Cornell University honors Carl Sagan with sexy LED light display.

Before Neil deGrasse Tyson was the astronomer du jour, there was the first homeboy Carl Sagan. Cornell University is paying tribute to the original astronomer to penetrate the mind-pieces of the pop culture zeitgeist with a rather radical laser light display.

io9:

A brand new art installation honoring the memory and work of astronomer Carl Sagan has been unveiled at the Cornell University Campus. Designed by artist Leo Villareal, the dynamic light display is located on the ceiling of the Sherry and Joel Mallin Sculpture Court — what can be seen on campus and from within the city of Ithaca itself.

Called Cosmos, the ever-changing piece is generated by nearly 12,000 LEDs of white light. The configurations are all pre-programmed with algorithmic sequences — what creates an non-repeating visual display that’s meant to convey abstract interpretations of nature, including moving water, clouds, and of course, the night sky.