“Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” first debuted on PBS in 1980, hosted by Carl Sagan. It introduced a generation to astrophysics, to the expansiveness of the universe, and to the beauty of science and the natural world.
Sagan passed away in 1996 and left a massive gap in the world of science education but the impression he made is still alive and well. Banksy said “You die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” With any luck, Sagan won’t truly leave us for a very, very long time. His legacy lives on in those he taught, both in person and through his scientific outreach.
“A man is just flesh and blood and can be ignored or destroyed. But as a symbol… As a symbol, I can be incorruptible, everlasting.” Those words didn’t come from Sagan but they apply just the same. He isn’t here to teach us anymore, but his message lives on, the torch is still lit and a new generation must carry it.
“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” premiered last night on FOX. The show, hosted by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a rebirth of Sagan’s original idea, to bring science to the masses. To introduce us to massive, overbearing, overwhelming ideas in a way that we can comprehend. To take science out of the lab and into the living room.
I was delighted to see the internet light up last night with people who were sitting down to watch the broadcast. The energy I’ve seen in the last 24 hours over an educational program has been exciting in its own right and deservedly so. The show was gorgeous, it introduced large ideas in an understandable way, it leveraged animation and imagination to show us things we can’t see with our eyes. Travelling in the ship of imagination, we can see the past, the future, the infinite, the possible.
In the weeks leading up to the premiere I began to get slightly worried. The universe is a big place, there is a lot of material to cover, even in thirteen hours. Within the first 14 minutes I realized that my worry was unnecessary. The first episode began with a brilliant introduction to our place in the cosmos, our cosmic address. Then seamlessly moved onto an astronomical history lesson. The pacing was wonderful and the imagery gorgeous.
My favorite segment however, was the last several minutes which consisted of a tribute to Carl Sagan. It seemed appropriate to give him his due, to take a few moments to memorialize the man who was responsible for it all.
Sagan was an intellectual king among men, and he left massive shoes to fill. Tyson steps into them wonderfully, he has the charm and the knowledge to carry the torch. I feel fortunate to live in a time of scientific rebirth, a new renaissance of curiosity and passion. I feel fortunate, when my three year old says he wants to be an astronaut, that I can sit him down on the couch and travel the universe with him. I feel fortunate that there are those educators like Dr. Tyson who can pick up where I leave off, who can fill the gaps of knowledge that I have, who can show him, and me, the universe.
If you didn’t get a chance to watch it last night, you can catch it this evening on National Geographic, or you can watch it right now. I suggest that you do.
Cheers.