Our cosmos: the journey continues
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Our cosmos: the journey continues |
| Original title | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 2014-2020 |
| length | 52 minutes |
| Episodes | 26 in 2 seasons |
| genre | documentation |
| idea |
Ann Druyan , Steven Soter |
| music | Alan Silvestri |
| First broadcast | March 9, 2014 (USA) on Fox |
| German-language first broadcast |
March 10, 2014 on National Geographic Channel |
Our Kosmos: The journey continues (Original title: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey ) is an American television documentary series . Presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson , it is a 1980 remake of Our Cosmos moderated by Carl Sagan . Executive producers were Seth MacFarlane , Brannon Braga , Mitchell Cannold and Carl Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan . The first broadcast in the USA took place on March 9, 2014 simultaneously on a total of ten stations of 21st Century Fox . The remaining episodes were broadcast on Fox and replayed with additional material the following day on the National Geographic Channel . In Germany, the National Geographic Channel began broadcasting on March 10, 2014. On March 15, 2020, the thirteen-part second season began broadcasting
background
The original program Unser Kosmos aired in the United States on PBS from September to December 1980 and was presented by Carl Sagan . Since it was broadcast, the show has repeatedly been cited as an outstanding example of science television. David Itzkoff described the broadcast in the New York Times as a "breakthrough". The television series was seen by more than 400 million viewers in 60 nations.
After Sagan's death in 1996, his widow Ann Druyan tried to realize a new version of the television series together with producer Steven Soter and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. They tried to appeal to a broad masses with the television series, not just people who were already interested in science. The implementation initially failed due to the rejection of several television stations that did not expect broad public interest in such a television series.
Seth MacFarlane met Druyan in 2008 through Tyson's mediation at a National Academy of Sciences event . A year later, Tyson and MacFarlane met again and discussed Tyson's plans for a new edition of Our Cosmos . MacFarlane, a big fan of the old TV series, was able to arrange a meeting between Druyan and the Fox program directors, Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly, through his previous work for Fox, and thus finally received the green light for the new edition.
Episode list
| No. | German title | Original title | First broadcast in the USA | German language first broadcast (D) | Director | script |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | News from the Milky Way | Standing Up in the Milky Way | 9 Mar 2014 | 10 Mar 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| The episode begins in the TV version of Fox with a brief message from US President Barack Obama . Neil deGrasse Tyson takes the viewer on a tour through the solar system and on through the known universe . The components of the “cosmic” address of the earth in the Virgo supercluster are explained. The life of the Italian astronomer Giordano Bruno and his theory of the limitless universe is outlined in an animated sequence . Tyson then introduces the cosmic calendar, from the Big Bang to the present day. The episode ends with Tyson telling him how he met Carl Sagan when he was 17 and how much this encounter influenced him. | ||||||
| 2 | The flow of life | Some of the Things That Molecules Do | 16. Mar. 2014 | 17th Mar 2014 | Bill Pope | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| At the beginning of the episode, Tyson explains how the wolf became a dog through breeding . He then explains the principle of natural selection using the example of the polar bear . He explains the evolutionary tree and the evolution of the eye . Then Tyson turns to the topic of mass extinction and how some very resilient species survived it, the tardigrade is presented as a special example . After life on earth, Tyson visits Titan and discusses the origins of life and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life . At the end of the episode, an animation from the original television series is shown, which shows the evolution from unicellular organisms to humans. | ||||||
| 3 | When knowledge triumphs over fear | When Knowledge Conquered Fear | 23 Mar 2014 | 24 Mar 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| At the beginning of the episode, Tyson explains how human pattern recognition led to the emergence of astrology and astronomy , thus making it possible to predict the seasons . It explains that the appearance of a comet has been interpreted as a bad omen in many cultures . Then the Dutchman Jan Oort is introduced, who postulated the source of the comets with the Oort cloud .
