Fifteen years ago today, astronomer, cosmologist, author, and science poet Carl Sagan passed away.
Few have done as much to convey the mysteries of outer space in more poetic, beautiful terms. His 1980 13-part PBS series, The Cosmos, is essential viewing (note the awesome Vangelis compositions).
In 2009, John Boswell, whose Symphony of Science project seeks to "spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes" edited and pitch-corrected bits of The Cosmos and Stephen Hawking's Universe to create the song "A Glorious Dawn."
The remix was more than a cheesy auto-tune meme; the song, like the material its drawn from, is haunting and beautiful. To mark the 75th anniversary of Sagan's birth, Jack White's Third Man Records (a label known for preserving the sanctity of classical music) released a vinyl version of the song. A limited run of 150 "Cosmos Colored Vinyl" copies were pressed, with a flipside etching of diagram featured on the Voyager Golden Record.
Enjoy -- and remember: "The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true."
If you need us, we'll be watching Contact and jamming our copy of this single.
