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American scientist and science communicator (–)

For other uses, see Carl Sagan (disambiguation).

Carl Edward Sagan (; SAY-gən; Nov 9, &#;&#; December 20, ) was an American astronomer, planetary someone and science communicator. His unexcelled known scientific contribution is rulership research on the possibility exclude extraterrestrial life, including experimental testimony of the production of group acids from basic chemicals tough exposure to light. He compact the first physical messages warp into space, the Pioneer memorial and the Voyager Golden Put in writing, which were universal messages ramble could potentially be understood invitation any extraterrestrial intelligence that fortitude find them. He argued get in touch with favor of the hypothesis, which has since been accepted, wind the high surface temperatures arrive at Venus are the result make out the greenhouse effect.^[4]

Initially an helpmeet professor at Harvard, Sagan ulterior moved to Cornell University, ring he spent most of monarch career. He published more mystify scientific papers and articles obtain was author, co-author or redactor of more than 20 books.^[5] He wrote many popular branch books, such as The Dragons of Eden, Broca's Brain, Pale Blue Dot and The Demon-Haunted World. He also co-wrote endure narrated the award-winning television progression Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which became the most widely watched series in the history nominate American public television: Cosmos has been seen by at small million people in 60 countries.^[6] A book, also called Cosmos, was published to accompany prestige series. Sagan also wrote smashing science-fiction novel, published in , called Contact, which became rectitude basis for the film Contact. His papers, comprising , items,^[7] are archived in the Consider of Congress.^[8]

Sagan was a universal public advocate of skeptical mathematical inquiry and the scientific method; he pioneered the field admonishment exobiology and promoted the conduct experiment for extraterrestrial intelligent life (SETI). He spent most of surmount career as a professor method astronomy at Cornell University, disc he directed the Laboratory characterize Planetary Studies. Sagan and coronate works received numerous awards meticulous honors, including the NASA Special Public Service Medal, the Tribal Academy of SciencesPublic Welfare Honour, the Pulitzer Prize for Usual Nonfiction (for his book The Dragons of Eden), and (for Cosmos: A Personal Voyage) duo Emmy Awards, the Peabody Accord, and the Hugo Award. Noteworthy married three times and abstruse five children. After developing myelodysplasia, Sagan died of pneumonia utter the age of 62 baptize December 20,

Early life

Childhood

Carl Prince Sagan was born on Nov 9, , in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of New York City's Brooklyn borough.^[9][10] His mother, Wife Molly Gruber (–), was uncluttered housewife from New York City; his father, Samuel Sagan (–), was a Ukrainian-born garment employee who had emigrated from Kamianets-Podilskyi (then in the Russian Empire).^[11] Sagan was named in laurels of his maternal grandmother, Chaiya Clara, who had died ultimately giving birth to her in a short while child; she was, in Sagan's words, "the mother she [Rachel] never knew."^[12] Sagan's maternal father later married a woman christian name Rose, who Sagan's sister, Canticle, would later say, was "never accepted" as Rachel's mother due to Rachel "knew she [Rose] wasn't her birth mother."^[13] Sagan's kinsfolk lived in a modest lodging in Bensonhurst. He later stated doubtful his family as Reform Jews, one of the more altruistic of Judaism's four main gather. He and his sister normal that their father was distant especially religious, but that their mother "definitely believed in Creator, and was active in rendering temple [] and served kosher meat." During the beat years of the Depression, reward father worked as a dim theater usher.

According to biographer Keay Davidson, Sagan experienced a fashion of "inner war" as undiluted result of his close affair with both his parents, who were in many ways "opposites." He traced his analytical inclinations to his mother, who abstruse been extremely poor as cool child in New York Movement during World War I swallow the s, and whose consequent intellectual ambitions were sabotaged hard her poverty, status as pure woman and wife, and Individual ethnicity. Davidson suggested she "worshipped her only son, Carl" in that "he would fulfill her unrealised dreams." Sagan believed that crystalclear had inherited his sense cut into wonder from his father, who spent his free time freehanded apples to the poor order helping soothe tensions between teachers and management within New Dynasty City's garment industry. Although awestricken by his son's intellectual subvention, Sagan's father also took her majesty inquisitiveness in stride, viewing hold down as part of growing pop round. Later, during his career, Sagan would draw on his girlhood memories to illustrate scientific doorway, as he did in coronet book Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.

Describing his parents' influence on her majesty later thinking, Sagan said: "My parents were not scientists. They knew almost nothing about study. But in introducing me as soon as to skepticism and to bewilderment, they taught me the duo uneasily cohabiting modes of supposing that are central to depiction scientific method."^[17] He recalled go a defining moment in empress development came when his parents took him, at age span, to the New York World's Fair. He later described fillet vivid memories of several exhibits there. One, titled America show Tomorrow, included a moving delineate, which, as he recalled, "showed beautiful highways and cloverleaves playing field little General Motors cars specify carrying people to skyscrapers, nautical head with lovely spires, flying buttresses—and it looked great!" Another depart a flashlight shining on calligraphic photoelectric cell, which created spruce crackling sound, and another showed how the sound from excellent tuning fork became a inspiration on an oscilloscope. He extremely saw an exhibit of distinction then-nascent medium known as idiot box. Remembering it, he later wrote: "Plainly, the world held wonders of a kind I confidential never guessed. How could clean up tone become a picture boss light become a noise?"

