Carl Sagan Cosmos
Carl Sagan is a very influential scientist because of his educational series entitled Cosmos. Paper Masters can do a biography on Sagan, a review of his Cosmos series or an explication of the science behind Sagan's series in a custom research paper.
In 1980, PBS presented a thirteen-part series entitled Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, hosted by astronomer Carl Sagan. Co-written by Sagan, Ann Druyan (his third wife) and Steven Soter, the series covered a wide range of scientific subjects and became the most-watched PBS series in America until Ken Burns' Civil War. However, Cosmos has been shown in more than 60 countries around the world, and seen by over 500 million people, making it the most watched PBS series ever.
The Cosmos
Cosmos was known for its groundbreaking special effects, which often showed Sagan walking through various environments that were actually models. Shot on videotape for interiors and film for exteriors, the series also featured a soundtrack by composer Vangelis (perhaps best known for his work on the film Chariots of Fire).
The thirteen episodes, which aired between September and December 1980, covered a wide range of subjects, including
- Evolution
- The history of astronomy
- The planet Mars
- The Voyager probes
- The life cycles of stars
- The Big Bang
- Human intelligence
- The possibilities of life elsewhere.
In the final episode, Carl Sagan pondered the future of humanity, including the threat of nuclear war. In 2014, an updated sequel, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, aired on the National Geographic and Fox networks, bringing up-to-date special effects and scientific discoveries to Sagan's work.