Photo: NASA/JPL / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Carl Sagan is one of those rare figures who genuinely changed how I think about my place in the universe — and I mean that without a hint of exaggeration. A Brooklyn kid who went to the University of Chicago and ended up at Cornell, he had this extraordinary gift for making the cosmos feel both vast and weirdly personal. The 1980 Cosmos TV series is still a masterpiece of science communication, and The Demon-Haunted World remains one of the most important books about critical thinking ever written. His novel Contact held up well enough to become a film that people still argue about in a good way. He won the Pulitzer in 1978, consulted on NASA missions from Mariner to Voyager, and somehow never came across as a lecturer — just a genuinely curious person who wanted you to feel the wonder too. Gone too soon at 62, but honestly? The work endures.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Carl Sagan
- Name (Japanese)
- カール・セーガン
- Reading
- かーる・せーがん
- Born
- November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Dog
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Occupation
- cosmologist / astrophysicist / novelist / planetary scientist / space scientist
2. Background
- High school
- Rahway High School
- University
- University of Chicago
Awards & achievements
- 2013 Solstice Award
- 1978 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
- 1981 Humanist of the Year
- James Parks Morton Interfaith Award
- 1993 Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science
- 1990 Oersted Medal
- 1974 Klumpke-Roberts Award
- 2009 New Jersey Hall of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Demon-Haunted World | — | |
| Notable work | Pale Blue Dot | — | |
| Notable work | Cosmos | — | |
| Notable work | Contact | — | |
| Notable work | Cosmos: A Personal Voyage | — | |
| Notable work | Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://carlsagan.com
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%82%BB%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3
Frequently asked questions
When was Carl Sagan born?
November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996.
Where is Carl Sagan from?
Carl Sagan is from Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What does Carl Sagan do?
Carl Sagan works as cosmologist, astrophysicist, novelist, planetary scientist, space scientist.
What is Carl Sagan known for?
Notable works include The Demon-Haunted World, Pale Blue Dot, Cosmos.
Astrophysicist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.