ASTRONOMER

Carl Sagan

1934 - 1996

Photo of Carl Sagan

Icon of person Carl Sagan

Carl Edward Sagan (; SAY-gən; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by exposure to light. He assembled the first physical messages sent into space, the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, which were universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Carl Sagan has received more than 13,506,728 page views. His biography is available in 98 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 97 in 2019). Carl Sagan is the 15th most popular astronomer, the 209th most popular biography from United States (down from 185th in 2019) and the 2nd most popular American Astronomer.

Carl Sagan is most famous for his work in the field of astronomy. He was a professor at Cornell University and taught astronomy and astrophysics. He also wrote many books about science, including "Cosmos" and "Pale Blue Dot."

Memorability Metrics

  • 14M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 71.57

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 98

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.92

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 6.06

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among ASTRONOMERS

Among astronomers, Carl Sagan ranks 15 out of 644Before him are Ulugh Beg, Ja'far al-Sadiq, Aristarchus of Samos, Edwin Hubble, Hipparchus, and Ole Rømer. After him are Aryabhata, Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Charles Messier, and Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers.

Most Popular Astronomers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1934, Carl Sagan ranks 11Before him are Leonard Cohen, Albert II of Belgium, Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, Giorgio Armani, Maggie Smith, and Gene Cernan. After him are Nana Mouskouri, Daniel Kahneman, Judi Dench, Leonid Kravchuk, Vavá, and Jane Goodall. Among people deceased in 1996, Carl Sagan ranks 6Before him are François Mitterrand, Marcello Mastroianni, Tupac Shakur, Baba Vanga, and Thomas Kuhn. After him are Marguerite Duras, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Dzhokhar Dudayev, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Joseph Brodsky, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Others Born in 1934

Go to all Rankings

Others Deceased in 1996

Go to all Rankings

In United States

Among people born in United States, Carl Sagan ranks 209 out of 20,380Before him are Johnny Cash (1932), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803), Steve McQueen (1930), Thomas Kuhn (1922), John B. Watson (1878), and John Williams (1932). After him are Cameron Diaz (1972), Buzz Aldrin (1930), Benjamin Harrison (1833), Richard Gere (1949), John Quincy Adams (1767), and Robert Andrews Millikan (1868).

Among ASTRONOMERS In United States

Among astronomers born in United States, Carl Sagan ranks 2Before him are Edwin Hubble (1889). After him are Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958), Charles Greeley Abbot (1872), Robert Woodrow Wilson (1936), Vera Rubin (1928), Clyde Tombaugh (1906), William Alfred Fowler (1911), Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868), Asaph Hall (1829), Eugene Merle Shoemaker (1928), and Russell Alan Hulse (1950).