Topic: Astronomer "Carl Sagan"
oceanriderz's photo
Mon 12/21/15 01:24 PM
Who remembers this brilliant astronomer Carl Sagan....? and your thoughts please...

no photo
Sat 12/26/15 03:22 AM
I do. I like him.

But why is his name in quotes?

Do you think it was a pseudonym?

metalwing's photo
Sat 12/26/15 05:40 AM
He was a great astronomer and introduced millions to the Cosmos in his extremely well written TV show.

no photo
Sat 12/26/15 05:46 AM
Cosmos,

A personal voyage! :thumbsup:

JaiGi's photo
Sat 12/26/15 04:54 PM
In India his books, starting with 'Broca's Brain'
As I recall Prof Sagan was involved in chiseling out a Mars Rover prototype(?)

JaiGi's photo
Mon 01/18/16 06:14 AM
Edited by JaiGi on Mon 01/18/16 06:44 AM
V. Rohit, a 26 year old research scholar in Hyderabad was found dead in his hostel room yesterday. He had been recently suspended by the authorities; and the suspension was finally revoked.

In his suicidal note he mentions Carl Sagan!! This is a part from his one page letter; strangely, makes sense.


Good morning,
I would not be around when you read this letter. Don’t get angry on me. I know some of you truly cared for me, loved me and treated me very well. I have no complaints on anyone. It was always with myself I had problems. I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body. And I have become a monster. I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write.

I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. I loved Science, Stars, Nature, but then I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature. Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs colored. Our originality valid through artificial art. It has become truly difficult to love without getting hurt.
The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust. In very field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living.



Rohit writes a bit more about his sense of 'empty-ness' and gives that as his justification to discontinue living and so on.

The phrase 'our love is constructed'; from a scientific point of view seems correct. Unfortunately written in such a note.



Robxbox73's photo
Tue 01/19/16 02:52 AM
I got to know him in a letter. Our school in California was sending letters to the scientists of Nasa. I was one of the winner's of a science fair. So me and the runner ups were given the opportunity. I adressed my letter to the leader of the Mars Viking Lander program. Had asked questions of what types of experiments would be run, once the viking probe landed on Mars. Asked if they believed life had existed on Mars.

The letter that returned 2 weeks later was penned by Astro physicist Dr. Carl Sagan. Our teacher made me read it before the class. He congratulated me on asking excellent questions about the program to land on Mars with this robot. Told me of the experiments and exorted me to continue in a scientific career. He said " one day you too might work in the hallowed halls of Nasa". Still have the letter. I took up Computer Science Degree. Love the movie that he inspired, Contact with Jodi Foster. His answer to the question of life on Mars was "We shall see".

JaiGi's photo
Wed 01/20/16 04:22 AM

I got to know him in a letter. Our school in California was sending letters to the scientists of Nasa. I was one of the winner's of a science fair. So me and the runner ups were given the opportunity. I adressed my letter to the leader of the Mars Viking Lander program. Had asked questions of what types of experiments would be run, once the viking probe landed on Mars. Asked if they believed life had existed on Mars.

The letter that returned 2 weeks later was penned by Astro physicist Dr. Carl Sagan. Our teacher made me read it before the class. He congratulated me on asking excellent questions about the program to land on Mars with this robot. Told me of the experiments and exorted me to continue in a scientific career. He said " one day you too might work in the hallowed halls of Nasa". Still have the letter. I took up Computer Science Degree. Love the movie that he inspired, Contact with Jodi Foster. His answer to the question of life on Mars was "We shall see".


laugh laugh laugh
In a sense, Astronomy remains a magical field. Does not matter who we are but asks where we all could be. From what you say, Dr. Sagan, your teacher, and add to this our own few members who present us with latest insights, colorful details with solid figures to back it all up: all uh.., respect that.

JaiGi's photo
Thu 04/21/16 08:45 PM

Frankk1950's photo
Thu 04/21/16 09:05 PM




"Let us temper our criticism with kindness"
A noble thought.
Thank you for the post JaiGi. :thumbsup:

no photo
Fri 04/22/16 11:35 AM
He discovered billions and billions of stars.