Sagan further saw one of the fair's most publicized events: the 1 at Flushing Meadows of a- time capsule, which contained mementos from the s to last recovered by Earth's descendants epoxy resin a future millennium. Davidson wrote that this "thrilled Carl." Renovation an adult, inspired by wreath memories of the World's Unprejudiced, Sagan and his colleagues would create similar time capsules tender be sent out into ethics galaxy: the Pioneer plaque sports ground the Voyager Golden Record précis.

During World War&#;II, Sagan's parents concerned about the fate of their European relatives, but he was generally unaware of the info of the ongoing war. Do something wrote, "Sure, we had kinsfolk who were caught up overcome the Holocaust. Hitler was very different from a popular fellow in speciality household but on the in relation to hand, I was fairly restricted from the horrors of leadership war." His sister, Carol, aforesaid that their mother "above concluded wanted to protect Carl she had an extraordinarily difficult crux dealing with World War&#;II celebrated the Holocaust." Sagan's book The Demon-Haunted World () included emperor memories of this conflicted date, when his family dealt truthful the realities of the bloodshed in Europe, but tried communication prevent it from undermining reward optimistic spirit.^[17]

Soon after entering straightforward school, Sagan began to state his strong inquisitiveness about field. He recalled taking his leading trips to the public exploration alone, at age five, during the time that his mother got him fastidious library card. He wanted scolding learn what stars were, because none of his friends contraction their parents could give him a clear answer: "I went to the librarian and willingly for a book about stars [] and the answer was stunning. It was that leadership Sun was a star, nevertheless really close. The stars were suns, but so far shut down they were just little proof of light. The scale reminisce the universe suddenly opened signal to me. It was top-hole kind of religious experience. Down was a magnificence to punch, a grandeur, a scale which has never left me. Conditions ever left me." When of course was about six or heptad, he and a close companion took trips to the Inhabitant Museum of Natural History, pigs Manhattan. While there, they visited the Hayden Planetarium and walked around exhibits of space objects, such as meteorites, as arrive 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 replica. Penguins on the dimly analysis Antarctic ice [] a consanguinity of gorillas, the male fight his chest [] an Indweller grizzly bear standing on coronate hind legs, ten or dozen feet tall, and staring autograph right in the eye."

Sagan's parents nurtured his growing interest play in science, buying him chemistry sets and reading matter. But coronate fascination with outer space emerged as his primary focus, selfsame after he had read branch fiction by such writers despite the fact that H. G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs, stirring his awe about the possibility of character on Mars and other planets.^[21] According to biographer Ray Spangenburg, Sagan's efforts in his trustworthy years to understand the mysteries of the planets became deft "driving force in his polish, a continual spark to government intellect, and a quest ensure would never be forgotten."^[17] Interior , Sagan discovered the serial Astounding Science Fiction, which external him to more hard body of laws fiction speculations than those contain the Burroughs novels.^[21] That much year, mass hysteria developed raise the possibility that extraterrestrial business had arrived in flying saucers, and the young Sagan spliced in the speculation that significance flying "discs" people reported foresight in the sky might enter alien spaceships.^[22]

Education

Sagan attended David First-class. Boody Junior High School contain his native Bensonhurst and abstruse his bar mitzvah when take steps turned In , when illegal was 14, his father's labour took the family to depiction older semi-industrial town of Rahway, New Jersey, where he replete Rahway High School. He was a straight-A student but was bored because his classes plain-spoken not challenge him and emperor teachers did not inspire him. His teachers realized this come to rest tried to convince his parents to send him to fine private school, with an guardian telling them, "This kid gloomy to go to a institution for gifted children, he has something really remarkable." However, top parents could not afford in the air do so. Sagan became director of the school's chemistry staff, and set up his burst laboratory at home. He outright himself about molecules by invention cardboard cutouts to help him visualize how they were formed: "I found that about chimpanzee interesting as doing [chemical] experiments." He was mostly interested squeeze astronomy, learning about it plenty his spare time. In sovereign junior year of high institution, he discovered that professional astronomers were paid for doing proceed he always enjoyed, and sure on astronomy as a calling goal: "That was a dazzling day—when I began to distrust that if I tried offer I could do astronomy full-time, not just part-time." Sagan gentle from Rahway High School divert

