By subscribing to Inspiring Quotes you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Carl Sagan was one of the greatest science communicators of the last century. A planetary scientist and astrophysicist, he had a gift for explaining complex scientific concepts to the general public. He was also acutely aware of humanity’s place in the universe. It was Sagan who suggested to NASA that the Voyager 1 space probe should turn its camera around to snap one last photo of Earth before it sped away into interstellar space, from a distance of 3.7 billion miles away. The resulting photo, which shows the Earth as a tiny speck against the vastness of space, is known as the “Pale Blue Dot.” The image had little scientific value, but its significance was profound: It gave humans a perspective of our world out there in the vast emptiness — and us, as Sagan put it, as “momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.”
The Classics: Quotes From History’s Greatest Poems
13 Quotes About Our Incredible Connection to Earth
Ancient Egyptian Wisdom for Modern Life
Quotes From Our Favorite Halloween Movies
12 Quotes Every People-Pleaser Should Read
Break Free of Jealousy With These Quotes
Our Top 23 Quotes of 2023
20 Quotes From the Biggest Pop Stars in History
16 Quotes About the Practice of Not Giving Up
12 Funny Quotes From Centenarians
14 Heartwarming Quotes From ‘The Great British Bake Off’