Sagan advised Kubrick and Clarke on depicting extraterrestrial intelligence for which 1968 film?
Answer
2001: A Space Odyssey
79 Carl Sagan Trivia Questions with Answers
79 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Carl Sagan trivia spans planetary science, astronomy, science communication, television, literature, and the search for life beyond Earth. Questions may move from Sagan’s work on Venus, Mars, and Titan to his role in NASA missions, his Cornell career, and his influence on popular culture and science fiction.
Expect clues involving Cosmos, The Demon-Haunted World, Contact, and Sagan’s advice on depicting extraterrestrial intelligence in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The collection also reaches into lesser-known details, including an Apple computer code-named for Sagan and the preservation of his papers at the Library of Congress. It is well suited to astronomy classrooms, science-themed game nights, literary quizzes, and fans of skeptical inquiry.
Carl Sagan's 1980 book Cosmos won which award in 1981?
Answer
Hugo Award
In Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World, what phrase names his toolkit for critical thinking?
Answer
Baloney detection kit
Which Apple computer model was internally code-named Carl Sagan?
Answer
Power Macintosh 7100
Which university hosted Sagan's 1985 Gifford Lectures?
Answer
University of Glasgow
What is the subtitle of Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World?
Answer
Science as a Candle in the Dark
Which Locus Award did Contact win in 1986?
Answer
Best First Novel
At Cornell, Sagan was associate director of which center from 1972 to 1981?
Answer
Center for Radiophysics and Space Research
In 1976, Carl Sagan became the David Duncan Professor of what field?
Answer
Astronomy and Space Sciences
In which New York City borough was Carl Sagan born?
Answer
Brooklyn
How many bits of data were in the Arecibo message?
Answer
1,679
What was the first episode of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage called?
Answer
The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean
Where was the Sagan Planet Walk's Alpha Centauri obelisk installed in 2012?
Answer
Imiloa Astronomy Center
The Sagan Planet Walk scales the Solar System down to what fraction of its actual size?
Answer
one five-billionth
Who founded the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell?
Answer
Lisa Kaltenegger
Which Greek composer is credited in Cosmos: A Personal Voyage?
Answer
Vangelis
On what date was the Arecibo message broadcast into space?
Answer
16 November 1974
At which cemetery is Carl Sagan buried?
Answer
Lake View Cemetery
In which New York city is the Sagan Planet Walk located?
Answer
Ithaca
Which New Jersey high school did Carl Sagan graduate from in 1951?
Answer
Rahway High School
Who was Carl Sagan's second wife?
Answer
Linda Salzman
How old was Carl Sagan when he died?
Answer
62
In which U.S. city did Carl Sagan die in 1996?
Answer
Seattle
What award did Carl Sagan receive from the National Academy of Sciences in 1994?
Answer
Public Welfare Medal
What is the name of the 2014 sequel to Carl Sagan's television series 'Cosmos'?
Answer
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
What phrase did Carl Sagan popularize as a criterion for extraordinary claims?
Answer
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
What 1966 book did Carl Sagan co-author with I.S. Shklovskii?
Answer
Intelligent Life in the Universe
What is the title of Carl Sagan's 1994 book featuring the Pale Blue Dot photograph?
Answer
Pale Blue Dot
What spacecraft took the famous "Pale Blue Dot" photograph?
Answer
Voyager 1
In 1990, Carl Sagan received which medal for his contributions to physics education?
Answer
Oersted Medal
At which university did Carl Sagan teach as an assistant professor before joining Cornell?
Answer
Harvard University
What was the name of Carl Sagan's 1995 book promoting scientific skepticism?
Answer
The Demon-Haunted World
What equation for estimating extraterrestrial civilizations did Carl Sagan popularize?
Answer
Drake equation
Carl Sagan trivia — quick answers
What are good Carl Sagan trivia questions?
Strong Carl Sagan trivia questions cover Cosmos, planetary science, NASA missions, Cornell University, The Demon-Haunted World, Contact, extraterrestrial intelligence, the Voyager Golden Record, science communication, and Sagan’s influence on astronomy and popular culture.
How hard is Carl Sagan trivia?
Carl Sagan trivia ranges from easy to difficult. Questions about Cosmos and his famous science-popularizing career are accessible, while questions about Titan, Mars missions, the Gifford Lectures, archival collections, and computer code names are more challenging.
What did Carl Sagan study about Titan?
Carl Sagan helped explain Titan’s reddish haze as arising from complex organic molecules produced in its atmosphere. His planetary research also examined Venus’s greenhouse effect and Mars’s seasonal changes, making him an important figure in modern planetary science.
What is Carl Sagan best known for?
Carl Sagan is best known as an astronomer, author, and science communicator. He co-created and hosted the 1980 television series Cosmos, wrote influential books including Contact and The Demon-Haunted World, and helped popularize scientific thinking and the search for extraterrestrial life.
What award did Sagan’s book The Dragons of Eden win?
Carl Sagan’s 1977 book The Dragons of Eden won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. The book explored the evolution of human intelligence and the relationship between the brain, consciousness, and cultural development.