Born: 9 November 1934 · Died: 20 December 1996 · Age at death: 62
How old was Carl Sagan when he died?
Carl Sagan died aged 62. He was born on 9 November 1934 and died on 20 December 1996.
American astronomer who presented the TV series Cosmos, wrote Pale Blue Dot and helped design the Voyager Golden Record
Did you know?He helped select the diverse collection of sounds and images placed on the Golden Records carried by the Voyager spacecraft.
Quick facts
Date of birth9 November 1934
Date of death20 December 1996
Age at death62
Cause of deathPneumonia
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceBrooklyn, United States
Occupationcosmologist, astrophysicist, novelist
Editor's Take:
Carl Sagan made the universe feel personal. As an astronomer he worked on NASA missions to Venus, Mars and the outer planets, but his greatest gift was explaining science with wonder. His television series Cosmos reached hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. He warned about nuclear winter and climate change long before they were mainstream concerns. His reflection on Earth as a pale blue dot remains one of the most moving pieces of science writing.
Key Milestones
1977: Voyager – Golden Record
1978: Pulitzer Prize – The Dragons of Eden
1980: Cosmos – TV series
1985: Contact – novel
Carl Edward Sagan (SAY-gən; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator.
