| | <small>(picture obtained from [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Sagan_Planetary_Society.JPG Wikimedia commons], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Sagan_Planetary_Society.JPG Public domain picture])</small>]] | | <small>(picture obtained from [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Sagan_Planetary_Society.JPG Wikimedia commons], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Sagan_Planetary_Society.JPG Public domain picture])</small>]] |
| − | '''Carl Edward Sagan''' (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer, and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books. He advocated scientifically skeptical inquiry and the scientific method, pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). | + | '''Carl Sagan''' (1934-1996) was a [[liberal]] professor of [[astronomy]] at [[Cornell University]] in Ithaca, New York, who became a celebrity on television and a vocal advocate for increased searches for intelligent life in outer space. ''Time'' magazine reported that Carl Sagan "talked with [[Jimmy Carter]] about such esoteric matters as [[black hole]]s and [[exobiology]] (the speculation that [[extraterrestrial life]] exist)."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951539,00.html Frederic Golden, "The Cosmic Explainer," Time.com 20 Oct. 1980.]</ref> He was instrumental in the development of Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence([[SETI]]). Carl Sagan also smoked [[marijuana]]. He claimed marijuana gave him scientific insights.<ref>http://cosmologytalk.tribe.net/thread/7e25b81c-2529-44c6-b388-f926c2475e6a</ref> |
| − | Sagan is known for his popular science books and for the award-winning 1980 television series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage", which he narrated and co-wrote. The book "Cosmos" was published to accompany the series. Sagan wrote the novel "Contact," the basis for a 1997 film of the same name. | |