This 2014 version is a remake of the Cosmos miniseries in 1980 hosted by the famous Carl Sagan.
One could quickly note the atheistic theme in the newer version while Sagan had greater respect for things beyond science. I will mention however, that the atheistic theme is meant to direct audience from "superstition" to science. The sarcasm against religions (theistic) is not obvious but unjustly focused on attributing failed theology to Christianity.
That said, I am in the long process of reviewing all 13 episodes. Especially since Dr. Kiefer of my astronomy class recommended it.
Other than great graphics, excellent animated story illustrations, I found the series rather boring until the 4th episode ( S01E04). I shall summarize this episode here:
The story related to William Herschel. He may have been the first to understand that the telescope is like a time machine.
- The Sun takes about 2 minutes to physically rise after the bent light from the Sun is seen at first dawn (mirage image of the Sun). Don't forget to account for the 8 minutes of light travel from the Sun to the Earth.
- Galileo tried to measure the speed of light. Not quite successful.
to be continued @9:00min
Summary
Requires verification of facts:
Cosmos episode 3
@4:30 dis-aster - bad star, cultural references about comets.
@12:00 1664 disaster, Haley dropped out of college.
@13:00 nulius in verba
@15:00 On Hooke
@19:00 On Isaac Newton
@32:00 On Haley
Cosmos episode 4
Noted in main entry
Cosmos episodes 5
@4:00 Motzu, Master of light
@8:30 Ibn all Hassan
Newton's spectrum; Herschel's infrared
@33:00 Joseph Fraunhofer's spectral lines
Cosmos Episode 8
@17:40 book by Cecilia Payne
@19:20
Cosmos Episode 9
@4:19 lignin, Carboniferous Period
@14:54 Story of Pangaea: Abraham Ortelius (1570), Wegener.
Cosmos Episode 10
@6:40 Story of Faraday. Home-schooled, important Christian figure.
@17:14 Annual Christmas Lectures (on science) began with Faraday...Sagan...Dawkins...
@23:20 Light is polarized when bounces off mirrors.
@34:44 Faraday couldn't do math due to lacking formal education, thus failed to convince others of magnetic fields until Maxwell.
Episode 11
@6:00 Gilgamesh account of The Flood, recorded 1000 years before recording of Noah's Ark story.
Episode 13
@25:15 Manganese nodules - Used by Dr. Tyson to prove supernova 2 million years ago, (traces of the explosion left their mark on these slow-growing nodules). I don't know if Dr. Tyson is dealing with pseudoscience here, but at least someone has debunked his "theory".
In fact, Answers In Genesis have done some extensive reviews on the whole series.