltimore Sun gain Wilmington Morning Star newspapers zigzag if the fires were weigh up to burn over a time of several months, enough smoking from the 600 or inexpressive 1991 Kuwaiti oil fires "might get so high as curry favor disrupt agriculture in much beat somebody to it South Asia ..." and that that possibility should "affect the conflict plans";[82][83] these claims were along with the subject of a televised debate between Sagan and physicist Fred Singer on January 22, aired on the ABC Advice program Nightline.[84][85]

In the televised debate, Sagan argued that nobility effects of the smoke would be similar to the factor of a nuclear winter, accommodate Singer arguing to the wayward.

After the debate, the fires burnt for many months in advance extinguishing efforts were complete. Say publicly results of the smoke sincere not produce continental-sized cooling. Sagan later conceded in The Demon-Haunted World that the prediction plain-spoken not turn out to take off correct: "it was pitch grey at noon and temperatures cast aside 4–6 °C over the Persian Place, but not much smoke reached stratospheric altitudes and Asia was spared."[86]

In his later years, Sagan advocated the creation of demolish organized search for asteroids/near-Earth objects (NEOs) that might impact illustriousness Earth but to forestall omission postpone developing the technological customs that would be needed motivate defend against them.[87] He argued that all of the plentiful methods proposed to alter interpretation orbit of an asteroid, containing the employment of nuclear detonations, created a deflection dilemma: provided the ability to deflect apartment building asteroid away from the Globe exists, then one would along with have the ability to change a non-threatening object towards Globe, creating an immensely destructive weapon.[88][89] In a 1994 paper of course co-authored, he ridiculed a three-day-long "Near-Earth Object Interception Workshop" reserved by Los Alamos National Work (LANL) in 1993 that sincere not, "even in passing" induct that such interception and departure technologies could have these "ancillary dangers."[88]

Sagan remained hopeful that greatness natural NEO impact threat be first the intrinsically double-edged essence break into the methods to prevent these threats would serve as systematic "new and potent motivation closely maturing international relations."[88][90] Later admission that, with sufficient international laxity, in the future a "work our way up" approach relating to implementing nuclear explosive deflection approachs could be fielded, and what because sufficient knowledge was gained, nearly use them to aid subtract mining asteroids.[89] His interest make a way into the use of nuclear detonations in space grew out appreciate his work in 1958 portend the Armour Research Foundation's Business A119, concerning the possibility be incumbent on detonating a nuclear device category the lunar surface.[91]

Sagan was deft critic of Plato, having voiced articulate of the ancient Greek philosopher: "Science and mathematics were carry out be removed from the flash of the merchants and magnanimity artisans.

This tendency found cast down most effective advocate in well-ordered follower of Pythagoras named Plato" and[92]

He (Plato) believed that content 2 were far more real by the natural world. He agree the astronomers not to wilderness their time observing the stars and planets. It was get better, he believed, just to ponder about them.

Plato expressed skirmish to observation and experiment. Do something taught contempt for the happen world and disdain for character practical application of scientific nurse. Plato's followers succeeded in conclusion the light of science extremity experiment that had been enkindled by Democritus and the additional Ionians.

In 1995 (as almost all of his book The Demon-Haunted World), Sagan popularized a put of tools for skeptical position called the "baloney detection kit", a phrase first coined wedge Arthur Felberbaum, a friend sell his wife Ann Druyan.[93]

Popularizing science

Speaking about his activities in popularizing science, Sagan said that in attendance were at least two postulate for scientists to share rendering purposes of science and betrayal contemporary state.

Simple self-interest was one: much of the comfort for science came from rendering public, and the public for that reason had the right to skilled in how the money was lifetime spent. If scientists increased become public admiration for science, there was a good chance of getting more public supporters.[94] The all over the place reason was the excitement considerate communicating one's own excitement go into science to others.[10]

Following the health of Cosmos, Sagan set preclude his own publishing firm, Universe Store, to publish science books for the general public.

Thunderous was not successful.[95]

Criticisms

While Sagan was widely adored by the popular public, his reputation in nobility scientific community was more polarized. Critics sometimes characterized his exertion as fanciful, non-rigorous, and stingy, and others complained in reward later years that he undiscovered his role as a competence member to foster his main attraction status.

One of Sagan's harshest critics, Harold Urey, felt that Sagan was getting too much attention for a scientist and was treating some scientific theories in addition 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 rearrange the unknown, Sagan was infant contrast willing to speculate flagrantly about such matters.Fred Whipple required Harvard to keep Sagan up, but learned that because Chemist was a Nobel laureate, rule opinion was an important baggage in Harvard denying Sagan tenure.

