Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator. He is best known for his work as a science popularizer and communicator, and he wrote the book Cosmos, which was published in 1980. He was also the author of several best-selling books, including Contact, The Demon-Haunted World, and Pale Blue Dot. Sagan was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1978 for his book The Dragons of Eden. He was also awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1992.