astrotastic:

Hark! A Vagrant

sagansense:

On The Day Carl Sagan Died.

To all those who participated in the celebration of Carl Sagan Day, thank you. But just as such celebrated days like “Mother’s Day” or “Valentine’s Day” or even “Black History Month” are mere holidays invented by humans to reflect on our history to show/value a bit more care & concern to our loved ones, Carl Sagan Day, just as the rest of them, are not to be taken literally.

We should never wait for a single celebratory day or month to showcase our passion for others.

Just as you would show love & affection, care & concern to your loved ones without the overly-hyped traditions & holidays we’ve created simply to pause for a brief moment each year, reminding us of what we already should be doing as loving beings existing within the same cosmic time frame, so should we honor & uphold Carl Sagan’s legacy, person & passion toward the world & all beings & creatures whom inhabit it.

Whimsically tipping a hat to a person’s life history such as Carl’s & going about one’s life without a mere thought or contemplation over what it means to be human & to be a supporter of Carl & his imprint on our lives, is such to the degree of someone removing the lunar module, personal items & smearing away the footprints left by our astronauts on the Moon & Mars, placing this society’s selfish influences over our individual perspectives & own accomplishments as well.

Carl’s passion for others & more specifically, intelligence of others & their brain’s capability of being able to grasp the universe on a sophisticated to basic understanding will never be forgotten or ‘smeared away’ by all of us who continually remind ourselves, our loved ones & our fellow humans of the great & humble contributions this man has made on our lives.

Thank you all for contributing once again. Whether or not Carl Sagan Day becomes a nationally recognized time piece for the past, present & future, let us keep in mind that we still continue to breath the air & molecules as Carl Sagan, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla once did….& although we primarily owe our existence to the smallest of biological organisms on this planet, we share more than this with past, present & future humans in our lives due to the everlasting impression others have left on our minds…physically, physiologically, neurologically, chemically & anatomically on our brain itself.

Let us continue to delight, reminisce, celebrate & share Carl Edward Sagan’s existence with others by self-educating ourselves persistently & further emphasizing the vital importance within our species & planet of science, education & global scientific literacy.

sagan|sense

sciencesoup:

Badass Scientist of the Week: Dr. Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan (1934–1996) was an astronomer, a skeptic, a science communicator and—to many—a poet. As a child he was fascinated with the stars, and this deep sense of wonder at the universe never abated all throughout his adult life. He studied at the University of Chicago, achieving his doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics by 1960, and over the next ten years, he held teaching and research posts at various universities and observatories. In 1970, he became director of Cornell University’s Laboratory for Planetary Studies and the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences. At the same time, he played a leading role as a consultant at NASA, briefing the Apollo astronauts and being closely associated with unmanned planetary missions too, most notably the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo expeditions. His research transformed planetary science, helping to solve mysteries such as the high temperatures of Venus, the seasonal changes of Mars and the reddish haze of Titan, and he also was a pioneer of the study of extraterrestrial life—but Carl is best known as a science communicator. In his award-winning books and his enormously popular 1980 TV series Cosmos, he captured the hearts and minds of millions with his easy charisma, his ability to explain difficult concepts, and his infectious wonder for the universe. His insights about our fragile world live on today as his legacy, and the way he continues to change the public’s perception of science is perhaps his greatest achievement—showing us that examining our universe using natural curiosity and the tools of science is a joyous, awe-inspiring endeavour. Happy birthday, Carl, and thank you for everything you’ve given us.

jtotheizzoe:

What would the “sun” in the sky look like if we orbited in the “habitable zone” of one of the largest known stars?

This is why I love the Reddit science community. The mockup of what the star VY Canis Majoris (a red hypergiant about 3,900 light years away) would look like in a “livable” sky was made by Redditor LuridTeaParty.

If you’d like to know more about this large star, its gravity, how much light and energy it gives off and how far we’d be from it in order for Earth to not boil or freeze, check out the full thread.

invado:

Jupiter is gorgeous