Comments on: 11 years ago today, the light dimmed

By: deano

deano — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:41:53 +0000

I watched this for the first time over the last couple of weeks. I feel betrayed, because I honestly never heard of Carl. I’m one of the ones who never had alot of info in my town. But I’m glad I did see his series.
Whoever sees his films or reads his books just becomes a better person I think.

If only he had more resources to and still be here we wouldn’t be in the conditon we are now, he was more than a scientist, He’s our future to the stars.

He will never be missed if we keep his dreams alive.

By: MandyDax

MandyDax — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:18:47 +0000

This makes me cry every time I hear it. Sometimes I wonder that we hairless apes haven’t managed to destroy that near invisible speck. If more people stopped to marvel at the vastness of the universe and to realize that this world is the only one we know of with life at all, they might not be so hateful, so greedy, so egocentric. Science gives our species a chance to survive, to spread into the universe, and to realize our true potentials. I have hope there, where no philosophies or religions of the world can even begin to show a spark of it. I hope I live long enough to see that future where perhaps there is a pale rusty dot alongside the blue. Maybe then I’ll know we aren’t all doomed.

By: Barton Paul Levenson

Barton Paul Levenson — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:53:28 +0000

HumanisticJones writes:

[[It stands at one of the greatest reminders that science and reason can turn our eyes to the vastness of everything and bring us more meaning and beauty than any tiny holy book.]]

Nature is also God’s book, and there is wonder in the very small as well as the very large.

By: penny

penny — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:14:17 +0000

Another great popular astronomy writer
to compare and contrast Sagan too, or just to give his books as Solstice or Newton’s birthday presents is ….Patrick Moore.

Don’t forget to give a kid a telescope or a membership in an astronomy club this holiday!!

And Phil Plait’s Book on Bad Astronomy!!

By: penny

penny — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:07:28 +0000

I agree with the poster with a degree in astrophysics who is now reading Hawking–I cut my teeth on ” The Large Scale Structure of Space Time” by Hawking and Ellis. Hard work, but well worth it!! Also see the classic book on G.R. by Wald for some overlaps.

Although their are many mathematical errors and gaps, it is a great introduction to the mathematics of global general relativity–especially to Yvonne Chouqet-Bruhats solution of the Local Cauchy problem for the Einstein Equations.

Hawking’s popular books are trash, however. Too sketchy for experts, too abstract for the general public or extremely low information content–or just collections of math work by classical math people ( Such as “On the Shoulders of Giants”).

Hey, You know who is a far better writer for the general public, and great to get kids on the right path….Phil Plait!!

By: penny

penny — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:59:10 +0000

Sagan was a third rate researcher.
Cosmos was drivel: Aliens, galactic encyclopedia, starship Pythagorus,
with a few high points about history known
( in my generation) to every fourth grader.

Just before Cosmos aired, a similar and somewhat better show called ” The Ascent of Man” by J. Brunowski had aired on PBS.
Both became coffee table books.

Perhaps, ( as in the case of Star Wars), I was too old to appreciate it–being in grad school at the time Cosmos first aired.

But, I grew up on the books of Fred Hoyle,
and Harlow Shapley, Wiley Ley and they were very inspiring.

Fred Hoyle was probably Sagan’s life model–an astronomer who wrote popular books, wrote science fiction, and had a radio astronomy show ( in England) called
…Cosmos.

By: timelady

timelady — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:53:39 +0000

Hey, Geophysicist : another from Adelaide, Australia, reached by Carl.

The man has a phenomenal legacy – no mere light in the darkness of ignorance, he was, is, will always be, a beacon.

We miss you, Carl.