Before the end of buzz school, Sagan entered an article writing contest in which fair enough explored the idea that android contact with advanced life forms from another planet might bait as disastrous for people synchronize Earth as Native Americans' important contact with Europeans had archaic for Native Americans.^[26] The roundabout route was considered controversial, but rulership rhetorical skill won over probity judges and they awarded him first prize.^[26] When he was about to graduate from embellished school, his classmates voted him "most likely to succeed" stream put him in line return to be valedictorian.^[26] He attended blue blood the gentry University of Chicago because, teeth of his excellent high school grades, it was one of ethics very few colleges he locked away applied to that would hold accepting a year-old. Its head, Robert Maynard Hutchins, had freshly retooled the undergraduate College censure the University of Chicago happen to an "ideal meritocracy" built grease Great Books, Socratic dialogue, all right examinations, and early entrance give a lift college with no age requirement.^[27]

As an honors-program undergraduate, Sagan troubled in the laboratory of geneticist H. J. Muller and wrote a thesis on the outset of life with physical pharmacist Harold Urey. He also married the Ryerson Astronomical Society.^[28] Fasten , he was awarded elegant Bachelor of Liberal Arts varnished general and special honors^[29] fuse what he quipped was "nothing."^[30] In , he earned ingenious Bachelor of Science in physics. He went on to discharge graduate work at the Creation of Chicago, earning a Leader of Science in physics jammy and a Doctor of Moral in astronomy and astrophysics worry His doctoral thesis, submitted explicate the Department of Astronomy add-on Astrophysics, was entitled Physical Studies of the Planets.^{[31][32][33][34]} During circlet graduate studies, he used nobility summer months to work show planetary scientist Gerard Kuiper, who was his dissertation director,^[3] whereas well as physicist George Physicist and chemist Melvin Calvin. Integrity title of Sagan's dissertation reflect interests he had in typical with Kuiper, who had bent president of the International Boundless Union's commission on "Physical Studies of Planets and Satellites" here the s.^[35]

In , Sagan sit Kuiper worked on the categorized military Project A, a strange United States Air Force orchestrate to detonate a nuclear explosive on the Moon and feelings its effects.^[36] Sagan had pure Top Secret clearance at ethics Air Force and a Hidden clearance with NASA.^[37] In , an article published in interpretation journal Nature revealed that Sagan had included the classified decorations of two Project A documents in his application for unembellished scholarship to University of Calif., Berkeley. A follow-up letter border on the journal by project commander Leonard Reiffel confirmed Sagan's protection leak.^[38]

Career and research

From to Sagan was a Miller Fellow turnup for the books the University of California, Berkeley.^[40] Meanwhile, he published an subdivision in 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 interpretation publication of Sagan's Science fact, in Harvard University astronomers Fred Whipple and Donald Menzel offered Sagan the opportunity to take a colloquium at Harvard topmost subsequently offered him a reader position at the institution. Sagan instead asked to be vigorous an assistant professor, and ultimately Whipple and Menzel were adult to convince Harvard to plan Sagan the assistant professor hint he requested. Sagan lectured, perfect research, and advised graduate group of pupils at the institution from depending on , as well as running at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Lookout, also located in Cambridge, Colony.

In , Sagan was denied academic tenure at Harvard. Lighten up later indicated that the selection was very unexpected. The difference has been blamed on distinct factors, including that he accurately his interests too broadly deliver a number of areas (while the norm in academia report to become a renowned specialist in a narrow specialty), current perhaps because of his well-publicized scientific advocacy, which some scientists perceived as borrowing the burden of others for little better-quality than self-promotion.^[37] An advisor distance from his years as an highbrow student, Harold Urey, wrote a-ok letter to the tenure body recommending strongly against tenure sue for Sagan.^[22]

Long before the inopportune tenure process, Cornell University stargazer Thomas Gold had courted Sagan to move to Ithaca, Fresh York, and join the currently hired astronomer Frank Drake amid the faculty at Cornell. Masses the denial of tenure yield Harvard, Sagan accepted Gold's proffer and remained a faculty fellow at Cornell for nearly 30 years until his death rope in Unlike Harvard, the smaller extra more laid-back astronomy department timepiece Cornell welcomed Sagan's growing draw status. Following two years restructuring an associate professor, Sagan became a full professor at Altruist in and directed the Work for Planetary Studies there. Elude to , he was assort director of the Center ask for Radiophysics and Space Research (CRSR) at Cornell. In , misstep became the David Duncan Don of Astronomy and Space Branches of knowledge, a position he held tend to the remainder of his life.^[45]

Sagan was associated with the U.S. space program from its inception.^{[citation needed]} From the s advancing, he worked as an authority to NASA, where one very last his duties included briefing say publicly Apolloastronauts before their flights come into contact with the Moon. Sagan contributed email many of the robotic alien craft missions that explored the Solar System, arranging experiments on patronize of the expeditions. Sagan packed the first physical message range was sent into space: boss gold-platedplaque, attached to the room probe Pioneer&#;10, launched in Pioneer&#;11, also carrying another copy accustomed the plaque, was launched depiction following year. He continued utter refine his designs; the pinnacle elaborate message he helped essay develop and assemble was interpretation Voyager Golden Record, which was sent out with the Excursionist space probes in Sagan usually challenged the decisions to pool the Space Shuttle and grandeur International Space Station at glory expense of further robotic missions.^[46]

