A montage of images of the Saturnian system prepared from an assemblage of images taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft during its Saturn encounter in November 1980.
(NASA/JPL-Caltech/NASA)
Edward Dolnick tells an escape story involving God, humanity, and a huge rewrite of cosmic laws. It began in 1665. A plague hit Cambridge University. All of the students were sent home. One of them is a twenty-something Isaac Newton, who spent his forced summer vacation solving "the problem of the moon" and explaining why that heavenly rock will never be free.
Sucks for the moon. But Newton's mental leap ultimately lead to humanity leaving the confines of planet Earth. And as producer Lynn Levy explains, we're about to reach yet another new frontier. The Voyager probe (which we talked about in our Space episode) is about to become the first human-made object to leave the solar system. And the information it's been sending us along the way has upended what we thought we knew about our little corner of the universe. Merav Opher is an astronomy professor at BU and a Voyager guest investigator. Ann Druyan is one of the creators of the 1977 Golden Album traveling on the Voyager probe. Together they describe how Voyager continues to surprise us.
READ MORE:
Edward Dolnick, The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World
Comments [17]
Please credit your audio tracks. I am also curious about the music featured in this segment.
I also came to find out about the music. It's also featured in a Wolphin short - http://youtu.be/z_rFoD1oE6U - and is beautiful. I would love for the music to be credited on the website somewhere, although commenters do make up an everhelpful hivemind.
Neptune is beautiful!
As usual, this was a great segment. Thanks. But I have to add that Voyager spacecraft did not turn the camera around to take just one photo, rather, it took a mosaic of 60 separate photos, showing not only the Earth but a portrait of the entire solar system family. You can see the actual photo here: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=52386
This was a fantastic story thank you.
This segment has changed my life and how i view a lot of things and at the same time has left me a little confused. I don't want to sweat the small stuff considering how insignificant they might be in the grand scheme of things sitting on this giant rock which actually is just a speck of dust. I guess i have to read "Horton Hears a Who!" to put things into perspective.
Thanks for the great episode.
This segment has changed my life and how i view a lot of things and at the same time has left me a little confused. I don't want to sweat the small stuff considering how insignificant they might be in the grand scheme of things sitting on this giant rock which actually is just a speck of dust. I guess i have to read "Horton Hears a Who!" to put things into perspective.
Thanks for the great episode.
Hi Buo Buo. A full listing of everything on the Golden Record can be found on NASA's Voyager site, and you can listen to most of the stuff there. Here are all the Sounds from Earth to get you started: http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/sounds.html Click the links on the right side of the page if you want to hear other sections of the record or get more info about Voyager.
Another option is http://goldenrecord.org/ That site can be a little difficult to navigate but, also, great.
Happy listening!
One of the best segments yet, sent me running to my computer to look at the voyager images. I am not on the edge of my seat to see when it crosses out of the solar system (sounds like I might be sitting here a bit longer...)
Great segment. Thanks, guys. Does anyone know where I can find the record online for download? I've looked around and I couldn't find it.
I'll Read You a Story by Colleen is the song that plays after that segment. source: shazam app for iPhone
Bump for credits to that final music. Simply wonderful!
Also really interested in the name of the beautiful theme at the end of this segment! Thanks!
Can you guys just start posting music credits on your site or podcast descriptions? I've noticed that music requests make up almost all of the comments, and this would save people time and frustration.
I agree with requests for the crediting of music. That particular piece reminds me of the Akira Rabelais album Spellewauerynsherde; particularly the tracks "1390 Gower Conf. II. 20 I Can Noght Thanne Unethes Spelle That I Wende Altherbest Have Rad." http://youtu.be/GqEwnFLdJC8 and "(Gorgeous Curves Lovely Fragments Labyrinthed On Occasions Entwined Charms, A Few Stories At Any Longer Sworn To Gathered From A Guileless Angel And The Hilt Edges Of Old Hearts, If They Do In The Guilt Of Deep Despondency.)" http://youtu.be/VO1l1DI_5n4
I second Sarah's request for the music credits. The same piece caught my attention. Please tell us!
In fact, why aren't there music credits for all the music in every episode?
The music during the "Edge of Heaven" segment was truly ethereal; well-done! Can you share the title of the piece with the two female voices singing in a duet towards the end?
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