Our cosmos

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moderator Carl Sagan

Our Kosmos ( Cosmos: A Personal Voyage ) is the name of a 13-part documentary series by Carl Sagan , Ann Druyan and Steven Soter . The music for the series was provided by the Greek composer Vangelis , among others . The title Heaven and Hell ran in the opening credits of the series and the titles Alpha and Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer as recurring musical motifs .

The series first aired in 1980 on US television network PBS and won an Emmy and a Peabody Award . Because of its success in the US, it has been broadcast in 60 countries and, according to the NASA Office of Space Science , has been seen by more than 500 million people. In Germany it was broadcast for the first time on June 14, 1983 by ZDF and was last repeated in the afternoon program there between January and May 1988. In the version edited for German television (with Norbert Langer as the voice for Carl Sagan), the original 60-minute episodes were shortened to 43 minutes, which damaged the aesthetic and scientific content of the series. In 2000, the series was digitally revised by COSMOS Studios, with additions (which were not yet known at the time of production in 1979) and re-released as a DVD collection.

Carl Sagan in Death Valley in front of a model of the Viking Landers in original size

The series dealt with a wide range of scientific topics and tried to convey complex scientific relationships to the layman, but also went beyond the basic information on the formation of the universe , galaxies and life. Other topics in the series were the colonization of Mars , the search for extraterrestrial life ( SETI ), the Cambrian explosion and the upcoming information age .

background

The series was produced between 1978-1979 on a solid budget of approximately $ 8.25 million. The series' format was based on BBC documentaries such as Kenneth Clark 's Civilization , Jacob Bronowski 's The Ascent of Man, and David Attenborough 's Life on Earth . The BBC, which co-produced the series, later also aired the series, but cut the episodes to 50 minutes.

The use of innovative special effects allowed Sagan, for example, to move in seemingly enormous surroundings, which in reality consisted of small models. Pieces of music by Vangelis were used in the soundtrack.

In 2014 the series was reissued under the title Our Cosmos: The Journey Continues . The new edition will again be produced by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, Seth MacFarlane was added as producer, and the series is moderated by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson .

Episodes

No. German title Original title First broadcast in the USA German language first broadcast (D)
1 The coasts of the cosmic ocean The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean September 28, 1980 June 14, 1983
Carl Sagan opens the series with a description of the cosmos and the "spaceship of imagination", the ship travels through the billions of galaxies of the universe , the Local Group , the Andromeda Galaxy , the Milky Way , the Orion Nebula , our solar system and finally to Earth . The calculation of the circumference of the earth by Eratosthenes leads to a description of the ancient library of Alexandria . Finally, the "Age of Science" is described and the "Cosmic Calendar" is presented.
2 A voice in the cosmic fugue One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue 5th October 1980 June 21, 1983
Sagan explained by the crab heikegani the artificial selection and subsequently the evolution by natural selection . Further topics are the Cambrian explosion , the function of DNA , genetic replication, mutations , the common biochemistry of all organisms, the formation of organic molecules in the Miller-Urey experiment and speculation about extraterrestrial life .
3 Harmony of the worlds The Harmony of the Worlds October 12, 1980 June 28, 1983
The episode begins with the distinction between pseudoscientific astrology and the scientific observations of astronomy . Sagan tracks the evolution of astronomical observations, beginning with star constellations and ceremonial calendars (such as that of the Anasazi ). The episode is then devoted to the contrast between geocentric and heliocentric models, the beginnings of Claudius Ptolemy , the theories of Nicolaus Copernicus and Tycho Brahe and finally the achievements of Johannes Kepler ( Kepler's laws ).
4th heaven and hell Heaven and Hell October 19, 1980 5th July 1983
Sagan explains comet and asteroid impacts , citing the Tunguska event and an impact on the moon described by Canterbury monks in 1178 . Then the episode is devoted to Venus , from Immanuel Velikovsky's first ideas to the information from the Venera mission and the knowledge about the greenhouse effect .
5 Blues for a red planet Blues for a Red Planet October 26, 1980 July 12, 1983
The episode illuminates the Mars, starting with the scientific and fictional speculation on the red planet in the late 19th and early 20th century, HG Wells War of the Worlds , Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter series, and the faulty observation of the canals of Mars by Percival Lowell . Then the episode is dedicated to Robert H. Goddard's first attempts at building rockets , which were inspired by science fiction novels. Sagan introduces the Viking Mars Mission and the search for life on Mars . The episode ends with the opportunity to terraform and colonize Mars.
6th Travel reports - yesterday and today Travelers' Tales November 2, 1980 July 19, 1983
The trips of the Voyager program are contrasted with those of the Dutch in the 17th century, with their long tradition of explorers and thinkers, for example Constantijn Huygens and his son Christiaan . Their discoveries are compared with the discoveries of the Voyager probes ( Jupiter and Saturn moons).
7th The backbone of the night The backbone of night November 9, 1980 July 26, 1983
Carl Sagan teaches students in a classroom in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up. He explains various myths about stars in the course of time and how the knowledge gradually became more and more precise.
8th Travel through space and time Journeys in Space and Time November 16, 1980 2nd August 1983
The episode begins with an overview of space and time and the changes constellations are subject to over time, as well as the red and blue shifts of interstellar objects. It is the time dilation in Einstein's theory of relativity introduced. Afterwards, old inventions by Leonardo da Vinci will be presented and the theoretical possibilities of traveling at the speed of light will be discussed. Further topics are time travel and its potential consequences, the beginnings of the solar system, the history of life and the immensity of the universe.
9 The life of the stars The Lives of the Stars November 23, 1980 August 9, 1983
Using the example of the preparation of an apple pie, the parts down to the atoms and subatomic particles ( electrons , protons , and neutrons ) are explained. It explains how the chemical elements came into being through the fusion in the stars and also through the passing away of the stars. These are red giants , supernovae , white dwarfs , neutron stars , pulsars and black holes explains and also on their production of these phenomena such as radioactivity , cosmic rays and the curvature of space-time by the gravitational received.
10 At the edge of eternity The Edge of Forever November 30, 1980 August 16, 1983
The episode begins with the creation of the universe by the Big Bang, Sagan describes the creation of various galaxies and anomalies such as interacting galaxies and quasars . Then different ideas about the structure of the universe, such as different dimensions (explained using the imaginary flatland and a four-dimensional tesseract ), a finite or infinite universe, an oscillating universe . The exploration of concepts such as dark matter or the multiverse using the Very Large Array is presented.
11 Duration of memory The Persistence of Memory 7th December 1980 23rd August 1983
The episode illuminates the theme intelligence based operation of a computer (with bits as the smallest unit of information), whales (by their singing and disturbance by humans), DNA , the human brain (the evolution of the brain stem , frontal lobe , nerve cells , corpus callosum based des Triune Brain ) as well as the artificial structures of a collective intelligence (cities, libraries, computers etc.) The episode ends with speculations about extraterrestrial intelligence and the information on the Voyager Golden Record as a message to extraterrestrials.
12 A galactic encyclopedia Encyclopedia Galactica December 14, 1980 August 30, 1983
The episode deals with the search for extraterrestrial life , debunking reports of UFO sightings and placing the search with the help of the SETI program in the foreground. The possibility of an advanced alien civilization is explained using the Drake equation .
13 Who speaks for the earth Who Speaks for Earth? December 21, 1980 August 31, 1983
Sagan talks about the future of humanity, and the question of who, in the event of contact with aliens, would speak for humanity. The various first contacts of our past are discussed, the meeting of Jean-François de La Pérouse with the Tlingit but also the destruction of the Aztecs by the Spanish conquistadors . It sheds light on the dangers to civilization, from the impending nuclear war to the dangers that led to the destruction of the Alexandria Library or the murder of Hypatia . The episode ends with an overview of the beginning of the universe, the evolution of life up to the achievements of mankind, and at the end makes a request to mankind to appreciate life and continue the journey into the cosmos.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081846/business?ref_=tt_dt_bus

Web links