Great Minds: Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot [new HD version]

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Great Minds, Great Words: Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot. A Vision of Human Future in Space.

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by Voyager 1 from a record distance, showing it against the vastness of space. By request of Carl Sagan, NASA commanded the Voyager 1 spacecraft, having completed its primary mission and now leaving the solar system, to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth. It was subsequently used by Sagan as the title of his 1994 book of the same name.

Playlist "Great Minds, Great Words":
• http://www.youtube.com/user/FFreeThinker#grid/user/CC4F721030F8D4D1

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BEST OF CARL SAGAN'S "COSMOS":

1) 10 Years After: Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan Reflect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leTNfwfH0Jc
2) Lost Between Immensity And Eternity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIVsDg6U0LU
3) The Realm Of The Galaxies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1axoV6HhWfI
4) Our Galaxy, The Milky Way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOazBTHzRYA
5) Our Solar System:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBqjob-UVeo
6) Eratosthenes And The Round Earth Model:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en5UKtcNujI
7) The Library Of Alexandria:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVQs4B2jAW0
8) A Short History Of The Universe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n2r0qOxJ6k
9) Artificial And Natural Selection:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3uToVWZkWM
10) The Cosmic Year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFqbm_94nTM
11) Tree Of Life - 4 Billion Years Of Evolution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0UECN4ndA
12) The Miracle Of Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOyojWeOYNA
13) DNA - The Common Basis Of Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecmuvjSykf8
14) Abiogenesis - The Origin Of Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yet1xkAv_HY
15) Astronomy vs Astrology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImaQS9NJ0nI
16) Pictures In The Sky:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwCAwc4bge4
17) Ancient Astronomy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-5dwJwau1Y
18) Triumph Of Modern Science Over Medieval Superstition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lfmRqT-B_c
19) The Mysterious Tunguska Event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irVof7adq4s
20) Life Beyond Earth - Origin Of Life In The Universe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7ivTdcHYvI

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Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977. Sagan had pushed for Voyager to take a photo of the Earth when its vantage point reached the edge of the solar system. On February 14, 1990, having completed its primary mission, NASA commanded the spacecraft to turn around to photograph the planets of the Solar System.

Between February 14, 1990 and June 6, 1990, one image Voyager returned was of Earth, showing up as a "pale blue dot" in the grainy photo. Carl Sagan gives the distance as 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometres) in his book.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot

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Carl Edward Sagan, Ph.D. (1934-1996) was an American astronomer, astrochemist, author, and highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences. He pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

He is world-famous for writing popular science books and for co-writing and presenting the award-winning 1980 television series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage", which has been seen by more than 600 million people in over 60 countries, making it the most widely watched PBS program in history.

A book to accompany the program was also published. He also wrote the novel "Contact", the basis for the 1997 Robert Zemecki's film of the same name starring Jodie Foster.

During his lifetime, Sagan published more than 600 scientific papers and popular articles and was author, co-author, or editor of more than 20 books. In his works, he frequently advocated skeptical inquiry, secular humanism, and the scientific method.

• http://www.carlsagan.com
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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• great
• minds
• words
• carl
• sagan
• pale
• blue
• dot
• cosmos
• planets
• earth
• voyager
• missions
• spacecrafts
• nasa
• solar
• systems
• images
• photographs
• science
• astronomy

[dagda825]

Religion and superstition sucks. Professor Sagan taught me more about love and respect of my fellow human beings and my home than any Asswad religious 'give me your money' preacher ever did. Life is short, you die and that is it. Live with it and try to do something good today.

[smigafilms]

i havent cried in like 2 years, and hearing this for the billionth time always brings a tear to my eye because it just renews my hope in humanity. I miss this man

[georgiana1010]

Beautiful clip

[deutschbuch30]

Sounds very religious to me. According to a comment below, this little "preaching" even made someone cry.

Apparently, all humans [Except myself and a few] are sheep; They just cant' help, they will always buy into sentimental messages.

Well, we have at last a serious competitor for the religious bull; And this time we don't get to stone some sabbath breaker, burn a witch, or kill an infidel-kafir before taking his belongings, and his wife and daughters as sex slaves.

Thus said, I don't complain.

[omnomnomnagon]

Poetry for the modern society...

[DIGITALSCREAMS]

Another thing I find interesting....

The photo of Earth 3.7 billion miles away was taken by Voyager 1 in 1990. I was 11 years old then. I wonder what I would have been doing - playing with friends? At school? Or maybe...just maybe I was gazing into the night sky with my dad.

I'm proud to have existed when this picture was taken.

[DIGITALSCREAMS]

@DIGITALSCREAMS Actually it did bring a tear to my eye.

Makes me hope mankind will better itself....Star Trek style.

[DIGITALSCREAMS]

So profound - almost brings a tear to my eye.

[ItsNAM1982]

simply beautiful !

[ChannelUmptyThree]

Mr Sagan makes me feel proud to be a citizen of the "Pale Blue Dot"

[AnonymousDiv0]

Thank you, Carl Sagan, for leaving us with these inspiring words. Humanity journeys onwards in your memory, striving towards the future you imagined so vividly. You truly were humanity's ambassador to the cosmos.