Wonders of the universe

[AdrianF]

For all you Brian Cox fans Tuesday 8:30 on ABC

Adrian

[stephenb]

Thanks for the heads up there, Adrian. I'm plugging it into my DVD recorder as we speak. (;) cue Liz and Suzy :lol:)

[Liz]

Looking forward to it. :love:
My DVD player/recorder has died, so will have get a newy ..... quickly.

[M54]

Yes something interesting to watch for a change.

(Although the 'Coast' series has been really good viewing.)

Thanks Adrian.:thumbsup:

[Liz]

yes, I have enjoyed the 'Coast' series too Molly, and another good looking lad. :D

[M54]

:lol:

[Nortilus]

already seen the first to in the series...really good

[Ric]

I'l be looking forward to watching this tonight.

It will make a very welcome change from the current run of repeats that is being broadcasted at the moment.

[Liz]

La la .... bumpety bump, Brians on soon, so get seated out the front. :thumbsup:

[AdrianF]

On now get the popcorn

Adrian

[Stu Ward]

I have universe on bluray. Nice series. I think that solar system is a better series though. Universe was too short for me only being a 4 parter.

Stu

[AdrianF]

Yes I was a little disappointed with the first part maybe second part might be better.

Adrian

[RonPrice]

After watching a program about astronomy these days, I usually write a prose-poetic piece which I post here for the possible pleasure of readers.-Ron
-----------------------
Wonders of the Universe is a 2011 television series produced by the BBC and hosted by physicist Brian Cox. Wonders of the Universe was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC2 on 6 March 2011 and in Australia on ABC1 on 19 July.(1)

The series comprises four episodes, each of which focuses on an aspect of the universe and features a 'wonder' relevant to the theme. It follows on from Cox's previous series for the BBC, Wonders of the Solar System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonders_of_the_Solar_System), which was first broadcast in 2010.

Wikipedia informs me that in the UK 6 million watched the first episode. Cox and the BBC are also reportedly responsible for a hike in telescope sales. But, as night follows day or, as a planetary nebula becomes a white dwarf, Cox and the program have its detractors. I’ll let you read about them for they are easily accessible in cyberspace.

The universe is filled with over a hundred billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars. In the first episode, the one I watched yesterday evening in the middle of an Australian winter, Cox considered the nature of time in this vastness of billions and billions. He explored, briefly, the cycles of time that astronomers and physicists have now named and described. Cox also discussed the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, its effect on time, and the Heat Death theory concerning the end of the universe. I’ll leave you to google all this to your heart’s content if, indeed, your heart and mind want to get more content, more stimulated or more amazed beyond human understanding.(1)-Ron Price with thanks to (1)ABC1, 19 July 2011, 8:30-9:30 p.m.

We all react to different aspects of programs,
and that is only saying the obvious, eh, Brian?
I was most impressed by the idea of time’s line:
the cosmological terms and those many epochs
beginning with the Planck epoch, the stages of
the early universe, and of structure formation:
stars, galaxies, clusters, super-clusters and the
ultimate fate of the universe in billions of years.(1)

What went on in the first trillionth of a second in
that growth from sub-microscopic to astronomical
size in the blink of an eye? I’ve had a fascination(2)
with time since the ‘50s and those first years of the
atomic age when the edge of self-destruction filled
our time and I joined a new religion with its cycles &
periods, eras & epochs, phases & stages, and plans.(3)

1 Go to this link for the details here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Big_Bang)

wiki/Timeline_of_the_Big_Bang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Big_Bang)
2 See this link:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02EFDE1E31F934A 25750C0A9609C8B63&pagewanted=all
3 The Baha’i Faith


Ron Price
19 July 2011

[RonPrice]

As Chris Harvey writes in his review of the first episode of Brian Cox's new series, Wonders of the Universe (BBC Two): The first law of thermodynamics stipulates that when a TV scientist tries to slip the phrase “second law of thermodynamics” into a sentence, a large proportion of viewers start wondering what’s happening on MasterChef.

"Life as we know it," Professor Cox explained at one point, "is only possible for one thousandth of a billion billion billionth, billion billion billionth, billion billion billionth of a percent" of the lifespan of the universe. And of that barely conceivable fraction, a human life occupies only a tiny space. You wonder whether it's really worth getting up in the morning. At least that is the way which Tom Sutcliffe put it in "Time flies with the star trekker," The Independent, 7 March 2011. I'll let you read the rest of his critique at:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...4-2234160.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-weekends-tv-wonders-of-the-universe-sun-bbc2brcivilization-is-the-west-history-sun-channel-4-2234160.html)

[Stu Ward]

I watched my copy of Universe only a few days ago, but this thread sparked me into watching Solar System again over the last two nights.
They are both great series, But i get a feeling that the success of Solar system kinda made them think that Universe would be an easy ride and they didnt put as much into it.

