The pale blue dot photo taken close to 4 billion miles from the earth on February 14, 1990 around 12pm est
Dr. Carl Sagan
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there --on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
— Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
Somewhere on that tiny speck I was a fifth grader probably getting ready to eat lunch at Farrington Grove Elementary school in Terre Haute Indiana.
Proper perspective is something I value, but am always chasing. This picture is a great reminder of what I consider "Good perspective".
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind... all we are is dust in the wind
RodneyHamp- Lol
He also became a bit of a TV celebrity, developing a lot of his mojo from a popular PBS television series and doing numerous guest appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
He also became a bit of a TV celebrity, developing a lot of his mojo from a popular PBS television series and doing numerous guest appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
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Chris, you're welcome!
He left out all the little men in the boats?
On The Turning Away (pale blue dot) - ( New Window )
I agree that on one hand the Earth is insignificant relative to vastness of our galaxy and of course relative to the whole Universe. However, I think the more we learn about how the Earth was formed, how our Solar System was formed, the relative rarely of the Earth, our Sun and our Solar System is apparent.
I believe the relative stability of our nearby Galactic neighborhood, the Sun, the Solar System and the Earth are likely exceedingly rare, providing the time for intelligent life to form.
I think some kind of microbial life will prove to be relatively commonplace; potentially even somewhere else in our Solar System. But I believe intelligent life is likely very rare, even maybe exceedingly rare.
So yes, we do just live in a pale blue dot, but it think it’s a very special pale blue dot.
I agree that on one hand the Earth is insignificant relative to vastness of our galaxy and of course relative to the whole Universe. However, I think the more we learn about how the Earth was formed, how our Solar System was formed, the relative rarely of the Earth, our Sun and our Solar System is apparent.
I believe the relative stability of our nearby Galactic neighborhood, the Sun, the Solar System and the Earth are likely exceedingly rare, providing the time for intelligent life to form.
I think some kind of microbial life will prove to be relatively commonplace; potentially even somewhere else in our Solar System. But I believe intelligent life is likely very rare, even maybe exceedingly rare.
So yes, we do just live in a pale blue dot, but it think it’s a very special pale blue dot.
Hi Trainmaster. Thanks for the contribution. Our "Pale blue dot" certainly is special. I don't think Dr.Sagan was saying otherwise (if that is what you were getting at with your last line. I think Humans in general tend to over value their (our) existence. We have a great existence, but perhaps we lack perspective.
That sounds like the truth to me trainmaster.
There's a disc on them that shows where we are in the Universe and what we look like .
The scientists involved get so wrapped up into it. If you ever get a chance to see that I highly recommend it.
There's a disc on them that shows where we are in the Universe and what we look like .
The scientists involved get so wrapped up into it. If you ever get a chance to see that I highly recommend it.
Thanks liteamorn for the suggestion.
Hi Chris, should I delete myself from existence if I haven't watched Cosmos?! I confess that I have not watched it.
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It's my favorite thing ever on TV. My son's middle name is Sagan after Carl Sagan.
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was a national treasure. I still go back and watch Cosmos. It's hypnotic.
Hi Chris, should I delete myself from existence if I haven't watched Cosmos?! I confess that I have not watched it.
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It's incredible. Absolutely incredible.
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was a national treasure. I still go back and watch Cosmos. It's hypnotic.
Hi Chris, should I delete myself from existence if I haven't watched Cosmos?! I confess that I have not watched it.
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You need to remedy this IMMEDIATELY. Drop everything else!