“star stuff contemplating star stuff” : Remembering Carl Sagan


“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people,” Carl Edward Sagan once said.

Even though I have been involved in astronomy for a while, but not until few years ago I discovered the “true Sagan”. Then thanks to Prof. Kavan Ratnatunga, last year I got an opportunity to watch all the episodes of COSMOS. Aired in more than 60 countries and viewed by 600 million people worldwide, this amazing series still is very effective though it was made in 80s.

What most inspired me about him was his ability to put something complicated in a very simplest form, so that anyone without a scientific background could understand it.


COSMOS and Sri Lanka

After seeing the series, Prof. Kavan and I decided to screen it at a local university for the undergraduate students. Each episode was followed by a discussion related to the theme.

Unfortunately the name Carl Sagan is not popular in Sri Lanka. Only handful of people is aware of this great mind. Since we, at Sri Lanka Astronomical Association planning programs for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 , under IYA2009 one of our goals would be to air COSMOS in our national channel with Sinhalese subtitles.

I hope during next year we’ll be able to get the necessary steps towards airing of COSMOS in Sri Lanka.

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Check Joel’s Carl Sagan Memorial Blog-a-Thon, Celebrating Sagan blog and website.

"The significance of a finding that there are other beings who share this universe with us would be absolutely phenomenal, it would be an epochal event in human history."

Sir Arthur’s birthday celebration

The special day was last Sunday. In the morning there was a small celebration at Sir Arthur’s place which was attended by his closest friends and family.
Sir Arthur happly cut the cake while everyone else sang "happy birthday"...




In the evening, a government hosted celebration took place with the presence of President of Sri Lanka – Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, Russian Cosmonaut – Alexi Leonov, NASA scientist – Dr. Michael Zolenesky, NASA-JPL sicnetist – Dr. Sarath Gunapala, Prof.U. R. Rao – Indian Space Research Organization, Dr. Sajid Mirza of Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Prof. K. K. Y. W. Perera – Chairman of Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technology-Sri Lanka and many other distinguished guests.




Sir Arthur cutting his cake...

With Russian cosmonaut - Alexi Leonov





With the President of Sri Lanka- Mahinda Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollaga .









Sir Arthur Clarke's 90th birthday reflections video






Text of video address (running time: 9 mins 3 secs) Recoded on 5 December 2007
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Hello! This is Arthur Clarke, speaking to you from my home in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

As I approach my 90th birthday, my friends are asking how it feels like, to have completed 90 orbits around the Sun.

Well, I actually don't feel a day older than 89!

Of course, some things remind me that I have indeed qualified as a senior citizen. As Bob Hope once said: "You know you're getting old, when the candles cost more than the cake!"

I’m now perfectly happy to step aside and watch how things evolve. But there's also a sad side to living so long: most of my contemporaries and old friends have already departed. However, they have left behind many fond memories, for me to recall.

I now spend a good part of my day dreaming of times past, present and future. As I try to survive on 15 hours’ sleep a day, I have plenty of time to enjoy vivid dreams. Being completely wheel-chaired doesn't stop my mind from roaming the universe – on the contrary!

In my time I’ve been very fortunate to see many of my dreams come true! Growing up in the 1920s and 1930s, I never expected to see so much happen in the span of a few decades. We 'space cadets' of the British Interplanetary Society spent all our spare time discussing space travel – but we didn’t imagine that it lay in our own near future…

I still can't quite believe that we've just marked the 50th anniversary of the Space Age! We’ve accomplished a great deal in that time, but the 'Golden Age of Space' is only just beginning. After half a century of government-sponsored efforts, we are now witnessing the emergence of commercial space flight.
Over the next 50 years, thousands of people will travel to Earth orbit – and then, to the Moon and beyond. Space travel – and space tourism – will one day become almost as commonplace as flying to exotic destinations on our own planet.

Things are also changing rapidly in many other areas of science and technology. To give just one example, the world's mobile phone coverage recently passed 50 per cent -- or 3.3 billion subscriptions. This was achieved in just a little over a quarter century since the first cellular network was set up. The mobile phone has revolutionized human communications, and is turning humanity into an endlessly chattering global family!

What does this mean for us as a species?

Communication technologies are necessary, but not sufficient, for us humans to get along with each other. This is why we still have many disputes and conflicts in the world. Technology tools help us to gather and disseminate information, but we also need qualities like tolerance and compassion to achieve greater understanding between peoples and nations.

I have great faith in optimism as a guiding principle, if only because it offers us the opportunity of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. So I hope we've learnt something from the most barbaric century in history – the 20th. I would like to see us overcome our tribal divisions and begin to think and act as if we were one family. That would be real globalisation…

As I complete 90 orbits, I have no regrets and no more personal ambitions. But if I may be allowed just three wishes, they would be these.

