The pale blue dot : Karl Sagan

 

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken Feb. 14, 1990, by NASA’s Voyager 1 

at a distance of 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun. 

The image inspired the title of scientist Carl Sagan's book, "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future 

in Space," in which he wrote: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us." 

The above image, “Pale Blue Dot Revisited,” was created in 2020 for the 30th anniversary of the iconic picture. 

The updated version used modern image-processing software and techniques to revisit the well-known Voyager view, 

while attempting to respect the original data and intent of those who planned the images. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) 

A passage from the book : 

“In some respects, science has far surpassed religion in delivering awe. How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, “This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant. God must be even greater than we dreamed”? Instead they say, “No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.” 

A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge.”