Reviewed by David Tumbarello
Middle School Teacher
In this documentary from the BBC, physicist Brian Cox plays the role of a modern–day Carl Sagan, taking his viewers on a tour of the sun and its influence to the edge of the solar system and beyond. Using captivating footage from space probes as well as computer generated animation, nearly abstract concepts are made concrete in this 62–minute video.
As he visits a solar eclipse, for example, he is able to explain the diameter of the sun, the atmosphere or corona, and the effect of solar wind. He describes to the viewer how the sun releases up to 7 billion tons of coronal particles every hour and this charged emission passes Earth as solar wind.
Your students will learn about the power of the sun, the seasons of the sun, and how solar wind contributes to the aurora borealis. All this is explained with language and images that are instructive to even the youngest of scientists. If you need classroom material about this invaluable star, this video will surely exceed your expectations.
Review posted on 4/25/2012
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