CCA videos check out to Community College of Aurora faculty for one week; videos do not check out to students and community members but can be viewed in the Instructional Resource Center. CCA faculty can reserve videos in advance of planned classroom showings and make arrangements to pick up and return videos by contacting the IRC (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.

ANGULAR MOMENTUM / TORQUES AND GYROSCOPES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #19/20. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 19/20. In Angular Momentum an old momentum has a new twist. Torques and Gyroscopes looks at phenomena from spinning tops and the precession of the equinoxes.

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.

ATMOSPHERE IN MOTION. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. 14 MIN. 551.5 ATM. Recent changes in the ozone layer have refocused attention on the importance of the atmosphere to life on our planet. Pictures taken from space show the swirling wisps and bands of clouds in the atmosphere surrounding the earth. Convection cells, the Coriolis Effect, the structure and composition of the atmosphere, and the invisible forces that keep the atmosphere in continuous motion are illustrated through demonstrations, laboratory models and animation.

ATOM / PARTICLES AND WAVES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #49/50. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 49/50. The Atom is a history of the atom, from the ancient Greeks to the early 20th century, and a new challenge for the world of physics. Particles and Waves shows that light can sometimes act like a particle, leading to quantum mechanics, the new physics.

ATOMS AND NUCLEAR ENERGY (SCIENCE V). YEAR: 1985. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: GED ON TV #111. EA. 30 MIN. 371.26 GED NO. 111. Covers the structure of atoms; nuclear energy: fission, fusion and radioactivity; chemical elements: periodic table, mixtures and compounds and chemical bonding.

BEYOND THE MECHANICAL UNIVERSE / STATIC ELECTRICITY. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #27/28. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 27/28. Beyond the Mechanical Universe examines the world of electricity and magnetism, and 20th-century discoveries of relativity and quantum mechanics. Static Electricity shows how eighteenth-century electricians knew how to spark the interest of an audience with the principles of static electricity.

BIRTH OF LIQUID CRYSTALS. YEAR: 1999. FORMAT: VHS. 30 MIN. 530 BIR. This program describes the physical properties of liquid crystals, their laboratory synthesis, their presence in cell membranes, and their biochemical and commercial applications.

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.

CLEAN AIR. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #6. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 6. Investigates incredible statistics in Mexico City for air pollution from cars and factories while powerful imagery brings the intensity of the earth's plight to view. Possible solutions to the air problem are discussed including a solar-powered car and various practical tips for energy and air quality conservation.

CLEAN WATER. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #2. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 2. Presents a disturbing look at a number of instances of water contamination including the effect of polluted ground water from farming, expulsion of toxic benzene from a Soviet factory, toxic runoff in the Puget Sound area, and a cleanup attempt of the Boston Harbor. Possible solutions are also discussed. Actor Ted Danson hosts.

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY / POTENTIAL ENERGY. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #13/14. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 13/14. Conservation of Energy looks at how, according to one of the major laws of physics, energy is neither created nor destroyed. Potential Energy examines how potential energy provides a powerful model for understanding why the world has worked the same way since the beginning of time.

CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM / HARMONIC MOTION. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #15/16. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 15/16. Conservation of Momentum looks at what keep the universe ticking away until the end of time. Harmonic Motion explores the music and mathematics of periodic motion.

CONSERVE ENERGY. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #7. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 7. Spans the globe to look at what some people are doing about the energy crisis. Includes discussions of the Energy Fitness Team in Massachusetts showing how simple adjustments at home can save on both energy use and utility bills, a trip to Africa where one man is building special ovens that produce more heat and use less wood, and a visit to a Southern California power company that is harnessing solar power.

DAREDEVILS OF THE SKY. YEAR: 1994. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NOVA. 60 MIN. 797.54 DAR. Features members of U.S. aerobatics teams and discusses history of aerobatics.

DERIVATIVES / INERTIA. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #3/4. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 3/4. Derivatives explains the function of mathematics in physical science and the derivative as a practical tool. In Inertia Galileo risks his favored status to answer the questions of the universe with his law of inertia.

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.

ELECTRIC CIRCUITS / MAGNETISM. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #33/34. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 33/34. In Electric Circuits the work of Charles Wheatstone, Ohm, and Kirchhoff lead to the design and analysis of how current flows. Magnetism shows how William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elizabeth I of England, discovered that the earth behaves like a giant magnet and how modern scientists have learned even more.

ELECTRIC FIELD / POTENTIAL AND CAPACITANCE. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #29/30. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 29/30. In The Electric Field Michael Faraday's vision of lines of constant force in space lay the foundation for the modern force field theory. In Potential and Capacitance Benjamin Franklin proposes a successful theory of the Leyden Jar and invents the parallel plate capacitor.