JaiGi's photo
Fri 04/22/16 10:25 PM
"Let us temper our criticism with kindness"
A noble thought.


it was after posting the picture, i noticed it originally belonged to the website "godless mom.com". On checking them out found that those so called atheists are targeting the Church and Mother Theresa?

We see Christian Charity (however misguided it may be) in Europe,
the 'Live n Let Live' principles in America (just stay within the Law)

and yet, we have this 'blind ignorance' turning to 'blind rage' amidst the very people who hosted Mr. Sagan as their poster.

I'm now beginning to understand what the Church meant when they say
"we are all sinners".

to me brought up in Hindu traditions, it translates to: "there's a beast within us..". unfortunately, these realizations come rather late in life.

JaiGi's photo
Sat 04/23/16 12:16 AM
Edited by JaiGi on Sat 04/23/16 12:46 AM

He discovered billions and billions of stars.


thanks, that forced me to check out Edwin Hubble and here's what i find.

1. Dr. Hubble was first to discover a pulsating star outside of the Milky way

2. In 1929 he made another startling find - all galaxies seemed to be receding from us with velocities that increased in proportion to their distance from us - a relationship now known as Hubble's Law.

This breakthrough overturned the conventional view of a static Universe and showed that the Universe itself was expanding. More than a decade earlier, Einstein himself had bowed to the observational wisdom of the day "a static universe" and corrected his equations, which had originally predicted an expanding Universe. Now Hubble had demonstrated that Einstein was right in the first place.

The now elderly, world-famous physicist went specially to visit Hubble at Mount Wilson to express his gratitude. He called the original change of his beloved equations "the greatest blunder of my life."

3. His last great contribution to astronomy was a central role in the design and construction of the Hale 200-inch Telescope on Palomar Mountain. Four times as powerful as the Hooker, the Hale would be the largest telescope on Earth for decades.


Sadly he was not awarded the Nobel, although he believed he deserved one;
all because there was then no category for astronomy. It was long after he passed away NASA honored the Doctor naming the Hubble Telescope.



"Inside the Carina Nebula are stars just starting to form. The pillar right of center in this photo is 3 light-years tall, almost twice as big as our entire Solar System."

3 light years tall; hmm.., the milky way is 300 000 light-years wide.
That was what i thought when MM had posted this picture earlier.
--xx--

now Alleoops forced me into rethink..

"we live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the milky way galaxy which is one of billions of other galaxies which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number perhaps an infinite number of other universes that is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering.

I believe our future depends on how well we know this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky." - Carl Sagan


As per Dr. Sagan's estimate = 400b x 1b = 400 billion billion
which is 400 gazillion stars at the minimum. Considering that stars may average 2 earth sized planets in their systems; i.e. 800 gazillion planets for NASA to work on.

It therefore becomes all the more imperative that future human beings should have a life span of at least 300,000 years to get around in the Milky way or to get out of Milky and reach anywhere else in Cosmos.

This is what Mr. Carl Sagan did; cast a spell on us 'all' and drive our future with such ambitious dreams.

--xx--
by the way, i already have a date with LadyWind on Mars
she asked me to look up some condos there.
just a matter of waiting somemore..


JaiGi's photo
Sat 04/23/16 03:45 AM
for those of us who may be concerned

1 billion = 10^9 (9 zeros)
billion-billion = 10^18

now:
Million has 6 zeros
Billion has 9 zeros
Trillion has 12 zeros
Quadrillion has 15 zeros
Quintillion has 18 zeros
Sextillion has 21 zeros
Septillion has 24 zeros
Octillion has 27 zeros
Nonillion has 30 zeros
Decillion has 33 zeros
Undecillion has 36 zeros

so a billion-billion is just a Quintillion,
in other words 800 quintillion of earth like planets.

for the record, a Gazillion is supposed to have 86430 zeros
http://gregology.net/reference/gazillion/

i know God is great but i don't think He went off into gazillions.