What If We Were Not Alone?
For centuries, humans have looked toward the stars and wondered whether someone else might be looking back.
In Contact, renowned astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan imagines what happens when that question finally receives an answer.
Dr. Ellie Arroway is a brilliant scientist who has devoted her career to searching for evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth. When a mysterious signal is detected from many light-years away, the discovery sets off an extraordinary international effort to determine who sent it, what it means, and what humanity should do about it.
But discovering an extraterrestrial signal is only the beginning.
As scientists work to decipher the message, humanity is forced to confront questions that go far beyond astronomy. What would contact with an advanced civilization mean for science, religion, politics, and the future of our species? And can humanity come together when confronted with the greatest discovery in history?
Science Fiction Grounded in Real Science
Written by one of the world’s most celebrated astronomers, Contact blends scientific concepts with a gripping fictional story. Sagan explores astronomy, mathematics, physics, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the philosophical questions that arise when we consider humanity’s place in the universe.
The result is a science fiction classic that is as much about how we think and what we believe as it is about aliens and distant worlds.
Why Read Contact?
- A classic first-contact science fiction novel
- Written by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan
- Explores the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
- Combines astronomy and hard science with compelling fiction
- Examines the relationship between science, religion, and human belief
- Raises thought-provoking questions about humanity’s place in the universe
- A great choice for readers interested in astronomy, skepticism, science, and secular thought
For Rational Supply Co. readers, Contact is an especially interesting choice because Sagan’s story treats curiosity and evidence as starting points for exploring some of humanity’s biggest questions.
About the Author
Carl Sagan was an astronomer, author, educator, and one of the most influential popularizers of science of the twentieth century. He was a professor of astronomy and space sciences at Cornell University and played important roles in NASA’s Mariner, Viking, and Voyager missions.
Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize for The Dragons of Eden and became internationally known through his books and the landmark television series Cosmos. His work encouraged generations of readers to approach the universe with curiosity, skepticism, and a sense of wonder.
Contact was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jodie Foster in 1997.
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