episode description
Imagine a vast grassy plain covered with massive herds of elephants, bison and camels stretching as far as the eye can see. Lions, tigers, wolves and later, humans hunt the herds on their huge summer migration. Where is this? This was the Western United States during the close of the last Ice Age. Professor Richard Muller demonstrates the principles of a fission chain reaction, while top 2006 Nobel Prize winner George Smoot comments on the Big Bang. Meet eclipse chasers – adventurers who travel the world to witness and document solar eclipses. In these rare moments, the moon covers the sun for a few minutes, leaving only its fiery atmosphere visible. Watch the China 2008 eclipse and learn about an invention that helped researchers at the turn of the 20th century photograph the sun’s atmosphere in breathtaking detail.
