- Despite being known for, and frequently quoted with, his famous phrase "billions and billions...", Carl Sagan never actually said this during the entire single-season run of Cosmos (1980). The actual phrase is "billions UPON billions", and the complete quote which includes this often-misquoted phrase is "A galaxy is composed of gas and dust and stars - billions upon billions of stars.".
- Suffered from a rare blood disorder that led to cancer and ultimately his death.
- Named 1981 Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association "in recognition of his work as an educator, skeptic, activist, and populizer of science".
- Five children: Dorion Sagan and Jeremy Sagan from his first marriage, Nick Sagan from his second marriage, and Sasha Sagan and Sam Sagan from his third marriage.
- Received his bachelor's degree (1955) and his master's degree (1956), both in physics, from the University of Chicago.
- He was elected into the 2009 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services in the Enterprise category.
- Attended and graduated from Bahway High School from Bahway, New Jersey (1951).
- He was the visual inspiration for Earl Meagan, a character from the V comics, based on the television series V (1984).
- Grand-Cross of the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit of Portugal (23 November 1998).
- Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 537-540. New York: Oxford University Press (2002).
- Received his Ph.D degree (Doctor of Philosophy) in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Chicago (1960).
- Following his death, he was interred at Lakeview Cemetery in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.
- He has an Erdös-Bacon-Sabbath number of 9, which is among the lowest on the planet.
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