A pale blue dot

c.dric · 05-26-2007

(this thread could belong in so many different forums: environment, politics, science, tech, life, religion, ... i'll just post it here for now.)

"This is the "Pale Blue Dot" photograph of the Earth taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft on July 6, 1990. The Earth is the relatively bright speck of light about halfway down the rightmost sunbeam."

In a commencement address delivered May 11, 1996, Sagan related his thoughts on the deeper meaning of the photograph:

Quote:

We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you've ever heard of, every human being who ever was lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

Extreme Coder · 05-26-2007

Thanks a lot for the article

I guess that explains your location in your profile.

Extreme Coder

OrangeCrate · 05-26-2007

Thanks, that was a nice read. Carl Sagan had a remarkable mind. His television series "Cosmos" was one of the best I ever saw. Early '80s on PBS if I remember correctly.

rjwood · 05-26-2007

The first time I saw that picture and read that quote, my perspective expanded. A definite light bulb moment.....

zenwhen · 05-27-2007

Seeing images like that makes it impossible for me to feel that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

OrangeCrate · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenwhen

Seeing images like that makes it impossible for me to feel that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

To me that's a given. I just hope they remember to bring beer when they visit us...

Quillz · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenwhen

Seeing images like that makes it impossible for me to feel that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

I agree. Such a vast universe, we can not possibly be alone. Hopefully the discovery of Gliese will prove fruitful.

bengamblin · 05-28-2007

I love that picture. I first saw it around February time, and since then it seems to keep cropping up. I find it truely humbling, especially when reading Carl Sagan's words with it.

I keep meaning to buy the book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future In Space" by Carl Sagan, but haven't got round to it. Has anyone read it?

Extreme Coder · 05-28-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quillz

I agree. Such a vast universe, we can not possibly be alone. Hopefully the discovery of Gliese will prove fruitful.

Gliese?

c.dric · 06-10-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by bengamblin

I keep meaning to buy the book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future In Space" by Carl Sagan, but haven't got round to it. Has anyone read it?

i did and i would recommend it. if you read only one book on astronomy and the future of space exploration, this should be the one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenwhen

Seeing images like that makes it impossible for me to feel that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

that's the popular assumption and mine too however not all scientists agree on this. here is an interesting review of the book "Rare Earth" :

Maybe We Are Alone in the Universe, After All

Quote:

... Now, two prominent scientists say the conventional wisdom is wrong. The alien search, they add, is likely to fail.

Drawing on new findings in astronomy, geology and paleontology, the two argue that humans might be alone, at least in the stellar neighborhood, and perhaps in the entire cosmos. They say modern science is showing that Earth's composition and stability are extraordinarily rare. Most everywhere else, the radiation levels are too high, the right chemical elements too rare in abundance, the hospitable planets too few in number and the rain of killer rocks too intense for life ever to have evolved into advanced communities. Alien microbes may survive in many places as a kind of cosmic shower scum, they say, but not extraterrestrials civilized enough to be awash in technology. ... [Full article]

bengamblin · 06-11-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by c.dric

i did and i would recommend it. if you read only one book on astronomy and the future of space exploration, this should be the one.

Well you've convinced me. The next book I buy, will be it.

Wardy125 · 06-29-2007

wow we're a ickle blue dot!!

C-A · 06-29-2007

Nice perspective. Time to do some reflection.

metallicamaster3 · 06-29-2007

you gotta think of how long ago that picture was taken. It may have been recieved from earth in 1990. but the photo itself was taken probably a while back before then. You need to consider how far away the Voyager is. The signal transmitted back to earth can only be so fast. It probably took YEARS for earth to recieve that photo.

UGH! i cant even put into words how things beyond earth awe-strike me! i dont think anyone can

Extreme Coder · 06-30-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by metallicamaster3

you gotta think of how long ago that picture was taken. It may have been recieved from earth in 1990. but the photo itself was taken probably a while back before then. You need to consider how far away the Voyager is. The signal transmitted back to earth can only be so fast. It probably took YEARS for earth to recieve that photo.

UGH! i cant even put into words how things beyond earth awe-strike me! i dont think anyone can

But what would change?

05-26-2007	#2 (permalink)
Extreme Coder ^_^; Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cairo,Egypt Posts: 1,203	Re: A pale blue dot Thanks a lot for the article I guess that explains your location in your profile. Extreme Coder

05-26-2007	#3 (permalink)
OrangeCrate Eligible for a custom title Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,576	Re: A pale blue dot Thanks, that was a nice read. Carl Sagan had a remarkable mind. His television series "Cosmos" was one of the best I ever saw. Early '80s on PBS if I remember correctly.

05-26-2007	#4 (permalink)
rjwood Long Gone For Good Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,236	Re: A pale blue dot The first time I saw that picture and read that quote, my perspective expanded. A definite light bulb moment.....
	Long Gone For Good

05-27-2007	#5 (permalink)
zenwhen Interested participant Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 17	Re: A pale blue dot Seeing images like that makes it impossible for me to feel that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

05-28-2007	#8 (permalink)
bengamblin Commentator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Essex, England, UK Posts: 32	Re: A pale blue dot I love that picture. I first saw it around February time, and since then it seems to keep cropping up. I find it truely humbling, especially when reading Carl Sagan's words with it. I keep meaning to buy the book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future In Space" by Carl Sagan, but haven't got round to it. Has anyone read it?

06-29-2007	#12 (permalink)
Wardy125 Eligible for a custom title Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Somewhere you're not. Posts: 172	Re: A pale blue dot wow we're a ickle blue dot!!
	Wardy

06-29-2007	#13 (permalink)
C-A Shaman Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 141	Re: A pale blue dot Nice perspective. Time to do some reflection.
C-A Shaman Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 141	-I am not your blowing wind -I am the lightning

06-29-2007	#14 (permalink)
metallicamaster3 Ubuntu God Join Date: May 2007 Location: New York City, U.S. Posts: 185	Re: A pale blue dot you gotta think of how long ago that picture was taken. It may have been recieved from earth in 1990. but the photo itself was taken probably a while back before then. You need to consider how far away the Voyager is. The signal transmitted back to earth can only be so fast. It probably took YEARS for earth to recieve that photo. UGH! i cant even put into words how things beyond earth awe-strike me! i dont think anyone can
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