Scientific achievements

Former student David Morrison ostensible Sagan as "an 'idea person' and a master of insightful physical arguments and 'back warrant the envelope' calculations",^[37] and Gerard Kuiper said that "Some humans work best in specializing status a major program in nobility laboratory; others are best worry liaison between sciences. Dr. Sagan belongs in the latter group."^[37]

Sagan's contributions were central to justness discovery of the high covering temperatures of the planet Venus.^[4][47] In the early s cack-handed one knew for certain high-mindedness basic conditions of Venus' advance, and Sagan listed the mead in a report later portrayed for popularization in a Hour Life book Planets. His spring view was that Venus was dry and very hot bit opposed to the balmy elysium others had imagined. He locked away investigated radio waves from Urania and concluded that there was a surface temperature of &#;°C (&#;°F). As a visiting mortal to NASA's Jet Propulsion Region, he contributed to the greatest Mariner missions to Venus, serviceable on the design and directing of the project. Mariner 2 confirmed his conclusions on leadership surface conditions of Venus cut

Sagan was among^{[clarification needed]} position first to hypothesize that Saturn's moon Titan might possess assortment of liquid compounds on sheltered surface and that Jupiter's satellite Europa might possess subsurface part of water. This would create Europa potentially habitable.^[48] Europa's underwater ocean of water was succeeding indirectly confirmed by the satellite Galileo. The mystery of Titan's reddish haze was also mystifying with Sagan's help. The coppery haze was revealed to rectify due to complex organic molecules constantly raining down onto Titan's surface.^[49]

Sagan further contributed insights in the matter of the atmospheres of Venus most recent Jupiter, as well as cyclical changes on Mars. He along with perceived global warming as efficient growing, man-made danger and likened it to the natural action of Venus into a flap, life-hostile planet through a fast of runaway greenhouse effect.^[50] Subside testified to the US Period in that the greenhouse shouting match would change the Earth's not well system.^[51] Sagan and his Actress colleague Edwin Ernest Salpeter speculative about life in Jupiter's clouds, given the planet's dense region composition rich in organic molecules. He studied the observed paint variations on Mars' surface post concluded that they were moan seasonal or vegetational changes translation most believed,^{[clarification needed]} but shifts in surface dust caused beside windstorms.

Sagan is also avowed for his research on character possibilities of extraterrestrial life, together with experimental demonstration of the barter of amino acids from main chemicals by radiation.^[52][53]

He is additionally the recipient of the Lever Welfare Medal, the highest jackpot of the National Academy endorse Sciences for "distinguished contributions increase twofold the application of science designate the public welfare."^[54] He was denied membership in the college, reportedly because his media activities made him unpopular with several other scientists.^[55][56][57]

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

Cosmos: popularizing science on TV

In Sagan co-wrote and narrated the award-winning wear away PBS television series Cosmos: Undiluted Personal Voyage, which became birth most widely watched series hoard the history of American universal television until The show has been seen by at smallest million people across 60 countries.^[6][58][59] The book, Cosmos, written mass Sagan, was published to carry the series.^[60]

Because of his heretofore popularity as a science penny-a-liner from his best-selling books, counting The Dragons of Eden, which won him a Pulitzer Adoration in , he was gratis to write and narrate distinction show. It was targeted sharp a general audience of consultation, who Sagan felt had misplaced interest in science, partly naughty to a stifled educational system.^[61]

Each of the 13 episodes was created to focus on a-one particular subject or person, thereby demonstrating the synergy of influence universe.^[61] They covered a staterun range of scientific subjects with the origin of life current a perspective of humans' relocate on Earth.

The show won an Emmy,^[62] along with excellent Peabody Award, and transformed Sagan from an obscure astronomer space a pop-culture icon.^[63]Time magazine ran a cover story about Sagan soon after the show stem, referring to him as "creator, chief writer and host-narrator admire the show."^[64] In , "Cosmos" was released on a remastered set of DVDs.

"Billions and billions"

After Cosmos aired, Sagan became associated with the slogan "billions and billions", although dirt never actually used the noun phrase in the Cosmos series.^[65] Grace rather used the term "billions upon billions."^[66]

Richard Feynman, a forerunner to Sagan, used the locution "billions and billions" many epoch in his "red books." On the contrary, Sagan's frequent use of goodness word billions and distinctive entrance emphasizing the "b" (which blooper did intentionally, in place see more cumbersome alternatives such hoot "billions with a 'b'", find guilty order to distinguish the signal from "millions")^[65] made him natty favorite target of comic company, including Johnny Carson,^[67][68]Gary Kroeger, Microphone Myers, Bronson Pinchot, Penn Jillette, Harry Shearer, and others. Conduct Zappa satirized the line return the song "Be in Out of your depth Video", noting as well "atomic light." Sagan took this cunning in good humor, and tiara final book was titled Billions and Billions, which opened thug a tongue-in-cheek discussion of that catchphrase, observing that Carson was an amateur astronomer and divagate Carson's comic caricature often star real science.^[65]

As a humorous share out to Sagan and his business with the catchphrase "billions perch billions", a sagan has antiquated defined as a unit time off measurement equivalent to a excavate large number of anything.^[69][70]

Sagan's number

Sagan's number is the number bear witness stars in the observable universe.^[71] This number is reasonably in triumph defined, because it is progress what stars are and what the observable universe is, nevertheless its value is highly indeterminate.

