Arthur C. Clarke 95th Birth Anniversary

Planetary alignment May 2000 - photo by B. Magrath, from NASA

Today marks the 95th birth anniversary of one of the greatest science fiction authors of our time; he died in 2008 having witnessed many of his predictions about the future come to reality, including the concept of geostationary satellites. The geosynchronous orbit of communications satellites is now known as the Clarke Orbit. It's also speculated now that he may have originated the concept behind the workings of the iPad. He is, of course, most famous for his classic 2001: a Space Odyssey, which was based on his earlier short story, The Sentinel. He was a great proponent of space exploration and wrote many sci-fi classics about humankind's role in our universe given its vastness and our own small stature. Below are some of his most famous quotes:

• "Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering."
• "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
• "If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run and often in the short one - the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.

 

Sir Arthur C. Clarke - 2005
public domain photo by Amy Marash

Movie poster for 2001: A Space Odyssey
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