Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey For Every Dreamer

It’s a fact that all of us are made of star-stuff. Wow! Starstuff!!! Isn’t it amazing just to hear the sound of it? Imagine exploring the vast skies and beyond with no boundaries of space and time. What an odyssey that would be!

I was always fascinated with the night sky. It made me think about what lies beyond those twinkling stars. But there was no one to guide or point me in the right direction. I remember my school project where I had to create a solar system model. With little help, I gathered some household stuff, and created something weird; but it felt good.

You must be wondering why am I bringing up this old school story. Wait we are getting to our main topic!

Education plays a vital role both in shaping and living our dreams. We all realize that eventually. But for most of us, it is often too late; resulting in new compromised dreams. Today I wish my math or physics teacher had taught what these subjects can do to my dreams.

Over the years, while the dream faded, it was not forgotten. I have been trying to learn more about the existence of everything around and beyond. However, all the information I came across was either too complex to understand and follow or there were too many concepts and data overload which were not so easy to process.

I recently chanced upon this documentary series and thought that if it was available when I was growing up, maybe I would have a realised a very different dream.

“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Watch it on Hotstar Disney.

This is a space documentary but trust me it’s more than just a documentary. This is a special one. It takes you on a “Ship of the imagination” (literally) and who better to accompany you than Neil deGrasse Tyson (An American astrophysicist, cosmologist, planetary scientist, author, and science communicator)” across space and time. This documentary series has released 2 seasons and I just completed the second one yesterday. This inspired me to share this series with you all.

What makes this series so special is that every human, with or without an understanding of science can also find it enlightening.

Below are my top three reasons why I absolutely admire this series, in particular, above all other space documentaries I have ever seen. It has a perfect balance of knowledge and entertainment.

1. Breaking The Complexity

I specifically liked the way they have simplified complex concepts. Take time, for instance. They have mapped time since its beginning through a cosmic calendar, which is indeed one of the most intriguing features in both seasons. This calendar marks 1^st January as the day of Big Bang and shows the entire journey from then to now in just one calendar year. Every month in the cosmic calendar represents about a billion years and every day represents about 40 million years.  Watch the video:

2. Animated Storytelling

Throughout, this series takes you to a time when there was no camera or videos to capture moments. It talks about the very first humans who dared to take the first step which helped us explore the world we know today. It depicts the hardships of all forgotten scientists or common people who shaped up whatever little we know about space and time today by bringing it all to life that we can easily visualise. Watch the video:

3. Visual Effects

The series takes you on a journey within our planet, other planets within our solar system, and beyond our solar system or galaxy. The visual effects take you on a trip as if you are traveling for real. While watching, you might wonder “I wish I would have studied more, if only I understood the practical side of the subjects like Maths, Physics and all about Science through a series like Cosmos”! Watch the video:

Finally, An Ode To Carl Sagan

It would not do justice to Cosmos if I did not mention Carl Sagan. Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, science populariser, science communicator, and many other great things. What makes him special and different for me, is that he was one of the firsts to popularise science and make it public. For someone like me, or maybe a student who is dreaming about space – he “brought it to life”. He co-wrote and narrated television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage in 1980. It inspired many including Neil deGrasse Tyson who continued his legacy of Cosmos with the new two seasons mentioned above.

If you ever dreamt of living a space dream or you have a child who might not know what his real dream is, I recommend Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, not just to any one group but everyone, especially children. Children are curious by nature and if in their foundation years right seed is sown, it might just propel them light years ahead!!!

Cover Image Source: Wallpaperstock.net.