CCA Library Videos-Astronomy

CCA videos check out to Community College of Aurora faculty for one week. CCA faculty can reserve videos in advance of planned classroom showings and make arrangements to pick up and return videos by contacting the Library (303-340-7545, library@ccaurora.edu).  

AND THEN THERE WAS VOYAGER: JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS & NEPTUNE. YEAR: 1990. FORMAT: VHS. 30 MIN. 523.4 AND. Produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA, this video explores the geology, weather, moons, and magnetic fields of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune through the eyes of Voyagers1 and 2.

ATMOSPHERE & THE UNIVERSE (SCIENCE IV). YEAR: 1985. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: GED ON TV #110. EA. 30 MIN. 371.26 GED NO. 110. Covers the atmosphere: composition, climate and pollution; the solar system; terrestrial planets and gaseous planets.

BACKBONE OF NIGHT / TRAVELS IN SPACE AND TIME. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #7/8. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 7/8. Pt. 7 -- There was a time when humans imagined stars to be campfires in the sky, or thought of the Milky Way as the "backbone of night." 2,300 years ago, as science first emerged out of mysticism, Aristarchus - - whose home island of Samos is the setting for this episode -- suggested that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the center of the Solar System. But the early development of scientific thinking was suppressed. Carl Sagan returns to the Brooklyn neighborhood where he himself first began to grapple with scale and nature of the universe. Pt. 8 -- The stars are more numerous than all the sand grains on all the beaches of Earth. With Carl Sagan we circle around the Big Dipper and travel through time to see if the past can be altered. We retrace the teenage Albert Einstein's reverie about traveling; his theory of relatively offers explorers the chance to journey in a single lifetime to the center of the Galaxy. They would return, however, to an Earth much older than the one they left.

BLACK HOLES AND QUASARS. YEAR: 1982. FORMAT: VHS. 30 MIN. 523 BLA. Using an array of special effects, supported by interviews with noted astronomers and physicists, takes the viewer on a simulated voyage through the cosmos to seek out and explore two of the universe's most baffling mysteries, black holes and quasars.

BLUES FOR A RED PLANET / TRAVELLER'S TALES. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #5/6. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 5/6. Pt. 5 -- Mars has fascinated humans for centuries, in science fiction and in science. Carl Sagan visits the observatory Percival Lowell built to study the Martian "canals" which Lowell believed were built by a dying civilization. In our time, two Viking spacecrafts have landed on Mars, but found no canals, past or present, and no Martians. Humans someday might unlock the water frozen in the polar caps. Then there will be Martians -- visitors and eventually homesteaders from the planet Earth. Pt. 6 -- At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Carl Sagan compares the exhilaration of an ancient sailing ship voyage of exploration with the excitement of astronomers who see the first close-up photographs of Jupiter's moons taken by the Voyager spacecraft. Following in Voyager's path, the spaceship of the imagination takes us through the rings of Saturn, and into the thick atmosphere of its moon, Titan, rich in organic matter, before continuing on to the sea of interstellar space.

EINSTEIN REVEALED. YEAR: 2004. FORMAT: DVD. SERIES: NOVA. 120 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530.092 EIN. Journey into the mind of a genius-- and, with the help of some whimsical computer animation, visualize experiments only Einstein could imagine.

ELEGANT UNIVERSE, 3 PARTS. YEAR: 2003. FORMAT: DVD. SERIES: NOVA. 180 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 539.7258 ELE. Physicist Brian Greene discusses the historical quest for a grand unified theory in physics which will reconcile quantum physics and general relativity, and considers the possibility that superstring theory may bring an end to that search. Contents: Disc 1: Part 1, Einstein's dream -- Part 2, String's the thing; Disc 2: Part 3, Welcome to the 11th dimension.

HARMONY OF THE WORLDS / HEAVEN AND HELL. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #3/4. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 3/4. Pt. 3 -- All over the world, our ancestors in every culture taught themselves astronomy. Their lives literally depended on it. The first modern astronomer was Johannes Kepler who struggled to find a harmony in the heavens, and made the critical step to move us into the scientific age. Kepler's insights taught us how the Moon and planets move in their orbits and, ultimately, how to voyage to them. Pt. 4 -- In 1908, in Siberia, a mysterious explosion felled trees for miles, and made a sound heard around the world. Carl Sagan concludes that the Earth was hit by a small comet. Then we descend through the hellish atmosphere of Venus to explore its broiling surface, heated by the greenhouse effect. The fate of Venus may be a cautionary tale for our world. Sagan urges a wise and protective stewardship of the fragile blue planet Earth.

