“Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?”

American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator

Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. He worked at Harvard as an assistant professor before moving to Cornell University, where he became the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and directed the Laboratory for Planetary Studies. Sagan took an active role in the Mariner, Viking and Voyager programs. He also wrote more than 600 scientific papers and articles, along with several popular science books, beginning with The Cosmic Connection. His The Dragons of Eden won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.