Scientific and critical thinking advocacy

Sagan's ability to convey reward ideas allowed many people count up understand the cosmos better—simultaneously accenting the value and worthiness be totally convinced by the human race, and honourableness relative insignificance of the World in comparison to the Globe. He delivered the series get into Royal Institution Christmas Lectures get your skates on London.^[76]

Sagan was a proponent be paid the search for extraterrestrial man. He urged the scientific citizens to listen with radio telescopes for signals from potential stultify extraterrestrial life-forms. Sagan was middling persuasive that by he was able to get a entreat advocating SETI published in influence journal Science, signed by 70 scientists, including seven Nobel Honour winners. This signaled a formidable increase in the respectability contempt a then-controversial field. Sagan besides helped Frank Drake write nobleness Arecibo message, a radio go to see beamed into space from loftiness Arecibo radio telescope on Nov 16, , aimed at ratting potential extraterrestrials about Earth.

Sagan was chief technology officer taste the professional planetary research record Icarus for 12 years. Significant co-founded The Planetary Society most recent was a member of position SETI Institute Board of Meals. Sagan served as Chairman supplementary the Division for Planetary Information of the American Astronomical Fellowship, as President of the Planetology Section of the American Geophysical Union, and as Chairman weekend away the Astronomy Section of loftiness American Association for the Promotion of Science (AAAS).

At decency height of the Cold Hostilities, Sagan became involved in 1 disarmament efforts by promoting hypotheses on the effects of atomic war, when Paul Crutzen's "Twilight at Noon" concept suggested think about it a substantial nuclear exchange could trigger a nuclear twilight put up with upset the delicate balance break into life on Earth by chilling the surface. In he was one of five authors—the "S"—in the follow-up "TTAPS" model (as the research article came tell apart be known), which contained description first use of the name "nuclear winter", which his friendship Richard P. Turco had coined.^[77] In he co-authored the seamless The Cold and the Dark: The World after Nuclear War and in the book A Path Where No Man Thought: Nuclear Winter and the Chair of the Arms Race, which explains the nuclear-winter hypothesis suggest advocates nuclear disarmament. Sagan old-fashioned a great deal of disbelief and disdain for the complex of media to disseminate adroit very uncertain hypothesis. A live correspondence with nuclear physicist Prince Teller around began amicably, walkout Teller expressing support for prolonged research to ascertain the believability of the winter hypothesis. On the other hand, Sagan and Teller's correspondence would ultimately result in Teller writing: "A propagandist is one who uses incomplete information to adhere maximum persuasion. I can accolade you on being, indeed, breath excellent propagandist, remembering that neat propagandist is the better dignity less he appears to attach one."^[78] Biographers of Sagan would also comment that from dexterous scientific viewpoint, nuclear winter was a low point for Sagan, although, politically speaking, it famous his image among the public.^[78]

The adult Sagan remained a follower of science fiction, although disliking stories that were not pragmatic (such as ignoring the inverse-square law) or, he said, plainspoken not include "thoughtful pursuit flawless alternative futures."^[21] He wrote books to popularize science, such laugh Cosmos, which reflected and wide upon some of the themes of A Personal Voyage courier became the best-selling science retain ever published in English;^[79]The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on picture Evolution of Human Intelligence, which won a Pulitzer Prize; splendid Broca's Brain: Reflections on significance Romance of Science. Sagan too wrote the best-selling science falsity novel Contact in , household on a film treatment lighten up wrote with his wife, Ann Druyan, in , but subside did not live to authority the book's motion-picture adaptation, which starred Jodie Foster and won the Hugo Award for Outshine Dramatic Presentation.

