Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: Blues for the Red Planet

I’ve been watching Carl Sagan’s Cosmos on Netflix. For those who don’t know, it was a miniseries that aired in 1980, I believe. It’s held up remarkably well, considering the rapid advances in science and technology that are taking place daily. Of course, the computer animation looks cheesy by today’s standards, but that’s my only negative criticism. I really like how each show discusses not only the science (astronomy, physics, biology) of the topic, but also the history, thinkers, and sometimes artists involved in our collective conscience about that show’s topic.

Martian “canals”

Today, for example, I watched the episode about Mars, called Blues for the Red Planet. Not only did the show touch on the Viking expeditions and the early observations about the red planet, but also the history of Mars in our culture including John Carter of Mars, H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds“, and Percival Lowell’s drawings and writings about possible canals on Mars. The 10 year update at the end of the show touched on how exploring the red planet may help us understand our blue planet’s past, present, and future. I highly recommend this miniseries for the science-minded as well as the layman. As of today’s date, it is currently streaming on Netflix over the internet.

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