15 Dec 8 Awe-Inspiring Documentaries of the Universe (and our place in it)

“We live on a hunk of rock and metal
that circles a humdrum star
that is one of 400 billion other stars
that make up the Milky Way Galaxy,
which is one of out of a billion of other galaxies,
which make up a universe,
which may very well be one of a very large number,
perhaps an infinite number, of other universes.
That is a perspective on human life that is well worth pondering.”
-Carl Sagan

We are a collection of water, calcium and organic molecules.

Sounds pretty unimpressive… and yet, this is one of the most exciting and enlivening facts of all.

Our deepest gratitude should come from having the fortune to BE anything at all… especially a conscious participant in the beautiful and mysterious dance that is LIFE.

In honor of this beautiful mystery, here are 8 of the all-time best documentaries on the universe – and our place in it – which are sure to leave you feeling humbled, honored, and awed.

h

Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey (2014)
A documentary series that explores how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time.

Planet Earth (2006)
Emmy Award winning, 11-episodes, 5-years in the making, the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and the first to be filmed in high definition.

Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking (2010)
In this comprehensive cosmology series Stephen Hawking looks at the entire universe, from the Big Bang to the end of time.

Cosmos (1980)
Astronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the Universe.

Life in the Undergrowth (2005)
David Attenborough’s ground-breaking exploration of a group of organisms that are vast in number, yet often too small to be noticed: the invertebrates.

The Private Life of Plants (1995)
David Attenborough’s study of the world of plants, which demonstrates, with the aid of time-lapse photography, the rich and varied ways in which they flourish.

The Universe (2007)
This educational show explores many scientific questions and topics about the universe (Big Bang, the Sun, the planets, black holes, other galaxies, astrobiology etc.) through latest CGI, data and interviews with scientists.

Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman (2010)
Hosted by Morgan Freeman, Through the Wormhole will explore the deepest mysteries of existence – the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity…