Carl Sagan
Published on Dec 21, 2006 at 12:00 pm.
4 Comments.
Filed under astronomers.
I am currently out of town, and snowed in. So, bear with me. I won’t be posting regularly for a while, and this posting will be a bit shorter than it otherwise would have been.
Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of Carl Sagan’s death. I first became aware of him watching the TV series Cosmos, which ran on PBS in 1980. After my studies in astronomy, I realized that he was a real astronomer, not just an actor and science popularizer. He did quite wonderful work on planetary atmospheres, and was the first to postulate that the ice of Europa might cover an ocean of liquid water. He was also instrumental in making the search for extraterrestrial intelligence a legitimate scientific endeavor.
A lot of astronomers, and other scientists, seem to have been influenced by Cosmos. It was a very popular television program, and it was very well done. Looking back at it, you it is dated. We’ve learned more since then. We have the program in the library, but my current students are nowhere near as excited about it as I was. They seem distracted by the bell bottom pants and other clues to its date of production. Heck, many of them were born after the show was aired! Still, Cosmos had a major influence on me.
Many scientists my age or a few years younger say that watching Cosmos was what made them want to be scientists. Sagan made science fun, intereting, and exciting. Well, actually, he didn’t make it all that, but he showed to the public that science was fun, interesting, and exciting. A lot of us had already figured that out! Sadly, though, it isn’t always portrayed that way in high school. I had already known that I wanted to go into physics, but Cosmos really made me want to do astrophysics. I had already had an interest in astronomy for years, but this was the deciding factor, as I think that it was for many.
I was really sad when I heard that Sagan had died. I didn’t agree with him on a number of issues of religion or politics, or even in all of this science popularizing, but I really respected what he did, and given his influence on my career decision, it was sad to see him go.
-Astroprof
A Ler…-- Rastos de Luz on December 21, 2006 at 1:31 pm: 1
[…] “Carl Sagan“, no Astroprof’s Page. Ainda sobre este assunto, “Carl Sagan’s Influence on My Life“, no Universe Today; “Sunrise, Sunset, and the Winter Solstice“, no Astroprof’s Page. […]
Brian on December 21, 2006 at 9:31 pm: 2
I find myself - now - impressed by Carl Sagan and his work.
But I got to tell you .. at the time Cosmos just didn’t do it for me.
Kelly on December 23, 2006 at 4:48 am: 3
My husband and kids and I still watch Cosmos on cable. We love it. Even though it’s dated, there’s still a lot of good information. My kids are 11, 9, and 7. My 11 yo son is interested in science and anything space related. I like to encourage that.
Astroprof’s Page » Where is today’s Cosmos? on December 20, 2007 at 9:31 am: 4
[…] Carl Sagan died 11 years ago, today. Others, such as Flying Singer, have posted tributes to Sagan, as I did last year. However, this year, I decided to post a tribute to Cosmos. […]