How the Universe Works - Alien Galaxies

Third episode in the Discovery channel's How the Universe Works series. It deals with the formations of galaxies, and further galaxies into clusters. From drifting clouds of gas billions of years ago to the complex gravitational bound systems wee see today. This whole series is very satisfying, considering that all the topics in it are very common in astronomical documentaries and usually dumbed down to 5-year old child level. How the Universe Works provides all the detail that non-scientist can understand.

How the Universe Works - Black Holes

In the continuation of the "How the Universe Works" series, we have a documentary about the black holes, once again a very popular topic in all the cosmological shows. Entertaining and educational like the first episode, still most of the people that are up to date with cosmological discoveries won't find much new in this but I consider it one of the better shows about black holes.

How the Universe Works - Big Bang

First episode of the Discovery Channel's How the Universe Works series. Appropriate subject for the first episode is of course the Big Bang. Beginning of the Universe is a very common subject in documentaries and usually it's quite poorly explained, putting the weight on displaying the big explosion all over the screen and screaming about how big and hot it was while not giving any interesting information. This one on the other hand is pretty good, it still screams all that about explosions and heat but actually does a good job on informing the viewer what we currently know about it. My only disappointment was the part about the faster than light space expansion, it was poorly explained without going into any detail. Still it's better than most other such documentaries that don't even mention that.

Welcome to Mars

The ongoing unmanned Mars exploration mission, commenced in 2003 sent two robotic rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to explore the Martian surface and geology. This is a continuation to the Mars, Dead or Alive documentary. Once again it deals with the two Mars rovers, just this time showing all the technical problems and challenges they faced on the surface of the red planet.

The Elegant Universe

String theory, a developing theory in particle physics which attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. There aren't many documentaries on the subject unfortunately, so this one is in some parts a bit irritatingly slow,childishly simple and technical terms are kept at a minimum (and in some cases a bit below minimum), but aside from that, it still is very informing about the string theory itself.

It is an adaptation from a book by Brian Greene and was originally aired on PBS's NOVA.

Nanotopia

This is an aged nanotechnology themed BBC documentary dating from 1995. Although it is pretty old, especially when dealing in such advanced and experimental technology, it still offers great insights into the core principles of nano-tech. It's very technically detailed, describing exactly how is atomic manipulation possible, how can we detect individual atoms, and how nano devices are built from the ground up.

Into The Universe with Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking is hosting a new show, Into The Universe, containing three episodes. In a few hours Hawking gives us the ultimate short guide to the universe, based on real science, from the possibilities of alien life and time travel to the nature of the universe itself.

What really makes "Into the Universe" work, though, is Hawking himself, who attacks these ideas with the enthusiasm of a science-fiction aficionado, while laying out the theoretical case and science in clear yet authoritative terms. This documentary is filled with lots of information and high production value.

If We Had No Moon

This documentary starts with an interesting question: how would Earth look like if there was no Moon?
It has a surprising set of answers. In short, the planet Earth would be a much different place then it is now. Probably there wouldn't be human life on the planet, days would last only four hours, winds would blow at hurricane force and there would be a dense and toxic atmosphere resembling that of Venus. It also deals about the origin of the Moon, so it seems that it was formed by a massive planetary collision with the debris forming our satellite.
Oh, it also features Patrick Stewart making me waiting all the time to hear "Engage!"

Visions of the Future

Visions of the Future is a three part miniseries on the BBC hosted by Michio Kaku. In this new three-part series, leading theoretical physicist and futurist Dr Michio Kaku explores the cutting edge science of today, tomorrow, and beyond. He argues that humankind is at a turning point in history. In this century, we are going to make the historic transition from the 'Age of Discovery' to the 'Age of Mastery', a period in which we will move from being passive observers of nature to its active choreographers. This will give us not only unparalleled possibilities but also great responsibilities.

Documentary is in three parts, with the first part discussing the advancements in computing and artificial intelligence. Constructing new fascinating virtual worlds, automated intelligent cars and star trek like holograms are just a part of it.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out was filmed in 1981 and will delight and inspire anyone who would like to share something of the joys of scientific discovery. Feynman is a master storyteller, and his tales – about childhood, Los Alamos, or how he won a Nobel Prize – are a vivid and entertaining insight into the mind of a great scientist at work and play.

Can we make a star on Earth? - BBC Horizon

Brian Cox from Manchester University discuses the possibility of making a star here on earth, a process known as nuclear fusion. Creating fusion on Earth was done a lot of times, in the explosion of a hydrogen bomb, however it is an uncontrolled process , therefore extremely destructive, controlled fusion is a different story all together. If successful, a controlled nuclear fusion would solve most of our energy problems as it provides massive quantities of energy from an extremely cheap and abundant fuel, hydrogen.

Carl Sagan's COSMOS

Originally aired in 1980. Carl Sagan's Cosmos series explains a great number of scientific theories in a way a layman can understand. It inspired many people to appreciate scientific studies and sparked their intellectual curiosity.
This playlist contains all 13 episodes, each one hour long and deals in various topics such as Einsteinian relativism, theory of evolution and many others...it is a classical masterpiece.

Cosmic Journeys

Cutting-edge stories about the origins of the universe, black holes, exploding stars, the search for ET life, and the nature of the planets. Original productions from SPACERIP TV and Space.com.
Series features 12 episodes, each lasting around 20 minutes.
It's very professionally done, nice production and no time-wasting, each of 12 episodes has enough information for a full length documentary film.

Richard Dawkins – Break the Science Barrier

Richard Dawkins, a renowned author and a professor of public understanding of science at Oxford delivers a documentary about the importance of understanding the general scientific principles. It's not about the details of scientific methods, but about the general principles that should be understood by everyone, most importantly by politicians and government officials.

What we still don't know

Part 1: Are we alone?


Part2: Why are we here?


Part 3: Are we real?



A three-part series in which cosmologist Sir Martin Rees tackles some of the most fundamental questions of existence. Are we alone? Why are we here? Are we real? Answer to each of them is a journey of it's own and well worth the watch.

Imagining the Tenth Dimension

A short presentation explaining the higher dimensions. Mind-boggling at first and even more so at second or third watch. Although the presentation itself is very simple, the concepts it tries to explain is far from that. Recommended if you want to blow your brains.

Dark energy rules the universe

The revolutionary discovery that the expansion of the universe is speeding up, not slowing down from gravity, means that 75 percent of our universe consists of mysterious dark energy. Berkeley Lab theoretical physicist Eric Linder delves into the mystery of dark energy as part of the Science in the Theatre lecture series on Nov. 24, 2008.

Very fast paced lecture, covering a lot of information very quickly, however nicely presented so it's not too difficult to follow. Recommended for anyone interested in astronomy.