Last year I got the chance to watch ‘The Universe’, which is broadcast on the History Channel in the US. Aimed at teenagers and upward, the first series explored several of the planets, the life of stars and the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. It was very well done, with some great visuals. I really enjoyed it. So you can imagine my surprise when I was contacted by the people promoting the show’s second season, who offered me a review copy.
The Universe’s second season is again, excellent. You can think of this second set of documentaries as a more in-depth follow up to the first year. Topics include dark matter, the constellations, gravity and space colonization. (Is it an Americanism or a mistake that lead them to title one episode ‘nebulas’ and not ‘nebulae’?).
The great thing about The Universe is that it targets the age group most disconnected from science. As a group, older teenagers are looking away from science and school isn’t doing enough to keep them interested. Documentaries like this engage people at home and lead them out into museums, lectures and libraries.
You could go and buy this show on Amazon, or directly from The History Channel - or you could win a copy! I have one sealed copy of The Universe Season Two to give away. More than 14 hours of spacey goodness on 5 DVDs in a rather fetching metal case.
How do you win it? Simple really - you have to sign up to Twitter and start following Orbiting Frog. Shameless ploy to get more Twitter followers? Yes… and no. Twitter is becoming quite the hub of astronomy chat and news. At the recent .Astronomy Conference, it became obvious that Twitter, and services like it, were going to be very important in astronomy in the next few years.
So on October 31st, I will pick a random follower on Twitter (no space probes allowed!). They will be sent this great DVD collection, but more importantly they, and possibly many others, will have joined the conversation.
To sign up to Twitter, visit http://twitter.com and once you have start following me (http://twitter.com/orbitingfrog). If you already follow me on Twitter, you are automatically entered - how easy was that?
While you’re on Twitter you might want to take a look at several more users that may be of interest:
- Carnival of Space
- WETI
- Planck
- Astronomy Picture of the Day
- The Jodcast
- International Year of Astronomy
- The Mars Rovers
- Mars Phoenix Lander
- .Astronomy Conference
Also there are many fellow astronomy bloggers on Twitter:
If I’m missing anyone, please comment to add your Twitter feed. Good luck to those entering, and happy Twittering.
