Seen it?

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

Name: Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Genre: Documentary

TV·1980–1980·1 season, 13 episodes·PBS·Documentary·1h·8.7·Created by Carl Sagan

Not streaming in your region — see every region's options

Carl Sagan covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

01Blues for a Red PlanetS01E05 · 8.4Is there life on Mars? Dr. Sagan takes viewers on a tour of the red planet first through the eyes of science fiction authors, and then through the unblinking eyes of two Viking spacecrafts that have sent thousands of pictures of the stunning Martian landscape back to Earth since 1976. Though based on older Mars missions, Sagan's analysis still holds true.
02Travellers' TalesS01E06 · 8.4Dr. Sagan compares the exhilaration of 17th-century Dutch explorers who ventured in sailing ships halfway around our planet in their quest for wealth and knowledge to an inside view of the excitement around Voyager's expeditions to Jupiter and Saturn. The newly acquired treasures of our present golden age of exploration are the focus of this episode.
03Journeys in Space and TimeS01E08 · 8.4A voyage to see how star patterns change over millions of years is followed by a journey to the planets of other stars, and a look at the possibility of time travel. This takes us to Italy, where a young Albert Einstein first wondered what it would be like to ride on a beam of light.

Cast

Carl SaganSelf - Host

Episodes by season

Season0113Episodes1980Aired 8.2Season avg

S01E01The Shores of the Cosmic OceanSeptember 28, 1980 8.2At the beginning of this cosmic journey across space and time, Dr. Carl Sagan takes us to the edge of the universe aboard a spaceship of the
S01E02One Voice in the Cosmic FugueOctober 5, 1980 8.3Dr. Sagan's cosmic calendar makes the history of the universe understandable and frames the origin of the Earth and the evolution of life. W
S01E03Harmony of the WorldsOctober 12, 1980 7.8This episode is a historical re-creation of the life of Johannes Kepler, the last scientific astrologer, the first modern astronomer and the
S01E04Heaven and HellOctober 19, 1980 8.1A descent through the hellish atmosphere of Venus to explore its broiling surface serves as a warning to our world about the possible conseq
S01E05Season's bestBlues for a Red PlanetOctober 26, 1980 8.4Is there life on Mars? Dr. Sagan takes viewers on a tour of the red planet first through the eyes of science fiction authors, and then throu
S01E06Travellers' TalesNovember 2, 1980 8.4Dr. Sagan compares the exhilaration of 17th-century Dutch explorers who ventured in sailing ships halfway around our planet in their quest f
S01E07The Backbone of NightNovember 9, 1980 8.1Humans once thought the stars were campfires in the sky and the Milky Way "the backbone of night." In this fascinating segment Dr. Sagan ta
S01E08Journeys in Space and TimeNovember 16, 1980 8.4A voyage to see how star patterns change over millions of years is followed by a journey to the planets of other stars, and a look at the po
S01E09The Lives of the StarsNovember 23, 1980 8.0Using computer animation and amazing astronomical art, Dr. Sagan shows how stars are born, live, die and sometimes collapse to form neutron
S01E10The Edge of ForeverNovember 30, 1980 8.4Dr. Sagan leads us on some awesome trips — to a time when galaxies were beginning to form, to India to explore the infinite cycles of Hindu
S01E11The Persistence of MemoryDecember 7, 1980 8.0The brain is the focus of this fascinating portion of our journey as Dr. Sagan examines another of the intelligent creatures with whom we sh
S01E12Encyclopedia GalacticaDecember 14, 1980 8.0Are there alien intelligences? How could we communicate with them? What about UFOs? The answers to these questions take us to Egypt to decod
S01E13Who Speaks for Earth?December 21, 1980 8.2Through the use of special effects we retrace the 15-billion-year journey from the big bang to the present. We also hear the tragic story of