The episode then sheds light on the collaboration between Edmund Halley and Isaac Newton in Cambridge . The collaboration eventually led to the publication of Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica , the first major work that formulated the laws of physics in mathematical terms, thus challenging the popular notion that God planned and implemented the orbits of planets. The publication was possible thanks to Halley's help despite the plagirism allegations by Robert Hooke and the financial difficulties of the London Royal Society of London . Tyson explains how Newton's work affected many aspects of life, including modern spaceflight . Tyson then describes the other discoveries of Halley, including the distance of the earth from the sun , the motion of the stars and the prediction of the orbit of the then unnamed Halley's comet using Newton's laws. The episode ends with an animation of the collision of the Milky Way with the Andromeda Galaxy . |
||||||
| 4th | Heaven full of ghosts | A Sky Full of Ghosts | 30th Mar 2014 | 31 Mar 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| Tyson begins the episode with the speed of light and the fact that the light from the stars has traveled to us for a few billion years. He also explains how conclusions can be drawn about the Big Bang and the age of the universe from observations of light .
Tyson then goes into the work of Isaac Newton , William Herschel and James Clerk Maxwell and explains how they contributed to understanding electromagnetic waves and gravitational force . He explains how this work finally led to Einstein's theory of relativity and the realization that the speed of light is a fundamental constant of the universe and that gravity can be seen as a deformation of space-time . Tyson describes the concept of the dark star of John Michell , which are not visible, but can be detected through other stars that are caught in its gravitational funnel. This idea brought Herschel to the discovery of the double stars . Tyson then explains the concept of black holes , the gravity of which is so great that they even attract light. He explains how they were discovered using X-rays from objects such as Cygnus X-1 . Tyson then explores the event horizon of a black hole with the ship of imagination and explains the distortion of space-time and the time dilation that occurs in it. He speculates on the possibility that wormholes could be used to travel the universe or even time travel . Tyson ends the episode with Herschel's son John , who continued his father's work and created a catalog of stars ( General Catalog of Nebulae and Clusters ), John also devoted himself to photography . Patrick Stewart lent William his voice in the animated sequences showing William and John Herschel . |
||||||
| 5 | Hidden in the light | Hiding in the light | Apr 6, 2014 | Apr 7, 2014 | Bill Pope | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| The episode is devoted to the waveform of light; The study of light played an important role in scientific progress, beginning with the experiments with the camera obscura 2000 years ago by the Chinese philosopher Mozi . Tyson also describes the work of the 11th century Arab scientist Alhazen who first researched the nature of light, which led to the concept of the telescope. He was also one of the first scientists to use a systematic inductive-experimental working method.
Tyson then presents the work of Isaac Newton, who showed by means of diffraction through prisms that the visible light is composed of the light spectrum . William Herschel established in the 19th century that visible light also has an infrared component. Joseph von Fraunhofer later observed gaps in the spectrum of light. It was later discovered that these Fraunhofer lines were created by resonance absorption of the gases in the solar photosphere . This is the basis of astrospectroscopy , which enables scientists to draw conclusions about the composition of stars , planetary atmospheres and other objects by analyzing the spectral lines . Spectroscopy also allows conclusions to be drawn about the expansion of the universe and the existence of dark matter through the Doppler effect . |
||||||
| 6th | The message of life | Deeper, Deeper, Deeper Still | Apr 13, 2014 | Apr 14, 2014 | Bill Pope | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| This episode is dedicated to the cosmos on a microscopic and atomic scale. Tyson describes some microorganisms that live in a dewdrop , here he introduces paramecia and tardigrade . Then photosynthesis is explained, with the help of which plants use chemical reactions in their chloroplasts to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar . Tyson then goes into the evolution of plants, he explains that flowers only appeared 100 million years ago. Darwin's theory of evolution is discussed and how Darwin, from the existence of the orchid Angraecum sesquipedale, predicted the existence of the butterfly Xanthopan morganii , which was also discovered in 1903. Then the human sense of smell is illuminated and explains why certain smells can awaken clear memories.
