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Called "America's most effective salesman of science" by Time magazine, astronomer Carl Sagan spent much of his career translating technical scientific explanations to make them easily digestible by the general public. Described as a natural teacher, he educated not only through classroom lectures but also through interviews and on television shows. His 13-part TV series, Cosmos, has been seen by over 600 million people in more than 60 countries. The show was so popular it returned to television in 2005.

Life on the Pale Blue Dot

Carl Edward Sagan was born Nov. 9, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended college at the University of Chicago, where he attained a Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics. After doing his postdoctoral work, he taught at Harvard. When he wasn't granted tenure, he moved on to Cornell University in New York, serving as the director for the Laboratory for Planetary Studies and the Associate Director of the Center for Radio Physics and Space Research.

He was married three times, and had a total of five children.

Diagnosed with the rare bone marrow disease myelodysplasia, Sagan underwent three bone marrow transplants over the course of his life. Complications from the disease resulted in his contracting pneumonia, which led to his death on Dec. 20, 1996. He was 62 years old.

Making science interesting

Although Sagan was most widely known for his scientific communication with the general public, he made many significant contributions to the field of science directly.

While Sagan attended graduate school, the planet Venus was often considered to be similar to Earth. As part of his thesis, Sagan computed the first greenhouse model for Venus' atmosphere, which revealed a higher temperature than previously suspected. He suggested that the seasonal changes observed on Mars was caused by dust storms on the planet, and wrote a series of papers on the organic chemistry of Jupiter's atmosphere.

Serving as an advisor to NASA, Sagan helped to design and manage the Mariner 2 mission to Venus, the Mariner 9 and Viking trips to Mars, the Voyager system to the outer solar system, and the Galileo mission to Jupiter. He also helped to brief astronauts prior to their trips to the moon.

But Sagan was far more visible as a scientific educator than he was as a researcher. He was gifted at breaking down scientific concepts into explanations that the public could readily understand, without seeming to talk down to them. He authored hundreds of popular articles and more than two dozen books, frequently appeared in Time magazine landing the cover on at least one occasion. And was a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 26 times, calling it "the biggest classroom in history." His 13-hour miniseries, Cosmos, was loved by countless children and adults, and his nonfiction and fiction books were widely read.

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Carl Sagan: Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot & Famous Quotes