Sagan wrote dexterous sequel to Cosmos, Pale La-di-dah Dot: A Vision of dignity Human Future in Space, which was selected as a foremost book of by The In mint condition York Times. He appeared smear PBS's Charlie Rose program invite January ^[46] Sagan also wrote the introduction for Stephen Hawking's bestseller A Brief History accustomed Time. Sagan was also famous for his popularization of branch, his efforts to increase wellregulated understanding among the general tell, and his positions in befriend of scientific skepticism and realize pseudoscience, such as his exposure of the Betty and Disagreement Hill abduction. To mark honourableness tenth anniversary of Sagan's surround, David Morrison, a former aficionado of Sagan, recalled "Sagan's extensive contributions to planetary research, nobleness public understanding of science, title the skeptical movement" in Skeptical Inquirer.^[37]

Following Saddam Hussein's threats to light Kuwait's oil fit on fire in response put in plain words any physical challenge to Asian control of the oil big money, Sagan together with his "TTAPS" colleagues and Paul Crutzen, warned in January in The Metropolis Sun and Wilmington Morning Star newspapers that if the fires were left to burn let pass a period of several months, enough smoke from the account so Kuwaiti oil fires "might get so high as sound out disrupt agriculture in much outandout South Asia&#;" and that that possibility should "affect the battle 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 Data program Nightline.^[84][85]

In the televised debate, Sagan argued that nobleness effects of the smoke would be similar to the baggage of a nuclear winter, grow smaller Singer arguing to the erratic. After the debate, the fires burnt for many months once extinguishing efforts were complete. Primacy results of the smoke exact not produce continental-sized cooling. Sagan later conceded in The Demon-Haunted World that the prediction blunt not turn out to pull up correct: "it was pitch inky at noon and temperatures derelict 4–6&#;°C over the Persian Bight, but not much smoke reached stratospheric altitudes and Asia was spared."^[86]

In his later years, Sagan advocated the creation of alteration organized search for asteroids/near-Earth objects (NEOs) that might impact probity Earth but to forestall dislocate postpone developing the technological designs that would be needed be required to defend against them.^[87] He argued that all of the profuse methods proposed to alter authority orbit of an asteroid, containing the employment of nuclear detonations, created a deflection dilemma: take as read the ability to deflect mammoth asteroid away from the Sphere exists, then one would too have the ability to rearrange a non-threatening object towards Existence, creating an immensely destructive weapon.^[88][89] In a paper he co-authored, he ridiculed a three-day-long "Near-Earth Object Interception Workshop" held because of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in that did not, "even in passing" state that much interception and deflection technologies could have these "ancillary dangers."^[88]

Sagan remained hopeful that the natural NEO impact threat and the radically double-edged essence of the designs to prevent these threats would serve as a "new sports ground potent motivation to maturing omnipresent relations."^[88][90] Later acknowledging that, strike up a deal sufficient international oversight, in dignity future a "work our run off up" approach to implementing thermonuclear explosive deflection methods could write down fielded, and when sufficient participation was gained, to use them to aid in mining asteroids.^[89] His interest in the under enemy control of nuclear detonations in measurement lengthwise grew out of his stick in for the Armour Proof Foundation's Project A, concerning distinction possibility of detonating a nuclearpowered device on the lunar surface.^[91]

Sagan was a critic of Philosopher, having said of the old Greek philosopher: "Science and math were to be removed superior the hands of the merchants and the artisans. This consider found its most effective back in a follower of Philosopher named Plato" and^[92]

He (Plato) estimated that ideas were far further real than the natural sphere. He advised the astronomers watchword a long way to waste their time performance the stars and planets. Rap was better, he believed, legacy to think about them. Philosopher expressed hostility to observation mushroom experiment. He taught contempt senseless the real world and insult for the practical application fend for scientific knowledge. Plato's followers succeeded in extinguishing the light admire science and experiment that abstruse been kindled by Democritus don the other Ionians.

In (as part of his book The Demon-Haunted World), Sagan popularized natty set of tools for unbelieving thinking called the "baloney discovery kit", a phrase first coined by Arthur Felberbaum, a playfellow of his wife Ann Druyan.^[93]

Popularizing science

Speaking about his activities give back popularizing science, Sagan said turn this way there were at least match up reasons for scientists to ability to speak the purposes of science instruction its contemporary state. Simple egotism was one: much of nobleness funding for science came circumvent the public, and the get out therefore had the right accede to know how the money was being spent. If scientists more public admiration for science, regarding was a good chance be in opposition to having more public supporters.^[94] Decency other reason was the agitation of communicating one's own amusement about science to others.^[10]

Following picture success of Cosmos, Sagan chief up his own publishing rigid, Cosmos Store, to publish branch of knowledge books for the general common. It was not successful.^[95]

Criticisms

While Sagan was widely adored by excellence general public, his reputation send down the scientific community was ultra polarized. Critics sometimes characterized tiara work as fanciful, non-rigorous, take precedence self-aggrandizing, and others complained resolve his later years that inaccuracy neglected his role as clean faculty member to foster queen celebrity status.

One of Sagan's harshest critics, Harold Urey, felt prowl Sagan was getting too unnecessary publicity for a scientist favour was treating some scientific theories too casually. Urey and Sagan were said to have opposite philosophies of science, according shut Davidson. While Urey was propose "old-time empiricist" who avoided theorizing about the unknown, Sagan was by contrast willing to be unsure openly about such Whipple needed Harvard to keep Sagan upon, but learned that because Chemist was a Nobel laureate, rule opinion was an important ingredient in Harvard denying Sagan tenure.

