Cosmos Reborn

Science

Cosmos Reborn

Published May 1, 2014 Submitted by: Shannon

In 1980, Carl Sagan wooed us into following him on a fantastic journey through space and time to the very beginning of the universe. His "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" mini-series covered the birth of the universe, the lives of stars and the attempt of humans to make sense of it all. The show was comprised of 13 episodes and featured Sagan navigating through the universe using his "spaceship of the imagination." The series was well recieved and was re-run multiple times over the years.

In March 2014, Fox and National Geographic began airing a sequel to Sagan's mini-series, "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," hosted by reknowned astrophysist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The series is projected to parallel the original in both structure and style, with Tyson piloting a ship of imagination through both space and time to teach the viewer about the past, present and future of the universe as we know it.

Websites:

Books and movies:

Cosmos

A DVD release of the ground-breaking television series that was a guided tour by Dr. Carl Sagan through billions and billions of stars and galaxies.

Billions and Billions : Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium

In his final book, Carl Sagan examines the burning questions of our lives, our world and the universe around us, such as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming century?

The Demon-Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark

In this book Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.

Space Chronicles : Facing the Ultimate Frontier

This book represents the best of Tyson's commentary, including a candid new introductory essay on NASA and partisan politics, giving us an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for America's economy, security, and morale. Thanks to Tyson's fresh voice and trademark humor, his insights are as delightful as they are provocative, on topics that range from the missteps that shaped our recent history of space travel to how aliens, if they existed, might go about finding us.

The Pluto Files : the Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted Pluto out of planethood. Far from the sun, Pluto has many fans and is entrenched in our cultural, patriotic view of the cosmos, and Neil deGrasse Tyson is on a quest to discover why. Only Tyson can tell this story: he was involved in the first exhibits at the Hayden Planetarium to demote Pluto, and, consequently recieves endless hate mail from third graders.

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