Cosmos 

Astronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.

Stars:

Carl Sagan, Jaromír Hanzlík, Jonathan Fahn

Top Rated TV #10 | Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Carl Sagan	...	Himself - Host 13 episodes, 1980

Storyline

Astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan is host and narrator of this 13-hour series that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States. Dr. Sagan describes the universe in a way that appeals to a mass audience, by using Earth as a reference point, by speaking in terms intelligible to non-scientific people, by relating the exploration of space to that of the Earth by pioneers of old, and by citing such Earth legends as the Library of Alexandria as metaphors for space-related future events. Among Dr. Sagan's favorite topics are the origins of life, the search for life on Mars, the infernal composition of the atmosphere of Venus and a warning about a similar effect taking place on Earth due to global pollution and the "greenhouse effect", the lives of stars, interstellar travel and the effects of attaining the speed of light, the danger of mankind technologically self-destructing, and the search, using radio technology, for intelligent life in deep space.

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Plot Keywords:

scientific philosophy | jupiter | lightyear | mars | mercury | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

KCET, Carl Sagan Productions, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In many episodes we see a photo of Earth showing Africa in the upper left. That is the 'Blue Marble' photo taken in 1972 by Apollo 7 astronauts on their way to the moon. It is one of the most famous of all space photos, and for 30 years was the only full sunlight shot of Earth.

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Quotes

Carl Sagan: There are some hundred billion galaxies, each with, on the average, a hundred billion stars, 1011 x 1011 = 1022, ten billion trillion. In the face of such overpowering numbers, what is the likelihood that only one ordinary star, the Sun, is accompanied by an inhabited planet? Why should we, tucked away in some forgotten corner of the Cosmos, be so fortunate? To me, it seems far more likely that the universe is brimming over with life. But we humans do not yet know. We are just beginning our ...

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Alternate Versions

For video release in the mid-1980s, an additional episode of this series was created, consisting of a one-on-one interview between Carl Sagan and media mogul Ted Turner, discussing the themes of the series.

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Connections

Referenced in Traceroute (2016)

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Soundtracks

Cosmos
(Main Theme)
Composed by Vangelis

User Reviews

The universe and beyond explained by the greatest teacher of all time.

Carl Sagan is known world-wide for being the most effective teacher ever. This series is based around his novel by the same name, which is the the best selling science book of all time. He explains how life works and how we are trying to find life elsewhere in the cosmos, how the laws of physics govern everything, how we must take care of ourselves and the earth, and so much more. He makes the Earth sound like a total paradise. Anyone even mildly interested in science should definitely see it. See this, it should be at your local library.