Carl Sagan: Science as Poetry

Carl Sagan made the cosmos feel personal, turning science into poetry for

millions. Born in 1934 in Brooklyn, he grew up staring at the stars from

his family’s modest apartment rooftop. His curiosity led him into astronomy, planetary science,

and eventually NASA—where he played key roles in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager missions.

Sagan helped design the golden records sent aboard Voyager 1 and 2, carrying sounds

and images of Earth into interstellar space. But he was more than a scientist.

In 1980, Sagan co-wrote and hosted Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, a TV series seen

by half a billion people worldwide. His voice and words—“We are made of star stuff”—became iconic,