The astronomer who unveiled one of the most famous images of our planet shared an eye-opening - but chilling - message with the world.
Back in 1990, the Voyager 1 - a NASA spacecraft that is the farthest human-made object from Earth - captured a photo of our planet that would make even the biggest egos out there feel small.
Renowned astronomer Carl Sagan had the honor of sharing the photo with the world.
The famous photograph was named Pale Blue Dot, as it showed our world at a distance of roughly 3.7 billion miles away.
It depicts our planet caught in a beam of sunlight - a tiny speck against the vast dark backdrop of space.
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Sagan used the photo to urge the rest of humanity to recognize the fragility of not just our personal lives, but planet Earth as a whole.
In his message, he emphasized: "For me, that underscores the rarity and preciousness of the Earth and the life upon it.
"On that blue dot, that's where everyone you know. Everyone you ever heard of, and every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives."
Although the realization that we are nothing but a grain of sand compared vastness of the cosmos is enough to make me start hyperventilating - it's actually somewhat of a comfort.
Sagan's message was meant for people to foster a deeper appreciation for the planet we all call home, and realize that we're all connected on this pale blue dot.
Life is precious and should be treated as such.
Astronauts have often communicated this feeling, with it being referred to as the Overview Effect.
Coined by space philosopher Frank White, he opened up about this sudden cognitive shift, saying: "I was flying cross-country, from the East Coast to the West Coast in the 1970s, and I was looking out the window. And as I was looking down at the planet, the thought came to me: anyone living in a space settlement, or living on the moon, would always have an overview.
"They would see things that we know, but we don’t experience. That the Earth is one system, and we’re all part of that system. And that there is a certain unity and coherence to it all. And I immediately called it the ‘Overview Effect’."
Frank Borman - the commander of Apollo 8 - also spoke out about the sensation after being part of the first crewed mission to circle the Moon.
"It was the most beautiful, heart-catching sight of my life,” Borman said, per BBC. "I looked away for a moment and then it was gone. I couldn’t find it again without searching closely."
Apollo 14 lunar module pilot Edgar Mitchell also shared his thoughts about realizing he is a part of this tiny dot suspended in the void of space.
Mitchell echoed Sagan, saying that, "on that fragile little sphere" was "all I had ever known, all I had ever loved and hated, longed for, all that I once thought had ever been and ever would be."
The Voyager 1 space probe was launched back in 1977 and continues to explore the outer solar system and interstellar space.
Sagan sadly passed away six years after the famous photo was taken - at the age of 62. He had been battling myelodysplasia for two years, with his cause of death was officially listed as pneumonia.
It really does highlight the fragility of life...
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