~ Un-Common Sense In An Irrational World: We Challenge the Conventional WisdomTM ~
THE BLUE DOT
Some of you may have seen The Blue Dot before. As we begin the new year of 2026, I thought it appropriate to reflect on the idea behind The Blue Dot. So, what is The Blue Dot? It is Earth shown as a tiny blue dot in the cosmos.
The Blue Dot is a photograph taken by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1990 from billions of miles away. It is a humbling image that inspired Carl Sagan’s famous reflection on humanity’s place in the cosmos. Here are two links from NASA that show The Blue Dot (Earth) and several other planets; as well as some of Carl Sagan’s reflections on The Blue Dot.
Six Images from Voyager (Earth is the middle image in the top row)
Take a moment, if you would like, to reflect on The Blue Dot. Everyone will have a different perspective and different thoughts on it. But regardless of one’s perspective, I think it is a good idea just to reflect on the bigger picture from time to time – whatever that bigger picture means to you. In this case, the bigger picture is The Blue Dot. Happy New Year 2026!
Best,
Paul