Just before the Voyager 1 space probe left our solar system in 1990, the late astronomer Carl Sagan requested that it take one last photo of Earth. The photograph has become known as “The Pale Blue Dot” and shows our planet as a tiny speck in a vast universe.

Sagan’s moving essay on this photograph has now been combined with some stunning footage and concludes with Sagan appealing to humanity to take better care of our planet and of one another.

For me, the high point of the video occurs around 2.55 where Sagan seems to experience and express Psalm 8 humility: “It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.”

However, I was especially stunned by his desperate words around the 2.20 mark: ”In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”

Don’t you want to scream: “Such help did come, and we crucified Him!”

But He rose again, victorious over our greatest enemies – sin, death, and Satan.

And right now He reigns over this pale blue dot and every other dot in the universe.

And He still offers to visit us, to take up residence in our hearts by faith, and to save us from ourselves.

Now that’s extra-terrestrial!

  • http://rpmministries.org Bob Kellemen

    Powerful. Well-said, David. Sad the suppression of truth when that truth is right before our eyes….

  • St. Steve of Northern Lights

    There is a video series, which you could get from a local library perhaps, or on Youtube , called the “Privileged Planet”, and although not specifically written by Christians, it does a terrific job pointing out the clarity that “God” wanted us as humans to have on our planet: to be able to observe our planet and the the solar system and greater galaxy. Basically God put our planet in just the right place in the milky way Galaxy to be able to observe outer space, and for Carl Sagan, visa versa. They still have not found so ideally suited a planet as ours in all the stars above! God actively wants us to see and use our eyes on this planet and beyond! I think they also have a book on the topic and several scientists sharing their perspectives on space and the laws/constants that must continually be met for life to exist.
    Psalm 148:3 “Praise Him, sun and moon, Praise you stars of light!”

    • http://headhearthand.org/blog/ David Murray

      Thanks Steve. I’ll look out for that.

  • http://www.jonstallings.com Jon Stallings

    Yes we need to scream it loud!