Carl Sagan

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Galaxy clusters like Abell 2744 can act as a natural cosmic lens, magnifying light from more distant, background objects through gravity. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope may be able to detect light from the first stars in the universe if they are gravitationally lensed by such clusters. (astronomy, space exploration, galaxies)

How Fast Is the Universe Expanding?

Where Did the Moon Come From?

solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?

William Shatner and Leonard Nimroy as Captain James T. Kirk and Spock in the tv show Star Trek 1966-1969

50th Anniversary of Star Trek

Arrangement of the phases of the moon in total eclipse with Blood Moon

9 Celestial Omens

Discover

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Still from the film Deliverance, 1919. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. View shows Keller in the cockpit/front seat of an airplane.

How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?

Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).

9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Pluto. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.

10 Important Dates in Pluto History

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

Arts & Culture

Carl Sagan

American astronomer

Also known as: Carl Edward Sagan

Written by Helge Kragh

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 5, 2024 • Article History

Carl Sagan

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Category: Arts & Culture

In full:: Carl Edward Sagan

Born:: November 9, 1934, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

Died:: December 20, 1996, Seattle, Washington (aged 62)

Awards And Honors:: Pulitzer Prize (1978)

Notable Works:: “Contact”; “Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”; “The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence”

Subjects Of Study:: amino acid; chemical synthesis; extraterrestrial intelligence; extraterrestrial life; origin of life

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Carl Sagan (born November 9, 1934, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died December 20, 1996, Seattle, Washington) was an American astronomer and science writer. A popular and influential figure in the United States, he was controversial in scientific, political, and religious circles for his views on extraterrestrial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and religion. (Read Carl Sagan’s Britannica entry on extraterrestrial life.) Sagan attended the University of Chicago, where he earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in physics in 1955 and 1956, respectively, and a doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics in 1960. From 1960 to 1962 he was a fellow in astronomy at ...(100 of 717 words)

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