24 November 2009

Carl Sagan and the Beauty of Science

The Symphony of Science

Symphony of Science is an amazing set of music videos created by John Boswell that uses the technique called auto-tuning to change the voices of some of the greatest and most influential people of science into music. Anyone who has even a passing interest in space or science can't help but enjoy the way these songs convey the majesty and beauty of the natural world.

My favorite Symphony of Science video:


Pale Blue Dot

Carl Sagan, the late great astronomer and writer, features prominently in the videos. One of the first things I noticed listening to them was how poetic the words of Carl Sagan can be, at least when edited for Symphony of Science. But even without editing, his words are without a doubt, some of the most poetic and powerful things I have ever heard. His words will make you realize how small you are on the cosmic scale, and in turn, will make you realize how petty most of the problems humans create are. Pale Blue Dot is a video with Carl Sagan's words set to music, and powerful words they are.