Pale Blue Dot : A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994)

by Carl Sagan

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▾LibraryThing recommendations

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Showing 1-5 of 10 (next | show all)

Wonderful and mind expanding book. It makes a great case for the space program and human exploration of space, but does not stop there. Entertaining and filled with great science. (

)

lapomelzi | May 4, 2013 |

This book had SO much information packed in a very accessable way. All about our solar system, space exploration, the planets and moons, and all kinds of things. It's so enjoyable to read and will help you understand the amazing place we live. Not earth, folks... the universe. (

)

amaraduende | Mar 30, 2013 |

All though I have the greatest respect for Dr. Carl Sagan, he does tend to let his 'political opinions' leak out. It became very obvious to me that Dr. Sagan has no time for conservatives or Republicans in general.

That said, this book is outstanding if one considers the date it was published. Young astronomers and environmentalists will see and learn about our small but precious Earth.

The big take away for me was that we 'humans', are not the center of anything but our own imaginations. Our place in the cosmos is so insignificant, that it's not even worth mentioning. And to think we are so smart, is laughable.

Thank you Dr. Sagan, and rest well.

Jim DeManche
Amateur Astronomer (

)

jimdemanche | Jun 19, 2012 |

As always, an inspiring book by one of the greatest science popularizers. It takes you through various moments of tension during various spacecraft missions.

It lets you in a state of expectation and optimism for the things we can achieve in future generations, this sensation can be best summarized by his last sentence with his singular and powerful prose:

"Sailors on a becalmed sea, we sense the stirring of a breeze." (

)

tyomero | Apr 28, 2012 |

Dated, but this is still the most majestic and relevant book you’re likely to find about humanity’s place in the solar system. I actually 'read' Pale Blue Dot by listening to the audiobook, narrated for the most part by the author himself. Carl Sagan's delivery is justifiably the stuff of legend, with his rich, deliberate and passionate enunciation. Years after his death Sagan remains one of the most poetic and thought provoking of writers. Marvellous, marvellous stuff. (

)

madcurrin | Aug 4, 2011 |

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Is abridged in

The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins

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Pale Blue Dot : A Vision of the Human Future in Space

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1994

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Earth

Mars

Milky Way Galaxy

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New York Times bestseller (Nonfiction, 1995)

Epigraph

Dedication

For Sam, another wanderer. May your generation see wonders undreamt.

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We were wanderers from the beginning.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Wikipedia in English (13)

21062 Iasky

Carl Sagan

Carolyn Porco

Colonization of trans-Neptunian objects

Contents of the Voyager Golden Record

Terraforming of Venus

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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0345376595, Paperback)

"FASCINATING . . . MEMORABLE . . . REVEALING . . . PERHAPS THE BEST OF CARL SAGAN'S BOOKS."
--The Washington Post Book World (front page review)

In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time.

Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier--space. In Pale Blue Dot Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race.

"TAKES READERS FAR BEYOND Cosmos . . . Sagan sees humanity's future in the stars."
--Chicago Tribune

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 05:46:26 -0400)

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▾Library descriptions

A thousand years from now, our epoch will be remembered as the time when we first left the Earth and saw it from beyond the outermost planet as a pale blue dot, almost lost against the backdrop of the stars. As we complete the preliminary reconnaissance of our Solar System, we hunger for a long-term vision of the human future. Now, the astronomer who brought the Universe to so many people answers that call - suggesting that our very survival depends on the exploration and settlement of other worlds. Pale Blue Dot reveals how science has revolutionized our understanding of where we stand and who we are and challenges us to weigh what we will do with that knowledge. Emerging out of our sometimes reluctant recognition of our true place in the Cosmos comes a vision of an exhilarating future with a surprisingly spiritual impact.… (more)

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