An animated sequence shows how the Greek philosopher Thales von Milet and later Democritus postulated that all matter consists of a combination of atoms . Tyson then goes into the properties of the carbon atom , whose special properties make it the cornerstone of all life. Then the basic structure of an atom is explained and the fusion that takes place inside a star. These processes in the stars create neutrinos . Tyson explains how these particles, which traverse matter without problems, can be detected. To this end, he will present the underground neutrino detector Super-Kamiokande in Japan . With this, the neutrinos of the supernova SN 1987A were received in the magellanic clouds before the light of the event, since neutrinos are not influenced by the star's matter. Tyson then compares Wolfgang Pauli 's prediction of the existence of neutrinos with Darwin's prediction of the existence of the Xanthopan morganii butterfly. |
||||||
| 7th | The birth of the elements | The clean room | April 20, 2014 | Apr 21, 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| The episode is dedicated to determining the age of the earth in the mid-20th century through the work of Clair Patterson, among other things . Tyson begins by explaining how the earth and the other planets were formed by the clumping of matter around the newly formed sun. To determine the age of rock formations, geologists use the various rock layers , but this only works for layers that are only a few million years old. To determine the age of the earth, scientists use the remains of meteor impacts, for example the Barringer Crater in Arizona , since the meteors of the asteroid belt formed at the same time as the earth.
Tyson explains the work Patterson did for Harrison Brown . He was supposed to determine the amount of lead in the zirconium particles of Barringer Crater, while George Tilton determined the amount of uranium it contained . By knowing the decay series from uranium to lead, conclusions could be drawn about the age of the earth. Patterson found, however, that his samples were contaminated by lead in the environment and an accurate determination was therefore not possible. He then constructed the first clean room. With these clean results, the age of the earth could then be determined at 4.5 billion years. Tyson then explains that Patterson's experiments eventually led him to investigate the source of the contaminants. It is explained that lead does not naturally occur on the surface of the earth, but that it was extracted by the Romans through mining. Lead is also highly toxic to humans. Patterson studied the amount of lead in the environment, he took samples from the oceans and from the glaciers of the Antarctic . He found that the lead pollution is all the more recent. He realized that the lead pollution was caused by the addition of tetraethyl lead to leaded gasoline . Patterson campaigned, against industry opposition, to ban fuel additives. Clair Patterson is voiced by Richard Gere in the animated sequences . |
||||||
| 8th | The sisters of the sun | Sisters of the Sun | Apr. 27, 2014 | Apr 28, 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| At the beginning of the episode, the constellations are explained against the background that people of all cultures recognize images in the stars . The Pleiades are used to tell some of the stories, including a legend of Kiowa , in which the Pleiades were formed along with the Devils Tower .
The episode is then devoted to the research of Cecilia Payne and Annie Jump Cannon , who cataloged stars according to the spectral lines in the team of Edward Charles Pickering . Using the lines, Cannon classified the stars in the seven spectral classes. Payne concluded from the lines on the composition of the stars and wrote her dissertation about it, which was rejected by Henry Norris Russell as "almost certainly not real". In 1929 Russel realized his mistake and confirmed Cecilia Payne's discovery. The episode then explains the life cycles and internal structure of the stars. Tyson explains the future of our sun , which first becomes a red giant , which encompasses Mercury , Venus and possibly the earth , and then becomes a white dwarf . Then the double star system Sirius is explained; Tyson shows how material moves from one of the two stars to the other. Using Rigel , the formation of a supernova is then explained, which only leaves a pulsar . Even larger stars like Alnilam in the constellation Orion leave a black hole in a supernova . Lastly, the possibility is explained that Eta Carinae , which belongs to the Luminous Blue Variables in the Carina Nebula , will become a hypernova in the near future . In the animated sequences, Cecilia Payne was voiced by Kirsten Dunst and Annie Jump Cannon by Marlee Matlin . |
||||||
| 9 | Lost worlds | The Lost Worlds of Planet Earth | May 4, 2014 | May 5, 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| The episode sheds light on the paleogeography of the earth and its influence on the development of life. First Tyson describes the origin of the lignin-rich trees of the Carboniferous about 300 million years ago. He explains that these plants could not be decomposed by the living things of that time and that a layer of coal was created. 50 million years later this layer was ignited by volcanism in what is now Siberia, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide, which led to climate change. This is believed to be one of the triggers of mass extinction at the Permian-Triassic boundary , during which around 90% of species became extinct.
