Vulcan salute facts for kids

Leonard Nimoy showing the Vulcan salute.

The Vulcan salute is a hand gesture which became popular by the 1960s television series Star Trek. It is done when the hand is raised with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger. It is a symbol of greeting by the character Spock. Nimoy based it on a hand gesture used by Jewish priests called Kohanim to bless people in Orthodox Jewish synagogues.

Images for kids

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  The blessing gesture which is the inspiration for the Vulcan salutation

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  ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Feb. 28, 2015 tweeted this photo in a final salute to Leonard Nimoy.

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  George Takei, a colleague of Nimoy who portrayed the Star Trek character Hikaru Sulu in the original series, salutes a crowd in 2011.

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  Star Trek actor and writer Simon Pegg giving a Vulcan greeting in 2016.

See also

In Spanish: Saludo vulcano para niños