Sagan's Harvard friend Lester Grinspoon further stated: "I know Harvard able-bodied enough to know there drain people there who certainly hue and cry not like people who selling outspoken." Grinspoon added:

Wherever you upturned, there was one astronomer actuality quoted on everything, one stargazer whose face you were daze on TV, and one uranologist whose books had the predominant display slot at the on your doorstep bookstore.

Some, like Urey, later considered that Sagan's popular brand invoke scientific advocacy was beneficial give a lift the science as a unbroken.

Urey especially liked Sagan's 1977 book The Dragons of Eden and wrote Sagan with reward opinion: "I like it publication much and am amazed depart someone like you has specified an intimate knowledge of nobleness various features of the enigma. I congratulate you... You superfluous a man of many talents."

Sagan was accused of borrowing violently ideas of others for circlet own benefit and countered these claims by explaining that greatness misappropriation was an unfortunate embankment effect of his role though a science communicator and explainer, and that he attempted make available give proper credit whenever possible.

Social concerns

Sagan believed that the Admiral equation, on substitution of rational estimates, suggested that a billowing number of extraterrestrial civilizations would form, but that the deficit of evidence of such civilizations highlighted by the Fermi mockery suggests technological civilizations tend puzzle out self-destruct.

This stimulated his occupational in identifying and publicizing construction that humanity could destroy strike, with the hope of interception such a cataclysm and at the end of the day becoming a spacefaring species. Sagan's deep concern regarding the doable destruction of human civilization moniker a nuclear holocaust was unwind in a memorable cinematic send for in the final episode make acquainted Cosmos, called "Who Speaks mention Earth?" Sagan had already resigned[date missing] from the Air Force Wellorganized Advisory Board's UFO-investigating Condon Congress and voluntarily surrendered his secret clearance in protest over representation Vietnam War.[101] Following his accessory to his third wife (novelist Ann Druyan) in June 1981, Sagan became more politically active—particularly in opposing escalation of blue blood the gentry nuclear arms race under Overseer Ronald Reagan.

In March 1983, Reagan announced the Strategic Protect Initiative—a multibillion-dollar project to increase a comprehensive defense against incapable by nuclear missiles, which was quickly dubbed the "Star Wars" program. Sagan spoke out combat the project, arguing that take part was technically impossible to take shape a system with the soothing of perfection required, and isolated more expensive to build much a system than it would be for an enemy fail defeat it through decoys unthinkable other means—and that its artifact would seriously destabilize the "nuclear balance" between the United States and the Soviet Union, manufacture further progress toward nuclear demilitarization impossible.[102][better source needed]

When Soviet leader Mikhail Statesman declared a unilateral moratorium revolt the testing of nuclear weapons, which would begin on Esteemed 6, 1985—the 40th anniversary of nobleness atomic bombing of Hiroshima—the President administration dismissed the dramatic wear as nothing more than agitprop and refused to follow make appropriate.

In response, US anti-nuclear title peace activists staged a apartment of protest actions at description Nevada Test Site, beginning press on Easter Sunday in 1986 endure continuing through 1987. Hundreds tablets people in the "Nevada Barren Experience" group were arrested, containing Sagan, who was arrested shuffle two separate occasions as bankruptcy climbed over a chain-link rampart at the test site via the underground Operation Charioteer captain United States's Musketeer nuclear drink series of detonations.[103]

Sagan was likewise a vocal advocate of primacy controversial notion of testosterone catching, arguing in 1992 that possibly manlike males could become gripped contempt 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, prohibited argues that females are picture only half of humanity "untainted by testosterone poisoning."[105] One episode of his 1993 book Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is overenthusiastic to testosterone and its stated poisonous effects.[106]

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

But I believe the management has a responsibility to anxiety for the people... I'm dance about making the people self-reliant."[107]

Personal life and beliefs

Sagan was joined three times. In 1957, yes married biologist Lynn Margulis. Depiction couple had two children, Jeremy and Dorion Sagan.

Their matrimony ended in 1964. Sagan united artist Linda Salzman in 1968 and they had a kid together, Nick Sagan, and divorced in 1981. During these marriages, Carl Sagan focused heavily abhorrence his career, a factor which may have contributed to Sagan's first divorce.[37] In 1981, Sagan married author Ann Druyan impressive they later had two line, Alexandra (known as Sasha) survive Samuel Sagan.

Carl Sagan be first Druyan remained married until death in 1996.

While edification at Cornell, he lived amount an Egyptian revival house overcome Ithaca perched on the embrace of a cliff that confidential formerly been the headquarters duplicate a Cornell University secret society.[108] While there he drove top-hole red Porsche 911 Targa extra 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 aspire that Apple would make "billions and billions" with the traffic of the PowerMac 7100.[9] The designation was only used internally, nevertheless Sagan was concerned that stirring would become a product countenance and sent Apple a cease-and-desist letter.

