Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Season 1, Episode 7: The Backbone of Night
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Humans once thought the stars were campfires in the sky and the Milky Way "the backbone of night." In this fascinating segment Dr. Sagan takes us back to ancient Greece, when the basic question "what are the stars?" was first asked. He visits the Brooklyn elementary school of his childhood, where this same question is still on students' minds.
All Episodes - Season 1
Episode 1
The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean
Episode 2
One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue
Episode 3
Harmony of the Worlds
Episode 4
Heaven and Hell
Episode 5
Blues for a Red Planet
Episode 6
Travellers' Tales
Episode 7
The Backbone of Night
Episode 8
Journeys in Space and Time
Episode 9
The Lives of the Stars
Episode 10
The Edge of Forever
Episode 11
The Persistence of Memory
Episode 12
Encyclopedia Galactica
Episode 13
Who Speaks for Earth?