Say what you like about the BBC, they sure know how to photograph the natural world. World renowned for their science and nature catalogue, the BBC has given us shows the likes of Planet Earth, and more recently Life, that have set a benchmark for documenting the wonders of our planet in all it's grace and beauty. Now, the Beeb turn their attention skyward towards the heavens, with a new five-part serial, The Wonders of the Solar System.
Hosted by physicist and all round geek, Brian Cox, The Wonders of the Solar System is not your typical astronomy/astrophysics series. Ditching the cold, graphics heavy lecture format that makes The History Channel's The Universe such a colossal bore, Wonders...instead adopts a much more casual approach. Sticking wherever possible to actual video footage and photography, the series takes one specific phenomenon each episode and explores it from a perspective that is grounded here on Earth.
For the stars we go to the Atlas Mountains, for the sun, the northern bend of the Ganges, and for the lunar cycle, the Kairouan Mosque in Tunisia. Ever-so-slightly giddy and unashamedly excitable, Cox is genuinely likable travel companion and guide for the viewer, able to reduce complex astrophysics to it's simplest principles. Want to calculate the amount of energy given off by the sun? All you need is a thermometer, a tin of water, and an umbrella. Care to demonstrate why Mars seemingly orbits in a series of looping spirals? No problem. It's a visual illusion that can be handily deciphered with a stick and three rocks.
Conservative in what it aims to accomplish, Wonders..is highly educational, while at the same time instantly accessible. As Cox is keen to point out, the laws of physics are the same no matter where in the universe you are. So, instead of some headache inducing graphic to explain the concept of the Conservation of Angular Momentum, the principle by which the universe was originally formed, you can simply go chasing Tornados in Okalahoma. Much more visceral, and a hell of a lot more fun.
Articulate and with a great love of language, Cox is careful to never dilute the majesty of his subject with jargon-heavy analysis, and there is never so much as an equation in sight. This is key to the enjoyment of this series. It's not Facts of the Solar System, it's Wonders, and the sheer maddening complexity of the ordered chaos of the universe, as explained by science - the angle of the Earth's axis shaping our entire way of life - is every bit as awe-inspiring as anything the schools of religion or philosophy have to offer.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
None are included.
"Wonders of The Solar System" is on sale September 7, 2010 and is not rated. Nature-Documentary. Written by N/A. Starring Prof Brian Cox.