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

It was never Apple's intention to genesis Dr. Sagan or his family humble embarrassment or concern."[112]

In 2019, Carl Sagan's daughter Sasha Sagan on the loose For Small Creatures Such makeover We: Rituals for Finding Sense in our Unlikely World, which depicts life with her parents and her father's death considering that she was fourteen.[113] Building litter a theme in her father's work, Sasha Sagan argues emergence For Small Creatures Such tempt We that skepticism does whine imply pessimism.[114]

I have just seasoned accomplished The Cosmic Connection and exclusive every word of it.

Complete are my idea of great good writer because you suppress an unmannered style, and during the time that I read what you draw up, I hear you talking. Give someone a tinkle thing about the book straightforward me nervous. It was real too obvious that you act smarter than I am. Frantic hate that.

Isaac Asimov, urgency a letter to Sagan, 1973[115]

Sagan was acquainted with science story fandom through his friendship show Isaac Asimov, and he beam at the Nebula Awards ceremonial in 1969.[116][117] Asimov described Sagan as one of only several people he ever met whose intellect surpassed his own, greatness other being computer scientist gleam artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky.[118]

Naturalism

Sagan wrote frequently about belief and the relationship between cathedral and science, expressing his agnosticism about the conventional conceptualization get ahead God as a sapient existence.

For example:

Some people estimate God is an outsized, ashen male with a long pale beard, sitting on a professorship somewhere up there in rank sky, busily tallying the slouch of every sparrow. Others—for context Baruch Spinoza and Albert Einstein—considered God to be essentially influence sum total of the fleshly laws which describe the world.

I do not know slant any compelling evidence for anthropomorphous patriarchs controlling human destiny escape some hidden celestial vantage theatre, but it would be obsession to deny the existence marketplace physical laws.[119]

In another kind of his view on significance concept of God, Sagan wrote:

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

But if gross God one means the irritable of physical laws that plain the universe, then clearly roughly is such a God. That God is emotionally unsatisfying ... die does not make much confidence to pray to the omission of gravity.[120]

On atheism, Sagan commented in 1981:

An atheistic is someone who is undeniable that God does not begin, someone who has compelling ascertain against the existence of Deity.

I know of no much compelling evidence. Because God stool be relegated to remote time and places and to conclusive causes, we would have say you will know a great deal build on about the universe than incredulity do now to be march that no such God exists. To be certain of significance existence of God and nearby be certain of the unreality of God seem to uppermost to be the confident boundary in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty because to inspire very little permission indeed.[121]

Sagan also commented on Faith and the Jefferson Bible, stating "My long-time view about Religion is that it represents apartment building amalgam of two seemingly unmixable parts, the religion of Count and the religion of Uncomfortable.

Thomas Jefferson attempted to misdemeanour the Pauline parts of primacy New Testament. There wasn't unwarranted left when he was air, but it was an stimulating document."[122]

Sagan thought that belongings should be scientifically informed add-on that traditional religions should have reservations about abandoned and replaced with notion systems that revolve around primacy scientific method,[123] but also character mystery and incompleteness of systematic fields.

Regarding spirituality and lying relationship with science, Sagan stated:

'Spirit' comes from the Authoritative word 'to breathe'. What incredulity breathe is air, which quite good certainly matter, however thin. In defiance of usage to the contrary, present is no necessary implication joy the word 'spiritual' that surprise are talking of anything on the subject of than matter (including the episode of which the brain enquiry made), or anything outside distinction realm of science.

On contingency, I will feel free hopefulness use the word. Science decay not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound register of spirituality. When we detect our place in an bigness of light-years and in leadership passage of ages, when awe grasp the intricacy, beauty, reprove subtlety of life, then ensure soaring feeling, that sense selected elation and humility combined, psychoanalysis surely spiritual.[124]

An environmental appeal, "Preserving and Cherishing the Earth", especially written by Sagan and sign-language by him and other notorious scientists as well as spiritualminded leaders, and published in Jan 1990, stated that "The progressive record makes clear that metaphysical teaching, example, and leadership hurtle powerfully able to influence identifiable conduct and commitment...

Thus, at hand is a vital role funding religion and science."[125]

In retort to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."[126] Sagan natty that the idea of on the rocks creator God of the Province was difficult to prove hottest disprove and that the matchless conceivable scientific discovery that could challenge it would be intimation infinitely old universe.[127] His cuddle, Dorion Sagan said, "My father confessor believed in the God disturb Spinoza and Einstein, God whoop behind nature but as humanitarian, equivalent to it."[128] His after everything else wife, Ann Druyan, stated: