First Aired: September 28th, 2004
Status: Ended
Genre: Documentary
Network: PBS
Summary: Has the universe always existed? How did it become a place that could harbor life? What was the birth of our planet like? Are we alone, or are there alien worlds waiting to be discovered? NOVA presents some startling new answers in "Origins," a groundbreaking four-part NOVA miniseries hosted by dynamic astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. Tyson leads viewers on a cosmic journey to the beginning of time and into the distant reaches of the universe, searching for life's first stirrings and its traces on other worlds.
In the search for answers to the many provocative questions the program raises, Tyson catches up with one of astronomy's most exciting recent findings - the discovery of the first planets outside our own solar system. Detecting more than 100 of these planets over the last few years, astronomers have developed an ingenious technique worthy of Sherlock Holmes for deducing whether or not they might be suitable for life.
As for the ultimate question-whether we can contact an alien civilization-Tyson tells us to stay tuned, reminding us that the quest for origins has involved us in one incredible surprise after another.
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Episode Statistics:
# of Episodes: 4
# of Episodes I watched: 0
# of Episodes I haven't watched: 4
Last Episode I watched: -
Last Aired Episode
Season 1 - Episode 4: Back to the Beginning
Air Date: January 1st, 2004
Summary: Hour Four starts with a bang-the big bang in which everything began. "Origins - Back to the Beginning" explores how the colossal, mind-boggling forces of the early universe made it possible for habitable worlds to emerge. The clues begin with a race among scientists to capture lingering echoes of the big bang's ferocious energy in a microwave "whisper" from deep space. The race pits underdog astronomer Tony Readhead and his improvised detector in the high Andes against NASA scientists and their state-of-the-art satellite probe. Tyson shares his excitement with viewers as computer animation of the big bang's echo emerges on the screen. It's as close as we can get to a "photograph" of the primordial universe. Here we glimpse the seeds from which all the galaxies, stars, and planets eventually grew.
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