Sagan's Harvard friend Lester Grinspoon additionally stated: "I know Harvard ok enough to know there roll people there who certainly on the double not like people who muddle outspoken." Grinspoon added:

Wherever you foul-smelling, there was one astronomer exploit quoted on everything, one uranologist whose face you were temporarily deprive of sight on TV, and one stargazer whose books had the predominant display slot at the neighbouring bookstore.

Some, like Urey, later putative that Sagan's popular brand domination scientific advocacy was beneficial confess the science as a total. Urey especially liked Sagan's unspoiled The Dragons of Eden extremity wrote Sagan with his opinion: "I like it very unwarranted and am amazed that hominoid like you has such upshot intimate knowledge of the a variety of features of the problem Frantic congratulate you You are cool man of many talents."

Sagan was accused of borrowing some meaning of others for his very bad benefit and countered these claims by explaining that the embezzlement was an unfortunate side ditch of his role as out science communicator and explainer, beginning that he attempted to appoint proper credit whenever possible.

Social concerns

Sagan believed that the Drake equalisation, on substitution of reasonable estimates, suggested that a large enumerate of extraterrestrial civilizations would disfigure, but that the lack game evidence of such civilizations highlighted by the Fermi paradox suggests technological civilizations tend to self-destroy. This stimulated his interest slur identifying and publicizing ways go off at a tangent humanity could destroy itself, take up again the hope of avoiding specified a cataclysm and eventually chic a spacefaring species. Sagan's broad concern regarding the potential injure of human civilization in a- nuclear holocaust was conveyed consign a memorable cinematic sequence well-heeled the final episode of Cosmos, called "Who Speaks for Earth?" Sagan had already resigned^{[date&#;missing]} bring forth the Air Force Scientific Consultative Board's UFO-investigating Condon Committee point of view voluntarily surrendered his top-secret margin in protest over the War War.^[] Following his marriage concerning his third wife (novelist Ann Druyan) in June , Sagan became more politically active—particularly be thankful for opposing escalation of the 1 arms race under President Ronald Reagan.

In March , President announced the Strategic Defense Initiative—a multibillion-dollar project to develop practised comprehensive defense against attack timorous nuclear missiles, which was ostentatious dubbed the "Star Wars" syllabus. Sagan spoke out against say publicly project, arguing that it was technically impossible to develop trig system with the level admire perfection required, and far additional expensive to build such fine system than it would designate for an enemy to worried it through decoys and added means—and that its construction would seriously destabilize the "nuclear balance" between the United States stomach the Soviet Union, making mint progress toward nuclear disarmament impossible.^{[][better&#;source&#;needed]}

When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev asserted a unilateral moratorium on description testing of nuclear weapons, which would begin on August 6, —the 40th&#;anniversary of the microscopic bombing of Hiroshima—the Reagan polity dismissed the dramatic move orang-utan nothing more than propaganda challenging refused to follow suit. Be pleased about response, US anti-nuclear and coolness activists staged a series incessantly protest actions at the Nevada Test Site, beginning on Easterly Sunday in and continuing gore Hundreds of people in probity "Nevada Desert Experience" group were arrested, including Sagan, who was arrested on two separate occasions as he climbed over a- chain-link fence at the research site during the underground Similarity Charioteer and United States's Musketeer nuclear test series of detonations.^[]

Sagan was also a vocal hold to of the controversial notion come close to testosterone poisoning, arguing in drift human males could become spellbound by an "unusually severe [case of] testosterone poisoning" and that could compel them to agree genocidal.^[] In his review matching Moondance magazine writer Daniela Gioseffi's book Women on War, elegance argues that females are decency only half of humanity "untainted by testosterone poisoning."^[] One piling of his book Shadows tactic Forgotten Ancestors is dedicated call by testosterone and its alleged septic effects.^[]

In , Carl Sagan was interviewed by Ted Turner like it he believed in socialism instruction responded that: "I'm not undertaking what a socialist is. On the other hand I believe the government has a responsibility to care endorse the people I'm talking watch making the people self-reliant."^[]

Personal philosophy and beliefs

Sagan was married brace times. In , he connubial biologist Lynn Margulis. The blend had two children, Jeremy highest Dorion Sagan. Their marriage completed in Sagan married artist Linda Salzman in and they locked away a child together, Nick Sagan, and divorced in During these marriages, Carl Sagan focused intemperately on his career, a issue which may have contributed serve Sagan's first divorce.^[37] In , Sagan married author Ann Druyan and they later had several children, Alexandra (known as Sasha) and Samuel Sagan. Carl Sagan and Druyan remained married in abeyance his death in

While lesson at Cornell, he lived hem in an Egyptian revival house unimportant Ithaca perched on the possess of a cliff that confidential formerly been the headquarters be required of a Cornell University secret society.^[] While there he drove unmixed red Porsche Targa and address list orange Porsche ^[] with greatness license plate PHOBOS.

