In an earlier post, I talked about my excitement for the new Cosmos show. Now that I've seen it, I thought I'd write up a little review.
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is a reboot of the 30 year old Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. The original series starred Carl Sagan, who wanted to take people on a voyage around the Cosmos, from the big things to the incredibly small. Along the way, Sagan would impart his viewpoints about the cosmos and also talk about historical scientific figures. The original Cosmos was so special because even today it stands out from most documentaries. It didn't just pass on the newest discoveries, it talked about the importance of scientific thought and the deep implications behind our discoveries.
The new 2014 reboot also follows a similar structure albeit with a new host. Sagan unfortunately died in the mid-90s so fellow astrophysicist and science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson steps in as host. Tyson does a terrific job in his role, giving us an overview of the cosmos with a twinkle in his eye that says there's fun to be had.
The show speaks about a number of subjects in its 45 minute run. The first sequence tracks out from Earth to view the observable universe, giving us our cosmic address. The episode also talks about Giordano Bruno, a 16th century monk who believed the cosmos was endless and filled with other suns and planets like our own. The third major is the cosmic calendar. Anyone familiar with the original Cosmos will remember this one. Tyson compares the history of the universe with a normal calendar, with the beginning of the universe at January 1st and the current day at December 31st. We quickly find out that we only appear in the last minute of December 31st. Wow, that's not long at all.
This new Cosmos ends with a very poignant moment, as Tyson talks about the first time he met Carl Sagan.
The special effects and animated sequences were terrific. The shots of Jupiter's Great Red Spot in particular just blew me away.
I'm absolutely excited to see where this series goes in the next 12 episodes. I hope you all are too.
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