The Pale Blue Dot

[Brian Howell]

Carl Sagan is one of a short list of people I wish I could sit down with and have a—years long—conversation. I loved Cosmos. I've read several of his books. He was an eloquent writer, an expert communicator in general, and a non plus ultra in making science accessible to the laity. (It frustrates me having learned to late in life that my father knew him. Indeed, there is a autographed copy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Dragons of Eden on a bookshelf in my father's former study addressed Dear Clark...(

One of Sagan's most famous and exemplary written passages is generally referred to as "The Pale Blue Dot," from his book of the same name.  I found a wonderful animation that brings that passage to life; the narration is Sagan reciting his own words, a citation of which can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot#Reflections_by_Sagan. But watch the video first.

https://vimeo.com/127007297

Sagan's thoughts on life and our place in the Universe and those of mine are very much aligned.

(If you haven't seen it already, you might enjoy my Stellar Scale thread from a couple of months ago: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/ipse-dixit/orbits/ipse-dixit/I27XBegxcpA/y_ig8i_5AQAJ)