The Astronomers stands the test of time ....
This series was produced in 1990. I was a fan of the original PBS series and watched the VHS tapes. The series discusses topics like dark matter, the microwave background and exoplanets that were cutting edge in the early '90's. These topics are in the news to-day and even though they have advanced since 1990, the quality of the series' presentation is so top notch, it still fascinates in 2007. It is also very entertaining with magical graphics and music. For the astronomy buff the DVD is an historical record. For the novice, it is an introduction to the grass roots work of astronomers.

Very good astronomy series
I own the VHS tapes of this series and enjoyed it very much. It has beautiful visual effects and shows much about the personal lives of the astronomers. It would have been even better if Carl Sagan, the most lively and interesting astronomer of our time, had been involved in the making of this series. Unfortunately, he does not even appear in any of the episodes. A decade had passed since the Cosmos series, and Sagan, perhaps because of health reasons, was apparently unable to contribute his talents to this project. But it is a very compelling series since you can see the work astronomers do from a very personal perspective. The graphics and animation are attractive and appealing with the use of the best technology that was available at that time.

boring 2 pack set
viewed it 1st was disappointed knodded my head in disbelief while watching,waiting,hoping!!!,the second time i tried to keep awake but could not keep my eyes open long enough, must of been those gravity waves in interstellar space out there in umm well you get the picture.My advise is for you to save your money and buy comos (the best imo)To be honest, i couldn't wait to sell it used at a $10 lose through amzn.the following week(they get a commission for sold items)nonetheless,i am content i no longer own it.Next time i will rent before purchasing on amzn. Just So you know, "cosmos" i can watch over and over for years as this was my first box set from amzn..the late carl sagans"cosmos" blows away "the astronomer"

a pleasure to watch
an episode into the eyes of profesional astronomers and narration by richard chamberlain will have you captivated.

Astronomers - happy surprise of the year
I don't know why I didn't expect much from this set - somewhow I visualized a lot of talking heads telling me about every astronomer from Newton forward and backward. Not!

The series uses current astronomers to explain the theory they are investigating, complete with research steps and glorious pictures of what they saw and hoped to see. It was not biographical, but historical. The story line was the development of a theory. Several astronomers and their work were used, for example, to explain dark matter - what it was, the theory, and how they hoped to prove something that cannot be seen. Planets, star birth and death, supernovi,searching for the moment of creation, and other current matters of interest are given one tape each.

I am not saying this as well as I might. These videos taught me while keeping me so entertained that I just watched the set straight through. It was neither too simplistic nor was it over my head.

I liked it well enough to search the box with a magnifying glass for the producers so I could go to their web site and find other masterpieces. Sigh! They were a one masterpiece group.

You won't be disappointed in this one - and if I didn't say so, the visuals are gorgeous and unusual.