Sagan, Carl

[person]

American astronomer and astrochemist, born in Brooklyn, New York (1934-1996). Sagan was a pioneer in astrobiology, and championed the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). He was also a prolific researcher: He was key in the determination of Venus's high surface temperature, was an early proponent of oceans on Titan and Europa, and studied planetary atmospheres. He is best remembered for hosting the TV series Cosmos and for writing a widely popular companion book by the same name.