ELECTRICAL ENERGY FROM FISSION. YEAR: 1992. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NUCLEAR PHYSICS. 10 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 539.764 ELE. A review of nuclear fission demonstrates how the process can lead to chain reactions, controlled and harnessed in nuclear reactors. Outlining the functioning of a nuclear reactor step-by-step, the program shows how energy is produced and transmitted as electricity.

ELECTRICITY, MATTER, AND MOTION (SCIENCE VI). YEAR: 1985. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: GED ON TV #112. EA. 30 MIN. 371.26 GED NO. 112. Covers electricity: structure, process, insulators/conductors, and currents; magnetism: permanent/electromagnets; matter: structure, properties, states; motion: history and Newton's laws.

ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION / ALTERNATING CURRENT. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #37/38. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 37/38. Electromagnetic Induction shows how the discovery of electromagnetic induction in 1831 creates an important technological breakthrough in the generation of electric power. Alternating Current looks at how electromagnetic induction makes it easy to generate alternating current while transformers make it practical to distribute it over long distances.

ELECTRON DIFFRACTION. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EXPERIMENT: PHYSICS. 15 MIN. 530.4 ELE. The wave behavior of electrons is studied by measuring the diffraction ring diameters produced when accelerated electrons pass through a graphite lattice. Students record the ring diameters for different electron accelerating voltages. The wavelength of the electrons is directly related to the ring diameters. Students can also verify de Broglie's relation, which states that the electron's wavelength is Planck's constant divided by the electron's momentum since the momentum is proportional to the square root of the accelerating voltage.

ENDANGERED SPECIES. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #5. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 5. Looks at the difference individuals are making in protecting animals from extinction. In three separate segments the indiscriminate destruction of marine life through dragnet fishing in northern waters is exposed by Earth Trust, a commercial crab fisherman's fight for ecological preservation of Florida's Cockroach Bay is highlighted, and anthropologist Richard Leakey describes his life-and-death struggle against African poachers in Kenya.

ENERGY AND ECCENTRICITY / NAVIGATING IN SPACE. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #23/24. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 23/24. Energy and Eccentricity explores how the precise orbit of a heavenly body -- a planet, asteroid, of comet -- is fixed by the laws of conservation of energy and angular momentum. Navigating in Space shows how voyages to other planets use the same laws that guide planets around the solar system.

ENTROPY / LOW TEMPERATURES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #47/48. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 47/48. Entropy is part two of a look at the Carnot engine and covers profound implications for the behavior of matter and the flow of time through the universe. Low Temperatures looks at the quest for low temperatures that came with the discovery that all elements can exist in each of the basic states of matter.

ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #1. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 1. Within the setting of Yellowstone National Park the peril of the wolf, central predator and missing link in the ecological chain of the national park wildlife, is cited as an example of the dangers in disturbing ecological balance. Interviews with naturalists challenge the viewer to become aware of the components which form the foundation of the earth's ecosystem.

EXPLORING THE IONOSPHERE. YEAR: 1998. FORMAT: VHS. 50 MIN. 530 EXP. This program traces the evolution of ideas concerning the ionosphere from Nikola Tesla to the present. Original BBC broadcast title: Masters of the Ionosphere.

FOOD AND SHELTER. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #8. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 8. Explores solutions to the world's growing food shortage including organic farming, efforts of the Heifer Project in stopping the deterioration of the quality of our food supply, and topsoil preservation efforts conducted by the Land Institute of Iowa. A wind-swept visit to northern Kenya and its walking milk trucks spotlights this episode.

FROM ATOMS TO QUARKS / THE QUANTUM MECHANICAL UNIVERSE. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #51/52. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 51/52. From Atoms to Quarks shows how electron waves attracted to the nucleus of an atom help account for the periodic table of the elements and ultimately lead to the search for quarks. The Quantum Mechanical Universe is a last look at where physics has been and a peek into the future.

GLOBAL WARMING. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #3. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 3. In a meeting at the Sundance Symposium, Robert Redford brings together top U.S. and Soviet officials to discuss action steps to combat global warming. Film clips and diagrams describe the process of carbon dioxide emissions on earth and their current and long-term effects are examined. Possible solutions are also presented.

GRAVITY, ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM / THE MILLIKAN EXPERIMENT. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #11/12. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 11/12. Gravity, Electricity, Magnetism sheds light on the mathematical form of the gravitational, electric, and magnetic forces. The Millikan Experiment is a dramatic recreation of Robert Millikan's classic oil-drop experiment to determine the charge of a single electron.

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.

INTEGRATION / THE APPLE AND THE MOON. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #7/8. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 7/8. In Integration Newton and Leibniz arrive at the conclusion that differentiation and integration are inverse processes. The Apple and the Moon looks at the first authentic steps toward outer space travel as Newton discovers that gravity describes the force between any two particles in the universe.

INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICAL UNIVERSE / LAW OF FALLING BODIES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #1/2. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 1/2. Introduction to the Mechanical Universe introduces revolutionary ideas and heroes from Copernicus to Newton, and links the physics of the heavens and the earth. The Law of Fall Bodies looks at Galileo's imaginative experiments that proved that all bodies fall with the same constant acceleration.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MICROSCOPE & LABORATORY TECHNIQUE. YEAR: 1985. FORMAT: VHS. 30 MIN. 502.82 INT. Demonstrates the use of the microscope in a laboratory setting.

INVISIBLE WORLD. YEAR: 1988. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VIDEO. 60 MIN. 502.8 INV. Uses highly specialized cameras, imaging devices, and electron microscopes to examine the universe of shapes, movements, and lives that exist beyond the limited range of human vision.

KEPLER TO EINSTEIN / HARMONY OF THE SPHERES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #25/26. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 25/26. Kepler to Einstein looks at physics from Kepler's laws and the theory of tides, to Einstein's general theory of relativity, into black holes, and beyond. Harmony of the Spheres is a last lingering look back at mechanics to see new connections between old discoveries.

KEPLER'S THREE LAWS / THE KEPLER PROBLEM. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #21/22. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 21/22. Kepler's Three laws looks at how the discovery of elliptical orbits helps describe the motion of heavenly bodies with unprecedented accuracy. The Kepler Problem demonstrates that the deduction of Kepler's laws from Newton's universal law of gravitation is one of the crowning achievements of western thought.

MAGNETIC FIELD / VECTOR FIELDS AND HYDRODYNAMICS. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #35/36. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 35/36. The Magnetic Field looks at the law of Biot and Sarvart, the force between electric currents, and Ampere's law. Vector Fields and Hydrodynamics explores how force fields have definite properties of their own suitable for scientific study.

MAXWELL'S EQUATIONS / OPTICS. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #39/40. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 39/40. In Maxwell's equations James Clerk Maxwell discovers that displacement current produces electromagnetic waves, or light. Optics shows that many properties of light are properties of waves, including reflection, refraction, and diffraction.

MICHELSON-MORLEY EXPERIMENT / LORENTZ TRANSFORMATION. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #41/42. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 41/42. The Michelson-Morley Experiment explores how in 1887 an exquisitely designed measurement of the earth's motion through the aether results in the most brilliant failure in scientific history. The Lorentz Transformation demonstrates that if the speed of light is to be the same for all observers, then the length of a meter stick, or the rate of a ticking clock, depends on who measures it.

MILLIKAN'S OIL-DROP EXPERIMENT. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EXPERIMENT: PHYSICS. 15 MIN. 530.4 MIL. This program uses a modified version of the Millikan oil-drop apparatus to measure the radius and total charge of oil droplets. Students measure the terminal velocity of an oil drop falling under gravity in order to calculate the radius of the drop. The drop is then charged. An electric field is applied across the Millikan chamber so that the drop is suspended between the plates. The total charge on the drop can be calculated by students from the voltage required to suspend the drop. When this voltage is increased, the drop rises at a terminal velocity. Students can measure this and verify the total charge determined in the static experiment.

MOVING IN CIRCLES / FUNDAMENTAL FORCES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #9/10. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 9/10. Moving in Circles is a look at the Platonic theory of uniform circular motion. Fundamental Forces examines how all physical phenomena of nature are explained by four forces: two nuclear forces, gravity, and electricity.

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.

NATURAL TRANSMUTATIONS. YEAR: 1992. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NUCLEAR PHYSICS. 10 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 539.752 NAT. Demonstrations at the atomic level show how elements are transformed into new elements, or isotopes, through the process of decay. Three types of radioactive decay are explained, and the concept of half-life is discussed.

NEW PHYSICS. YEAR: 1986. FORMAT: VHS. AUTHOR: BURKE, JAMES. SERIES: DAY THE UNIVERSE CHANGED #9. 52 MIN. 303.4 DAY P.9. Beginning around 1800, the study of electricity, magnetism, light and other phenomena led to findings which Newton's physics could not explain. Einstein and others sorted the scientific puzzles out; the process led scientists to believe that one cannot know with certainty what the universe is doing. The public, however, thinks science is technology: while most of us live in a commonsense Newtonian world, science struggles with a world which is relative and uncertain.

NUCLEAR BYPRODUCTS. YEAR: 1992. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NUCLEAR PHYSICS. 10 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 621.483 NUC. The fission process in the core of a nuclear reactor is illustrated, with emphasis on the dual nature of the by-products. The program explains the drawbacks of nuclear reactors as sources of energy, focusing on the long life of the nuclear waste produced and the difficulty of nuclear waste disposal.