Tyson then explains plate tectonics and how it changes the surface of the earth. The scientist Abraham Ortelius is presented with the hypothesis that the land masses were connected in the past. Alfred Wegener's idea of a supercontinent Pangea is explained. It explains how the discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge by Bruce C. Heezen and Marie Tharp supported the theory of plate tectonics. Tyson explains how the plates of the earth's crust move on account of the heat of the earth's core . Then the mass extinction of the Cretaceous-Tertiary border is discussed. Tyson explains that this was triggered by a meteor strike . With the dinosaurs becoming extinct , small mammals could become the dominant species on earth. Then some recent geological events are explained, including the formation of the Mediterranean by breaking the natural dam in the Strait of Gibraltar and the formation of the Isthmus of Panama , which interrupted the connection between the Pacific and Atlantic and thus brought about changes in the climate. This change transformed Africa from a fertile grassland to a dry steppe. Tyson goes on to explain how the small gravitational influence of the other planets in the solar system had an impact on the earth, thus triggering various ice ages , which in turn had an impact on the nomadic life of early humans. The episode ends with an outlook on future changes in land masses and the emergence of a new supercontinent. |
||||||
| 10 | The origins of electricity | The Electric Boy | May 11, 2014 | May 12, 2014 | Bill Pope | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| This episode covers the subject of electromagnetism and the exploration of it by Michael Faraday . Tyson explains that the idea of another force, similar to gravity , was already postulated by Isaac Newton . Then Tyson turns to Faraday's résumé, who came from a humble background and who discovered his interest in electricity after studying books and lectures by Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution of Great Britain . Davy eventually hired Faraday as a secretary and lab assistant based on his extensive notes on the subject.
After Davy and the chemist William Hyde Wollaston had tried in vain to further develop the discoveries of Hans Christian Ørsted and to generate movement with the help of electricity, Faraday succeeded in designing the first electric motor . Davy, bitter that he hadn't made the discovery, asked Faraday to improve the quality of optical glass . Faraday did not let this deter him from his work and also established the Christmas lectures at the Royal Institution. After Davy's death, Faraday devoted himself exclusively to electromagnetism and developed the first generator . Despite increasing difficulty concentrating, Faraday continued his work and concluded that magnetism and electricity were connected by a common field. He suspected that the light was also connected to this field. With the help of samples of glass (a dielectric ) that Davy had him make, Faraday discovered that he could use a magnetic field to change the polarization of light. This is known today as the " Faraday Effect ". Faraday postulated that this field spanned the entire planet - now known as the Earth's magnetic field . Faraday's works were initially rejected by science because he lacked the mathematical education to precisely formulate his theories. James Clerk Maxwell later revised Faraday's work and combined them to form the Maxwell equations . |
||||||
| 11 | Striving for immortality | The Immortals | May 18, 2014 | 19th May 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| This episode is about the ways in which life and the knowledge of intelligent life could spread in space. The film begins with mankind's first steps to convey their story to future generations. In Mesopotamia 5000 years ago, stories were recorded on cuneiform tablets. The Akkadian priestess and daughter of King Sargon En-hedu-anna signed her texts for the first time in human history. In the Epic of Gilgamesh , the legend of the Flood and the saving ark appears for the first time and is spread in the Bible. From these examples of stories that have lasted for millennia, the film leads to traditions that last much longer: the genetic code of earthly life. DeGrasse Tyson uses the example of the Nakhla meteorite from Mars to deal with the possibility that rocks and with them possibly also life germs are exchanged between the planets of the solar system and thus lead to the spread of life in the cosmos ( panspermia hypothesis).
The second part of the episode is devoted to the question of how we can perpetuate our existence in the history book of the cosmos. Radio waves have spread information about us far into space for a few dozen light-years. We are looking for signals from space ( SETI ). But why haven't we discovered any yet? How long does a civilization live? The realms of the Akkadians , Sumerians and Mayans have perished. Will humanity perish prematurely due to disasters such as climate change , super volcanoes , meteorite strikes , pandemics or supernovae ? The film ends with an optimistic vision: humanity can survive with the help of its own intelligence. In the cosmic calendar for the next 14 billion years, we will overcome problems such as climate change and resource scarcity and then colonize the cosmos. |
||||||
| 12 | Future of the earth | The World Set Free | June 1, 2014 | May 26, 2014 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| A visit to Venus reveals the extreme greenhouse effect of the planet due to the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. In contrast, most of the Earth's carbon dioxide is stored in rocks and ice. Climate change contributes to the fact that the bound carbon dioxide is released. This in turn can increase the temperature rise even more.