Solar system is more factual and the way Brian explains things with simple everyday items, rocks, sticks etc I thought was "Beautiful" ( a word he uses far too often )

I really like the guy, his childish enthusiasm is inspiring, but i think they missed the boat a little with Universe


Stu

[Sab]

Here is a piss-take on the opening sequence of Wonders of the Solar System...

I think its hilarious...:rofl:

There is a bit of bad language

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhn8j7S4uKU

[Octane]

lol, I think that's been posted before. Still funny. :)

H

[Stu Ward]

Few too many "F's" in it for me,but funny anyway.
I saw a link from that about a guy trying to talk to Brian about the Moon landing conspiracies. For a Scientific mind, he really stumbled and struggled to offer any proof that they actually did take place.

Not wanting to start that thing off, but I found it fascinating that Brian could not defend his position with the Scientific method.

Stu

[stephenb]

Any program like Wonders that brings astronomy to the general population, is a worthwhile program. I know a some friends who have had their interest and curiosity in the solar system, and astronomy in general, "sparked" by these two series. These are people who would never have paid any attention to astronomy at all.

[taminga16]

Is Brian Cox difficult to listen to or is it just me?
Greg.

[sjastro]

I have the same problem. In fact I dozed off.

BTW did he bother to explain why stars cannot fuse iron or were the audience left hanging? (I was asleep by that stage.:()

Regards

Steven

[AdrianF]

You and me both. His voice seemed to put me to sleep.

Adrian

[Octane]

A graduate of the Michael Jackson School of Enunciation and Elocution.

Puts me to sleep, too. :P

H

[shelltree]

I've already watched all of Wonders of the Universe ;) And I certainly did NOT fall asleep :D I still prefer Solar System though, I felt Universe could have been longer and more in depth for sure.

[Octane]

Shell,

You obviously weren't listening hard enough. :poke:

H

[shelltree]

I'm a woman! Hence I can multi-task between listening, watching and swooning simultaneously :P

[sjastro]

Heck if Amy Mainzer presented the series, I wouldn't fall asleep, even with the volume control was set to zero.

Steven

[Omaroo]

Hmmm.. just caught up with this on ABC's iView.

Not really impressed this time. The word "shallow" comes to mind. There's no substance and a great reliance on pretty pictures and seeing Brian wistfully looking off into yet another Namibian sunset. The concept of entropy can be reasonably explained in a couple of minutes, so where was the rest of the show? :shrug:

[mswhin63]

I tried to get my son to watch it as well, his attention span was quite limited. I suppose it was a bit drawn out in some areas. I am though not much interested in presentation style just the content.

[AdrianF]

Might be worthwhile watching this week. Looks like Brian is pretty crook in what looks like a centrifuge.

Adrian

[Stu Ward]

The Planetary Gravity simulation is quite funny.
The ladies wont go so glassy eyed when they see his G-force induced facial contortions !

[Octane]

I didn't get a word he just said abou spacetime. My mouth was ajar from the incredible mountain scenery. Goodness me.

I wonder if that's New Zealand?

H

[Liz]

Enjoyed last nights episode on gravity, episodes of late seem to be more focused on Earth, but more interstellar stuff here. Collision of Andromeda and Milky Way ... lucky I wont be here in 3 billion years time. :question:



Hmm ... was a bit yucky Stu I must admit.



Yes, scenery was bful, at one time he was perched right on the top of a scary looking mountain, what a brave man he is. :D

[supernova1965]

Just in case all you Brian fancier's missed it I am providing the evidence here:P:eyepop:

[AdrianF]

Isnt that what he looks like without his makeup?

Adrian

[graham.hobart]

He look's like he's just spent a night with Lemmy and Ronnie Wood!:sadeyes:

[Poita]

You miss a lot of the specatcle of it watching on iview, I've just watched it with the kids in HiDef and it really makes a big difference.

Though my eldest daughter doesn't like the host, says he is too freaky-looking and holds her hand in front of the screen whenever he is on!

Both girls were mesmerised by the imagery and information though, it has rekindled their interest in peering through the scope, and the binoviewer has also made that more attractive too them. The driveway is currently decorated with chalk drawings of all of the planets and some crazy looking nebulae as well, and their borrowings from the library this week were all astro-related.
So even if the information was a bit 'light' on the show, it has prompted them to explore in more detail, which is a great thing.
Nice to see some money spent on a science program rather than reality TV.

[Omaroo]

That's great and wonderful if you are justifying the content based on what your kids want to see. Whilst that's still a good thing, I'm judging it on what I want to see, and it's sadly lacking.

[Poita]

I would have liked more info too, but was just pointing out that the series is far more compelling in hi def on a bigger screen, than via the pixelated iview.

I would love to see some seriously deep astronomy on TV, but am glad that at least there is still some money being spent to put together science programming at all, and I think this show was always meant to target, and attract a wider audience than astrobuffs.

And I agree with my daughter, that guy is weird looking.

[NeilW]

I did likethe little Einstein doll he had on his dashboard though.