PHOTONICS. YEAR: 1998. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: CYBERNATION. 30 MIN. 621.36 PHO. What is light? How does it enhance electronic information processing? From electroluminescent (EL) lamps, to high- precision laser machine tools, to fiber optics, photonics is impacting a wide variety of products and industries. This program explores that impact, and explains what photonics is, using an example of fingerprinting with optical computers.

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.

REDUCE WASTE. YEAR: 1991. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: EARTHBEAT #4. 25 MIN. 574.5 EAR PROG. 4. Investigates the aftermath of New York's famous garbage barge, and the subsequent formation of WRAP, We Recycle America Proudly. Looks at typical activities of New York's Toxic Cops, at a "smart kitchen", and at new and provocative methods for waste disposal and recycling. Demonstrates that recycling is actually less expensive than dumping.

RESONANCE / WAVES. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #17/18. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 17/18. Resonance examines why a swaying bridge collapses with a high wind, and why a wine glass shatters with a higher octave. Waves looks at how, with an analysis of simple harmonic motion and a stroke of genius, Newton extended mechanics to the propagation of sound.

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.

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.

STORMS. YEAR: 1974. FORMAT: VHS. 22 MIN. 551.55 STO. The purpose of this film is to describe three major storm systems in the atmosphere: thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. To examine some methods by which meteorologists investigate these storms. To show that storms are transformations of energy in the atmosphere.

STRANGE NEW SCIENCE OF CHAOS. YEAR: 1989. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: NOVA. 60 MIN. 508 STR. Looks at the new science of chaos theory which proposes that apparently random happenings in nature can be described by laws. Chaos theory is quickly transforming the way that some scientists perceive the universe by showing that Newtonian determinism and unpredictability can exist at the same time.

TEMPERATURE AND GAS LAWS / ENGINE OF NATURE. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #45/46. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 45/46. Temperatures and Gas Laws covers hot discoveries about the behavior of gases that make the connection between temperature and heat. The Engine of Nature is part one of a look at the Carnot engine, beginning with the simple steam engines.

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.

VECTORS / NEWTON'S LAWS. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #5/6. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 5/6. Vectors looks at how physics must explain not only why and how much, but also where and which way. Newton's Laws examines Isaac Newton's laws of force, mass, and acceleration.

VELOCITY AND TIME / MASS MOMENTUM ENERGY. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #43/44. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 43/44. In Velocity and Time Albert Einstein is motivated to perfect the central ideas of physics, resulting in a new understanding of the meaning of space and time. Mass, Momentum, Energy shows how the new meaning of space and time make it necessary to formulate a new mechanics, therefore E=mc2.

VOLTAGE, ENERGY, AND FORCE / THE ELECTRIC BATTERY. YEAR: 1987. FORMAT: VHS. SERIES: MECHANICAL UNIVERSE ... AND BEYOND #31/32. EA. 30 MIN. CLOSED CAPTIONED. 530 MECH PROG. 31/32. Voltage, Energy, and Force answers the question when is electricity dangerous or benign, spectacular or useful. In The Electric Battery Alessandro Volta invents the electric battery using the internal properties of different metals.

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.

WEATHER FORECASTING. YEAR: 1975. FORMAT: VHS. 19 MIN. 551.6 WEA. Few people realize the vast team effort and complex equipment involved in compiling the daily weather forecast. This film traces the development of meteorology from a superstitious guessing game to a sophisticated and increasingly valuable science. Focusing on the work of a meteorologist in an actual weather station, the film shows how data from satellites, reports from weather stations all over the world, and around-the-clock observations are combined to give the most accurate possible prediction of a region's weather.

WHAT MAKES CLOUDS? (1988 REVISION). YEAR: 1988. FORMAT: VHS. 15 MIN. 551.576 WHA. Though it looks like an elephant or maybe a tiger, it's actually a beautiful, billowing cloud, made up of tiny drops of water. This entertaining exploration takes you on a sky tour to observe the different kinds of clouds and how they form through condensation. Laboratory experiments illustrate the process and create "bottled" clouds.

WHAT MAKES RAIN? YEAR: 1978. FORMAT: VHS. 21 MIN. 551.5 WHA. The phenomenon of rain still holds mysteries -- even for scientists. Through a blend of animation and live- action, students learn to view clouds as physicists do: as massed drops of moisture clinging to minute solid particles. From there, simple logical steps reveal what makes the moisture fall as rain, as well as other, related forms of precipitation, and how industrial pollution is increasingly affecting our weather.

WHAT MAKES THE WIND BLOW? (1988 REVISION). YEAR: 1988. FORMAT: VHS. 12 MIN. 551.6 WHA. What is the wind? What invisible force makes it move? Uncomplicated laboratory experiments are used to simulate air movements out-of-doors. Through these experiments and observations outdoors, this film defines wind, explains the various causes of its movement, discusses air pressure, and shows viewers how to read a barometer.

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".

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.