Alternative energy sources were introduced as early as the 19th century, but could not prevail against cheap oil. The episode shows how humanity emerged from a range of survivors. DeGrasse Tyson gives hope and appeals to the viewer's will for change. |
||||||
| 13 | The infinity of being | Unafraid of the Dark | June 8, 2014 | 2nd June 2014 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan & Steven Soter |
| The episode deals with existing knowledge and dealing with new mysteries. The introduction tells of the great library of Alexandria and its destruction. DeGrasse then explains to Tyson the discovery of cosmic rays, as well as dark energy , and the Voyager mission. DeGrasse Tyson explains how, with the help of science, we can come to a more humble but complete understanding of the universe. | ||||||
| 14th | Off to the stars | Ladder to the Stars | March 9, 2020 | March 15, 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan |
| - | ||||||
| 15th | Fleeting grace of the living zone | The Fleeting Grace of the Habitable Zone | March 9, 2020 | March 22, 2020 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| Because the sun will develop into a red giant in a few billions of years and the temperatures on earth will make life on it impossible, subsequent generations will have to look for a new home on another planet. | ||||||
| 16 | New visions of the origin | Lost City of Life | March 16, 2020 | March 29, 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 17th | A genetic treasure | Vavilov | March 16, 2020 | April 05, 2020 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| The episode tells the story of the Russian geneticist Nikolai Ivanovich Vawilow . | ||||||
| 18th | The development of consciousness | The Cosmic Connectome | March 23, 2020 | April 12, 2020 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| At the center of this episode are the terms knowledge and awareness. It tells a story of human thought from ancient times to modern knowledge about the universe as a whole. | ||||||
| 19th | The dream of interstellar adventure | The Man of a Trillion Worlds | March 23, 2020 | April 19, 2020 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan, Brannon Braga & André Bormanis |
| - | ||||||
| 20th | The search for intelligent life | The Search for Intelligent Life on Earth | March 30, 2020 | April 26, 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 21st | Cassini's sacrifice | The Sacrifice of Cassini | March 30, 2020 | May 3, 2020 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 22nd | Magic without lies | Magic Without Lies | April 6, 2020 | May 10, 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 23 | The story of two atoms | A Tale of Two Atoms | April 6, 2020 | 17th May 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 24 | Shadow of ancestors | Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors | April 13, 2020 | May 24, 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 25th | Youth in the Anthropocene | Coming of Age in the Anthropocene | April 13, 2020 | May 31, 2020 | Ann Druyan | Ann Druyan & Brannon Braga |
| - | ||||||
| 26th | The seven new wonders of the world | Seven Wonders of the New World | April 20, 2020 | June 7, 2020 | Brannon Braga | Ann Druyan |
| In this episode there is speculation about a future vision: A world exhibition in New York in 2039 will present new inventions. The baby from the first episode of the second season is now a young woman who walks through the world exhibition. | ||||||
Awards
The documentary series won the award for best reality show at the Critics' Choice Television Awards 2014 and Neil deGrasse Tyson won the award for best reality show presenter . The documentary was also nominated for the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information . At the Primetime Emmy Awards 2014 , Our Cosmos: The Journey Goes On is nominated for twelve Emmys , including a nomination for Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series .
Web links
- Cosmos: The journey continues in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Our cosmos: The journey continues at Fernsehserien.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Fox Orders Seth MacFarlane's Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ https://www.presseportal.de/pm/107804/4546631
- ↑ a b c Family Guy Creator Part of Cosmos Update
- ↑ Obama to introduce FOX's Cosmos
- ^ President Obama's COSMOS Introduction on YouTube
- ↑ Patrick Stewart Beams Into 'Cosmos' as Voice of Famed Astronomer
- ↑ Cosmos App Puts the Universe in Your Smartphone
- ↑ Sunday's episode of Cosmos will feature two female astronomers everybody should learn about