Astronomer & Science Communicator · American · b. November 9, 1934 · d. December 20, 1996
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. Sagan assembled the first physical messages sent into space, the Pioneer plaques and the Voyager Golden Records, universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. He argued the now-accepted hypothesis that the high surface temperatures of Venus are the result of the greenhouse effect. Initially an associate professor at Harvard, Sagan later moved to Cornell, where he spent most of his career as the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author, or editor of more than 20 books.
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