Irises, VIncent van Gogh, 1889
J. Paul Getty Museum

John Lefelhocz comments: "Carl Sagan was known for expressing wonderment at the vastness of space and time, as in his phrase 'The total number of stars in the Universe is larger than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the planet Earth.' The perception that intelligent life is such a rare occurrence within all of these grains can make one feel as lonely as a single white lily in a sea of blue lilies."

Vincent is of course Vincent van Gogh, whose famous 1889 painting of irises, now part of the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, this work is based on.