On what would have been Carl Sagan's 90th birthday, Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute will celebrate his legacy in an interdisciplinary day of science, music and more as part of the College of Arts &Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series. Opening the event will be Sagan's longtime collaborator and widow, Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer/producer/director Ann Druyan, who, among other collaborations with Sagan, co-wrote the original "Cosmos" series with him, co-created the motion picture "Contact" and is writer, producer and director of the award-winning second and third seasons of "Cosmos."
The celebration will take place in Call Auditorium in Kennedy Hall on Nov. 9 from 2-6:15 p.m. A livestream will be hosted by eCornell. Additional events will be held throughout the day, including family activities in the morning.
“Carl Sagan continues to inspire our search for life in the cosmos, with research at the Carl Sagan Institute carrying his legacy into the future. We invite everyone to celebrate this special occasion with us on Nov. 9,” said Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute and associate professor of astronomy (A&S), who will moderate the event.
The Carl Sagan Institute, based on the pioneering work of Sagan, was founded to find life in the universe and features an interdisciplinary team from across the university. On Nov. 9, team members from the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Agriculture and Life Sciences will share their latest research, including the newest results of the James Webb Space Telescope's search for exoplanets, how to find life in the cosmos, an update on the Cornell light sail that will deploy from the International Space Station, and an exploration of the music of the Voyager's Golden Record in a modern context.
Video birthday wishes from people Sagan inspired will be shared, including some that Kaltenegger predicts will surprise attendees. The public is also invited to share their own birthday wishes and tributes to Sagan, via a submission system that will be unveiled soon on the institute’s social media platforms.
Morning activities will feature the Physics Bus from the ScienceCenter and an open house at the Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility (SPIF).
Other events on campus being held to celebrate Sagan’s legacy include a talk on the search for intelligent life on Friday night, Nov. 8, and public open houses at Fuertes Observatory on Friday, 8-11 p.m. and Saturday, 10-12 p.m., all hosted by the Cornell Astronomical Society. An interactive map of the Sagan Planet Walk has also been created by research assistant Gillis Lowry ’24.
The celebration is being co-sponsored by the Department of Astronomy (A&S) and the Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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