HUNT FOR ALIEN WORLDS. YEAR: 1997. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NOVA. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 576.839 HUN. Examines new technological developments used in exploring our universe.

ISLAMIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 2 COPIES. YEAR: 1983. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: WORLD OF ISLAM. 30 MIN. 500.549142 ISL. Describes how Islamic knowledge made significant contributions in the fields of astronomy, physics, medicine, and engineering.

LIVES OF THE STARS / EDGE OF FOREVER. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #9/10. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 9/10. Pt. 9 -- To make an apple pie from scratch, we must first invent the Universe. Most of the atoms in our bodies were made inside the stars. We are "star stuff." Computer animation shows how stars are born, live, and die. Carl Sagan examines black holes, Earth's "last perfect day," and how the cosmic rays of distant exploding stars produce mutations in the beings of Earth. In the deepest sense, life on Earth is connected with the evolution of cosmos. Pt. 10 -- Will the Universe continue to expand forever, or someday collapse upon itself? Carl Sagan shows how in this century humans discovered the expansion of the Universe. He explores the cosmology of India and worlds of two and four dimensions, and disappears down a black hole. He then takes us to a giant array of radio telescopes where astronomers wonder which fate -- limitless expansion or endless oscillation -- lies in store for the Cosmos.

MYSTERIES OF DEEP SPACE, 3 PARTS. YEAR: 1997. FORMAT: VHS. 55 EA. MIN. 520 MYS PARTS 1-3. Dives into the vastness of space as it presents the boldest new achievements of modern astronomy, joining astronomers as they probe the limits of the observable universe and peer into the violent world of black holes and supernovas. Combining live-action sequences, state-of-the-art computer animation and spectacular high-resolution images from the Hubble space Telescope, the series provides viewers with a stunning new perspective on the universe. Contents: Part 1. To the edge of the universe; Part 2. Exploding stars and black holes; Part. 3. The search for alien worlds.

PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY / ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #11/12. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 11/12. Pt. 11 -- The human brain is the point of embarkation for all our cosmic journeys. Carl Sagan ushers us through the human brain to witness the architecture of thought, and enters the "brain library" where trillions of bits of information are stored. Something of the information within our genes, our brains, and our libraries has been launched into space aboard the Voyager spacecraft -- a message in a bottle to beings of other worlds. Pt. 12 -- Carl Sagan examines the persistent reports of UFOs and argues that there is no convincing evidence to support the notion that they are extraterrestrial visitors. But the world's largest radio telescope stands able to receive radio messages sent by alien civilizations anywhere in the Milky Way. Dr. Sagan allows us to riffle through a "galactic computer," the repository of data on a million planets of other stars.

PLANET MARS / MERCURY -- EXPLORATION OF A PLANET. YEAR: 1985. FORMAT: VHS. 60 MIN. 523.4 MAR. Contains two 30-minute NASA presentations that examine Mars, form its discovery in 1669 to the historic Viking landing on its surface, and Mercury, with startling detail revealed through the findings and photographs of the Mariner 10 spacecraft.

PROSPECTING FOR PLANETS. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: ASTRONOMERS #6. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 523 PRO. Focuses on efforts to discover other planetary systems and learn more about the planets of our own solar system. Astronomers Bradford Smith and Richard Terrile search the universe from an observatory in the Chilean Andes. Interviews David Latham who believes he may have detected a distant planetary system. Also shows spectacular images sent back to earth by the space probe Voyager.

RUNAWAY UNIVERSE. YEAR: 2000. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NOVA. 60 MIN. 523.18 RUN. Presents the dramatic quest to unlock the secrets of the universe as two rival astronomy teams search for exploding stars, map gigantic cosmic patterns of galaxies, and grapple with the ultimate question: what is the fate of the universe?

SCIENCE REVISES THE HEAVENS. YEAR: 1986. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: BURKE, JAMES. SERIES: DAY THE UNIVERSE CHANGED #5. 52 MIN. 303.4 DAY P.5. The scientific revolution demolished Aristotle's physics and caused bitter conflict with the church. This program explores Copernicus' explanation that the heavens do not revolve around the earth, the contributions to science of artillerymen trying to improve their aim, the finding of new bodies in the heavens, Galileo's exploration of the acceleration of falling objects, Newton's theory of gravity, and more.

