Photograph of Carl Sagan
Robert Reichert and Cornell University.

Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan is an American astronomer who was born in 1934. He is famous for his research on the origins of life and his belief that life exists elsewhere in the universe.

Sagan became a leading figure in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence with his involvement in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft expeditions to Venus and the outer planets. He has made valuable contributions to the study of planetary atmospheres, planetary surfaces, and the history of Earth.

Sagan passed away on December 20, 1996.


Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!

Our online store includes a wide range of Nature's Own mineral specimens, as well as a mineral and fossil collection perfect for the classroom.

Windows to the Universe Community

News

Opportunities

You might also be interested in:

Ready, Set, SCIENCE!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms

What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences?...more

The Origin of Life on Earth

How did life begin on Earth? Though no one is ever likely to know the whole story, virtually everyone has wondered at one time or another, how life on Earth began. There are at least three types of hypotheses...more

Exploratour: NASA's Exploration for Life

Where might we find extraterrestrial life in the solar system, and in what ways might an habitable place be different from Earth? Warmth? It seems that the temperature on Earth (room temperature, so to...more

Scientists Who Studied Life

Carl Sagan Stephen J. Gould Marie Curie Charles Darwin Louis Pasteur Leonardo Da Vinci ...more

Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman was an American physicist who lived between 1918-1988. He contributed to many areas of physics, including atomic theory and quantum electrodynamics, which studies electron behavior. Following...more

Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist who was born in 1941. He revised Darwin's theory of evolution, introducing his own concept of punctuated equilibrium. This states that evolution is not...more

Evelyn Granville

Evelyn Granville is an American mathematician who was born in 1924. She was one of the first black women in the United States to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. She has made many contributions to NASA's...more

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking is an English ...more

Shop Windows to the Universe

Celestite is available in our online store, along with other minerals and fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items.

Generous sponsorship of Windows to the Universe is provided by the Hewlett Foundation, the American Geological Institute, the American Geophysical Union, the National Science Foundation, NASA, NCAR, and the CISM and CMMAP projects. NASA CMMAP AGU CISM NCAR Hewlett AGI NSF