Cosmos (Special Edition)

Author Carl Sagan · Publisher ScienceBooks · Published 2006-12-20 · ISBN 9788983711892

About the Book

13 episodes, airing every Saturday at 11 PM on National Geographic Channel (First broadcast on March 15, 2014)

The masterpiece of popular science books about the cosmos, "Cosmos," was newly re-translated in its entirety in 2004. This book, the most famous among the works of author Carl Sagan, known for "Contact" and "Pale Blue Dot," captures the history of fascination and exploration created by the interplay of the universe, stars, Earth, and humanity with smooth prose and stunning photographs. More than 20 years after its publication, it remains one of the most recommended general interest books.

The book not only explains the appearance of galaxies and the solar system, and the life and death of stars, but also introduces the efforts of scientists who uncovered these facts, including research into constellations, astronomy, space exploration, and communication with extraterrestrial life. It also poses philosophical questions such as whether other life forms exist in our universe and what the future of the universe holds.

Since its publication in 1980, based on a television documentary series that attracted over 600 million viewers, the world of astronomy and space exploration has seen remarkable progress. Scientists have landed probes on Saturn's moons and sent exploration satellites beyond the solar system.

Yet, this book continues to captivate readers because "Cosmos" was the first and best book to anticipate all these amazing developments and to best explain their beauty and allure. Sagan's writing, which is thoroughly scientific yet open to philosophical and religious questions, continues to resonate today.

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1 The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean
Chapter 2 One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue
Chapter 3 The Harmony of Worlds
Chapter 4 Heaven and Hell
Chapter 5 Blues for a Red Planet
Chapter 6 Travellers' Tales
Chapter 7 The Backbone of Night
Chapter 8 Journeys in Space and Time
Chapter 9 The Lives of the Stars
Chapter 10 The Edge of Forever
Chapter 11 The Persistence of Memory
Chapter 12 Encyclopaedia Galactica
Chapter 13 Who Speaks for Earth?

Acknowledgements
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Bibliography
Translator's Postscript
Index
Picture credits