The great Carl Sagan was at times mocked for his seemingly outrageous claims that "we live on this pale blue dot, amongst a billion other solar systems, amongst

The great Carl Sagan was at times mocked for his seemingly outrageous claims that "we live on this pale blue dot, amongst a billion other solar systems, amongst a billion other galaxies." If anybody remembers him standing on the beach in the opening episode of Cosmos -- or read the book, my childhood favorite, still have it in hardback! -- you'll know the scene I'm thinking of. It appears even he had underestimated the vastness of the amazing universe around us.