Firstly, I would like to see some evidence of extra-terrestrial life. I have always believed that we are not alone in the universe. But we are still waiting for ETs to call us – or give us some kind of a sign. We have no way of guessing when this might happen – I hope sooner rather than later!

Secondly, I would like to see us kick our current addiction to oil, and adopt clean energy sources. For over a decade, I've been monitoring various new energy experiments, but they have yet to produce commercial scale results. Climate change has now added a new sense of urgency. Our civilisation depends on energy, but we can't allow oil and coal to slowly bake our planet…

The third wish is one closer to home. I’ve been living in Sri Lanka for 50 years – and half that time, I’ve been a sad witness to the bitter conflict that divides my adopted country.
I dearly wish to see lasting peace established in Sri Lanka as soon as possible. But I’m aware that peace cannot just be wished -- it requires a great deal of hard work, courage and persistence.

* * * * *

I’m sometimes asked how I would like to be remembered. I’ve had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer, space promoter and science populariser. Of all these, I want to be remembered most as a writer – one who entertained readers, and, hopefully, stretched their imagination as well.

I find that another English writer -- who, coincidentally, also spent most of his life in the East -- has expressed it very well. So let me end with these words of Rudyard Kipling:
If I have given you delight
by aught that I have done.
Let me lie quiet in that night
which shall be yours anon;

And for the little, little span
the dead are borne in mind,
seek not to question other than,
the books I leave behind.

This is Arthur Clarke, saying Thank You and Goodbye from Colombo!

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Available on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qLdeEjdbWE

The Star Stuff Guy- Carl Sagan

Although I have been involved in astronomy for couple of years, I wasn’t aware of this brilliant personality, Dr. Carl Sagan until recently (I should add here that there are unfortunately only handful of people who knows about Carl Sagan in Sri Lanka). Then thanks to Prof. Kavan Ratnatunga, I managed to watch the whole thirteen episodes of COSMOS which I find amazing. Because of it’s usefulness after so many years. What attracted me most is the way he puts all these complicated science stuff in a simplest form where general public and anyone without any scientific background could easily grasp.

The first step was to screen the COSMOS series in one our local universities- University of Colombo- as a project organized by Sri Lanka Astronomical Association. It was screened last year for the tenth anniversary of Carl Sagan’s passing.

This year we are just about to celebrate the eleventh anniversary of Carl Sagan’s passing. Recently I came across Joel’s Carl Sagan Memorial Blog-a-Thon -which originally gave me the inspiration to do the Sir Arthur Clarke’s 90th birthday wish blog.- Joel’s continuing the Carl Sagan Memorial Blog-a-thon for the second consecutive time.

I’ll be contributing this year with an article about Carl Sagan for the local newspaper. December 20th is the big date.

Announcement of Sir Arthur C Clarke’s 90th birth day blog

Fellow Earthlings,


Sixty two years ago Arthur C. Clarke of the British Interplanetary Society sent a letter to the editor titled Peacetime Uses for V2 which was published in the 1945 February issue of the Wireless World magazine suggesting the use of Geostationary Satellites for the instant global communications. Quoting,

“I would like to close by mentioning a possibility of the more remote future--perhaps half a century ahead.
An ``artificial satellite'' at the correct distance from the earth would make one revolution every 24 hours; i.e., it would remain stationary above the same spot and would be within optical range of nearly half the earth's surface. Three repeater stations, 120 degrees apart in the correct orbit, could give television and microwave coverage to the entire planet.

Today, the Clarke Orbit has over 330 satellites. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, a science-fiction author, inventor, and futurist, simply a greate mind celebrates his 90th birth anniversary on 16th of December, 2007.

In 1959, he founded the Ceylon Astronomical Association (now known as Sri Lanka Astronomical Association). As the current General Secretary of the Association, I’m honored to run an association founded by him. And as a big fan of his writings and admirer of his work, I have put up a blog where every one could wish him for his 90th birth day.

If you are a friend, colleague, fan or simply an earthling who admires work of Sir Arthur Clarke, please write your greetings and good wishes on the blog.

Please forward this message around and publish it in your website/ magazine/ paper/blog etc… if possible.

Let us wish together a healthy and a long life for Sir Arthur.

Post your greetings and wishes at http://SirArthurCClarke90.blogspot.com


Regards,

Thilina Heenatigala
General Secretary

Sri Lanka
Astronomical Association
http://thilinaheenatigala.blogspot.com/
URL:
http://aalk.lakdiva.net/
Phone:
+94-716245545