Fresh and Exciting

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

How the Universe Works is a Discovery Channel series on Astronomy. To date there are five series consisting of eight or nine episodes each. The first series was developed in 2010 and the fifth 2016, so the material is reasonably up to date.The first series was about galaxies, stars, planets etc. providing a good introduction to these topics. The later series tended to cover breaking theories such as Planet Nine, exoplanets and dark matter. As a result, as the theory is updated or revised, the information in the show tends to get a little dated.The shows format is narration, supplemented by addition contributions from scientists and researchers involved in the relevant area. The show also uses CGI and graphics to give an 'artist's impression' of phenomena such as a solar system forming, as well as telescope images of planetary nebulas, open clusters, galaxies and Hubble's ultra-deep field.However, I found the material to be fairly light weight. For example in the series one episode on Supernovas they describe a Type 1A Supernova: "The moment the white dwarf star starts to fuse carbon and oxygen into iron its doomed. Suddenly the white dwarf explodes." This is bunkum. When a white dwarf accretes enough matter from a companion star and its mass reaches the Chandrasekhar limit (due to electron degeneracy - approx. 1.4 solar masses), the star collapses, undergoing thermonuclear runaway, blowing itself to bits. About 0.6 solar masses of radioactive Nickel 56 is formed, which decays into radioactive Cobalt 56 and then into stable Iron 56. This process produces a consistent light curve and Type 1A supernovae known as Standard Candles, were used to determine distances of remote galaxies. Similarly for a Type II supernova, the explanation is also inaccurate. In addition, some very large stars (> 90 solar masses) collapse directly into black holes without any visible explosion, although this depends on metallicity and the star's rotation rate. These are not mentioned on the show.So while the show popularises astronomy with great special effects, the facts have been dumbed down for ease of public consumption. Nevertheless the show is a good introduction to our amazing universe and how it works. 7/10P.S. For a more technical explanation, try Dr Alex Filippenko's 96 lecture series (available on video): Understanding the Universe an Introduction to Astronomy.

Incredibly awe inspiring, jaw dropping, heart striking documentary & all the Scientists as well as Mike Rowe are FANTASTIC at explaining our Universe & making an emotional connection, certainly to me. Our Universe is incredibly complex and other programs I have watched have really struggled to get the information across in a way that truly sinks in & fires the imagination. That is not the case with this AMAZING documentary, this is an absolutely must watch for everyone. To think that WE ARE the Universe looking back at itself and asking "Who am I & where do I come from?" I find that an incredible thought. We truly are one people on one tiny marble planet we ALL call home, it's time for humanity to wake up! Alas it seems it really is in our nature to destroy ourselves.

Firstly, I would like to tell you that if you are going to watch this documentary (which you definitely must) then you should watch it in HD. This whole documentary has very beautiful graphics and great interpretation of universe.Now, I have always been interested in astrology since it the the most curious area of science and the strangest too with the most potential. I have also casually studied a lot of various space phenomenon on the internet. But there is always been a lack of clarity and various questions that have been left out in the mind.(Like when stars are destroyed there is supernova or hyper-nova! but how is black-hole created if the energy is pushed out from the star during that time?). This series is an answer to all such mini-questions in our mind related to universe that are left unclear. This series provides a great educational value too.One thing this series will do is make you a fan of our universe and science. Giving you a way way way broader horizon in mind which will help you get a neutral perspective towards a certain things. Once again don't miss this series and do watch it in HD!!

I tried to watch this documentary to see how educative it is and I ended up watching the whole eight episodes (Season 1) right away till I finished it all. It was simply amazing and very educative. Everything is so well explained and shown vividly using simulation visual where things needs to be explained for absolute lucidity.This documentary does not just merely explain the factual things that are present and happening in the universe. What is even more about this documentary is that it keeps the mind engaged in inquisition about the whole universe and its system. The eight episodes that is Big Bang, Black Holes, Galaxies, Stars, Supernovas, Planets, Solar Systems and Moon are all interlinked so attentive view is required if one has to obtain maximum clarity. Inspite of the limitations as it requires high end technology for getting deep insights into the working of the universe, yet the documentary used sufficient evidences and experiments it can gather to make even the layman understand.I highly recommend all those who are into academics and who have inquisitive mind on gaining more knowledge on the working of the universe to watch this. Thanks a lot to those who made this amazing documentary, the narrator and the various scientist of astronomy for their vivid explanation.