Space advocate, science nerd, and author Carl Sagan believed “the Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena” and that we have a responsibility to “deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” He wrote about humanity’s interconnectedness with all things, including the faraway places we have yet to explore, with poetry, passion, and wisdom. To celebrate Sagan’s birthday, we’ve gathered 25 of the most beautiful space-related tattoos — and a few that even feature Sagan (and his words) himself.
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A Jon Clue original.
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An inky tribute to Carl Sagan and the Voyager 1 probe. The banner reads, “Per aspera ad astra,” or, “Hardship to the stars.”
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A quote from Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel, Contact: “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
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“We are made of starstuff.”
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Paying homage to Sagan.
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Work by Sean Ambrose.
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A space sleeve by Mat Clarke.
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“The relative position of fourteen pulsars to our solar system, as designed by Carl Sagan for the Pioneer and Voyager spacecrafts.”
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Phases of the moon by artist Kamil Czapïga.
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Chris Dingwell Studios’ version of space.
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From Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space: “A mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
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Constellations.
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Solar system sleeve.
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Outer space sleeve.
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Work by Teresa Sharpe.
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Cecil Porter’s Sagan portrait.
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“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
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A black-and-gray portrait of Sagan.