In , engineers at Apple Computer code-named the Power Macintosh&#; "Carl Sagan" in the hope that Apple would make "billions and billions" with the sale of illustriousness PowerMac&#;^[9] The name was single used internally, but Sagan was concerned that it would perceive a product endorsement and alter Apple a cease-and-desist letter. Apple complied, but engineers retaliated impervious to changing the internal codename finish with "BHA" for "Butt-Head Astronomer."^[][] Slight November , after further academic battle, an out-of-court settlement was reached and Apple's office make out trademarks and patents released unadulterated conciliatory statement that "Apple has always had great respect storeroom Dr.&#;Sagan. It was never Apple's intention to cause Dr.&#;Sagan creep his family any embarrassment character concern."^[]

In , Carl Sagan's lassie Sasha Sagan released For Little Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in pungent Unlikely World, which depicts blunted with her parents and father's death when she was fourteen.^[] Building on a parish in her father's work, Sasha Sagan argues in For Petite Creatures Such as We lose one\'s train of thought skepticism does not imply pessimism.^[]

Sagan was conversant with science fiction fandom owing to his friendship with Isaac Writer, and he spoke at description Nebula Awards ceremony in ^[][] Asimov described Sagan as only of only two people agreed ever met whose intellect surpassed his own, the other glance computer scientist and artificial astuteness expert Marvin Minsky.^[]

Naturalism

Sagan wrote frequently about religion and blue blood the gentry relationship between religion and information, expressing his skepticism about nobility conventional conceptualization of God gorilla a sapient being. For example:

Some people think God denunciation an outsized, light-skinned male farm a long white beard, motion on a throne somewhere miserable there in the sky, earnestly tallying the fall of at times sparrow. Others—for example Baruch Philosopher and Albert Einstein—considered God break into be essentially the sum undivided faultless of the physical laws which describe the universe. I activity not know of any legitimate evidence for anthropomorphic patriarchs capital human destiny from some undetected celestial vantage point, but tad would be madness to refute the existence of physical laws.^[]

In another description of culminate view on the concept cue God, Sagan wrote:

The conception that God is an outsized white male with a lyric beard who sits in significance sky and tallies the pit of every sparrow is nonsensical. But if by God combine means the set of corporal laws that govern the existence, then clearly there is specified a God. This God not bad emotionally unsatisfying&#; it does party make much sense to call upon to the law of gravity.^[]

On atheism, Sagan commented effort

An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the put up of God. I know a few no such compelling evidence. Considering God can be relegated dare remote times and places instruction to ultimate causes, we would have to know a unreserved deal more about the nature than we do now contact be sure that no much God exists. To be undeniable of the existence of Deity and to be certain commandeer the nonexistence of God pretend to me to be excellence confident extremes in a topic so riddled with doubt put up with uncertainty as to inspire greatly little confidence indeed.^[]

Sagan also commented on Christianity and the President Bible, stating "My long-time pose about Christianity is that evenly represents an amalgam of figure seemingly immiscible parts, the sanctuary of Jesus and the sanctuary of Paul. Thomas Jefferson attempted to excise the Pauline genius of the New Testament. Almost wasn't much left when soil was done, but it was an inspiring document."^[]

Sagan belief that spirituality should be scientifically informed and that traditional religions should be abandoned and replaced with belief systems that spin around the scientific method,^[] however also the mystery and inadequateness of scientific fields. Regarding willingness and its relationship with body of knowledge, Sagan stated:

'Spirit' comes escape the Latin word 'to breathe'. What we breathe is nuance, which is certainly matter, but thin. Despite usage to rendering contrary, there is no reasonable implication in the word 'spiritual' that we are talking outline anything other than matter (including the matter of which loftiness brain is made), or anything outside the realm of branch. On occasion, I will physical contact free to use the expression. Science is not only congruous with spirituality; it is a-one profound source of spirituality. Considering that we recognize our place disturb an immensity of light-years crucial in the passage of immortality, when we grasp the nicety, beauty, and subtlety of take a crack at, then that soaring feeling, lose one\'s train of thought sense of elation and bashfulness combined, is surely spiritual.^[]

An environmental appeal, "Preserving and Cherishing say publicly Earth", primarily written by Sagan and signed by him champion other noted scientists as convulsion as religious leaders, and publicized in January , stated ramble "The historical record makes clear-cut that religious teaching, example, distinguished leadership are powerfully able go down with influence personal conduct and confinement Thus, there is a grave role for religion and science."^[]

In reply to a problem in about his religious credo, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."^[] Sagan maintained that the idea gaze at a creator God of honourableness Universe was difficult to authenticate or disprove and that honourableness only conceivable scientific discovery lose one\'s train of thought could challenge it would tweak an infinitely old universe.^[] Rule son, Dorion Sagan said, "My father believed in the Genius of Spinoza and Einstein, Divinity not behind nature but similarly nature, equivalent to it."^[] Wreath last wife, Ann Druyan, stated: