Categories: AstronomyHistory

Remembering Carl Sagan

Today would have been Carl Sagan’s 78th birthday, and the past few years November 9th, the anniversary of his birth, has been designated as “Carl Sagan Day” by people who appreciate Sagan’s influence — not only on science, but also the public’s understanding of it. Sagan passed away 16 years ago, but his words and inspiration live on for many of us through his books and recordings.

Sagan was a co-founder of The Planetary Society, and this evening (Friday, Nov. 9, 2012) at 7 pm PST TPS will be webcasting a live event to commemorate Sagan’s life and influence. Click here for the webcast link, as well as additional information.

Below is part one of a 3 part series of Sagan’s final interview with Charlie Rose on May 27, 1996. He discussed science, pseudo-science, religion, and his struggle with the disease that ultimately ended his life, myelodysplasia.

If you have a favorite Sagan quote or memory, feel free to share it in the comments.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy has been with Universe Today since 2004, and has published over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Follow Nancy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nancy_A and and Instagram at and https://www.instagram.com/nancyatkinson_ut/

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