SEARCHING FOR BLACK HOLES. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: ASTRONOMERS #2. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 523 SEA. Radio astronomer John Conway links an international team of astronomers and radio telescopes to create, in effect, a single telescope 6,000 miles in diameter to produce a picture of galaxy NGC 1275 in whose depths may exist a supermassive black hole. Also meet Jessie Greenstein, the co-discoverer of quasars, the most powerful known objects in the universe, and Italian radio astronomer Tiziana Venturi, who describes what she find so enthralling about astronomy.

SHORES OF THE COSMIC OCEAN / ONE VOICE IN THE FUGUE. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #1/2. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 1/2. Pt. 1 -- From the shores of the great ocean of space, Carl Sagan embarks on a cosmic journey beginning 8 billion light years away to view quasars, supernovas, pulsars, and the giant planets of our Solar System. On Earth, he visits Egypt to show how Eratosthenes first measured the size of the Earth. In a re-creation of the Great Alexandrian Library of antiquity, Sagan illustrates the fragility of human knowledge, then introduces the "Cosmic Calendar" to explain the expanse of time from the Big Bang to the present. Pt. 2 -- Carl Sagan explores the origin, evolution, and diversity of life on Earth. Through computer animation, we enter the heart of a living cell to examine DNA, then trace human evolution from one-celled organisms in the primitive ocean. To understand how beings evolve and adapt to their environments, Sagan gives us a speculative look at the "hunter", "floaters", and "sinkers" that might possibly exist in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet.

STARDUST. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: ASTRONOMERS #5. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 523 STA. Looks at the complete life cycle of stars that make up our galaxy showing how the death of stars allow our own lives to come into being. Two scientists research the forces that bring gas and dust together with such intense pressure that nuclear fusion results and a star is born. Interviews Hans Bethe, the first scientist to explain in detail how stars are fueled. Also looks at the supernova explosion of 1987.

STONEHENGE: MYSTERY IN THE PLAIN. YEAR: 1980. FORMAT: VHS. 24 MIN. 936.2319 STO. This video looks at the desolate beauty of Stonehenge and the myths and legends that encourage a million people to make a pilgrimage to the site each year.

SUN DAGGER. YEAR: 1983. FORMAT: VHS. 28 MIN. 978.9004 SUN. Documents the extraordinary celestial calendar created by ancient North American Indians, and rediscovered by artist Anna Soafer, high on a butte in New Mexico. The dagger is the only known ancient site that marks the extreme positions of both the sun and moon. The video also explores the complex culture of the Anasazi Indians who constructed the calendar and thrived in the Chaco Canyon area over a thousand years ago.

UNIVERSE. YEAR: 1976. FORMAT: VHS. 28 MIN. 523.1 UNI. Shows a mysterious and incredibly violent universe. Explores almost inconceivable extremes of size and time, from galaxies to subatomic particles and from cosmic events that occurred millions of years ago to microcosmic events of the present that endure only a billionth of a second.

WAVES OF THE FUTURE. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: ASTRONOMERS #4. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 523 WAV. Soviet scientist Leonid Grishchuk and American scientist Kip Thorne describe their attempts to prove the existence of gravity waves predicted by Albert Einstein which may contain the answers to many questions about the universe. The program also visits a prototype of a gravity-wave detector and presents a meeting of minds between Grishchuk and noted scientist Stephen Hawking.

WHERE IS THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE? YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: ASTRONOMERS #1. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 523 WHE. Astronomers Vera Rubin and Tony Tyson describe their search for dark matter which some astronomers believe comprises at least ten times as much mass as can be seen and accounted for in the universe and whose gravity affects the motion of stars and can alter the light reaching us from distance galaxies. In addition, meet John Dobson, a self-proclaimed "side-walk astronomer".

WHO SPEAKS FOR EARTH? A DIALOGUE, SAGAN - TURNER. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: SAGAN, CARL. SERIES: COSMOS #13. EA. 60 MIN. 520 COS PT. 13. Pt. 13 -- This episode is the historic television declaration of the urgent need for a planetary perspective to meet the madness of the nuclear arms race. The tragic story of the martyrdom of Hypatia, the woman scientist of ancient Alexandria, is told. We retrace the 15-billion-year journey from the Big Bang to the present -- a planet Earth infested with 60,000 nuclear weapons. But now we are in the midst of a stirring world-wide revolution, becoming bound up into a single global community.

WINDOW TO CREATION. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: ASTRONOMERS #3. 60 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 523 WIN. This program follows American and Japanese astronomers who seek to measure cosmic background radiation -- the heat remaining from the big bang -- by launching rockets and satellites above the earth's atmosphere. Also meet two astronomers who are mapping the universe in 3-D and discovering that galaxies have formed into gigantic groups, such as the "Great Wall" of galaxies which is 500 million light years long.