I wouldn’t exactly call myself a scientist, but I sure do get a kick out of learning about space.
I’m sure I’m not alone. It’s a pretty cool thing to think about, all those planets and stars and who knows what else that’s out there, existing on scales that are hard to fathom.
Space being hard to wrap a head around is exactly why science communicators like Carl Sagan are so important. He managed to explain the cosmos and science in such a way that it not only became understandable for shmucks like me, but made it all sound infinitely interesting.
I think a lot of it came from his own personal enthusiasm for the subjects that he was talking about — you could always tell that he was just as enthralled by the ideas he was explaining as those he was talking to, who were discovering them for the first time.
And on top of all that, he was one helluva quote machine.
Here are a few of my favorite Carl Sagan quotes, and if you haven’t heard him wax poetic about the Pale Blue Dot, do yourself a favor and check it out in its entirety here.