What forces molded the universe? Are those forces still at work? Discover the answers to these and other startling questions about the cosmos with My Favorite Universe. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson's course is a spirited and intellectually engaging journey through our universe and its history, from before the big bang to the likely ways in which Earth-and perhaps the entire universe-might end. Explore how black holes are formed; how asteroids move through space; why the odds seem overwhelmingly in favor of extraterrestrial life; and much more. With the foundation provided by this magnificent course, the realities of the universe will be revealed in stark-and often violent-beauty.
My Favorite Universe
Let Neil deGrasse Tyson take you on a journey around the Universe and explore mind-bending concepts such as black holes, extraterrestrials, and the Big Bang.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ihab Abedrabbo from
The successor of Carl Sagan gives goosebumps
I have been following Dr. Tyson in various places like YouTube and his public debates. I love this guy and his way of conveying his ideas to the general public. Regarding "My Favorite Universe", the best part was "The Greatest Story ever told", which is a modern remake of what Carl Sagan also mentioned in his Cosmos series when he said "We are star stuff:
Date published: 2024-08-24
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Thanuja from
Amazing course!
As a fan of Dr. Tyson via Star Talk podcast, COSMOS TV series and many other public outlets, it is great to see his early foray in to science communication in this excellent 12-part course. I did learn and re-learn interesting topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics. This course can be binged easily in a one-go as the Professor is great in communication and delivery. Thanks Wondrium!
Date published: 2024-04-13
Rated 5 out of
5
by
EditorAnne from
Outstanding!
Neil DeGrasse Tyson is without a doubt the greatest lecturer I have ever seen. He is animated, captivating, and superbly able to explain complex concepts so they make sense to a lay audience. Fascinating subject matter, but even more, a lecturer who is the best of the best.
Date published: 2024-02-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Mrosmel from
My Favorite Course
Wonderful course. The topics are interesting, and very well explained, and the Professor is brilliant, and makes it all so interesting, and dare I say fun. Highly recommended.
Date published: 2023-07-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
quickfoxlmd from
One of the best lecuturers on the planet!
As advertised, Dr. Tyson has picked 12 topics that he finds to be the most intriguing. He presents each in a dynamic manner that immediately captures your interest. While the lectures are not deep in physics or math, he explains the significance and consequences of these otherwise complex topics.
Date published: 2023-01-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Glenn100 from
Great Lectures on the Universe
I loved these lectures by Dr. Tyson! He teaches in an entertaining way. And lectures interesting and fun. I learned a lot about the formation of stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies and all matter and energy starting with the Big Bang. We learn how the largest stars create all the larger elements (atoms) and then they explode. We learn how distant other planets are from our solar system. And a learn about how likely it will be to find life on other planets based on the Drake equation. Dr. Tyson is a wonderful lecturer, and he clearly loves science and astrophysics. He shares this love with his studentw in this great lecture series.
Date published: 2023-01-14
Rated 4 out of
5
by
jimski from
Dr. Tyson is great. Course content a little loose
Dr. Tyson is such an entertaining lecturer that that alone makes the course enjoyable. I did feel, however, that his content was a bit loose. A good number of the explanations were unnecessarily long for the point being made. You could edit the course down a lot and have room for more material. That being said, the various specific topics he covered were certainly of interest, albeit some things you might have known already or been able to figure out or deduce down. Overall the effect of the course was to make the universe more real, and enlarge your understanding of its physical structure.
Date published: 2022-10-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
grammyM from
I enjoyed the lectures immensely!
I listened to one lecture a day and was sad when I finished the course. I will need to find another one by Neil DeGrese Tyson. He made the lectures understandable and enjoyable for the general public.
Date published: 2022-10-18
Overview
About
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He is also a research associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the museum. Professor Tyson earned his undergraduate degree in Physics from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Columbia University. Dr. Tyson has written prolifically for the public, including a series of essays in Natural History magazine on which his previous Great Course, My Favorite Universe, is based. His books include Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier; a memoir, The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos (coauthored with Charles Liu and Robert Irion), winner of the 2001 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award to a Scientist. Dr. Tyson is host of The Cosmos, a science documentary series televised on the Fox network, and former host of the PBS television series NOVA scienceNOW. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid "13123 Tyson."
01: On Being Round
What forces tend to make objects round? And why is a sphere the most efficient shape an object can take? The answers will lead us across the cosmos.
35 min
02: On Being Rarefied
Just how "thin"-low in density-is the "thin air" out of which a magician produces a rabbit? And if the universe contains components that are even thinner, exactly what does that mean to us?
31 min
03: On Being Dense
This is a discussion of different levels of density and the inherent mysteries of this property, along with the ways in which an understanding of density helps us think creatively about the world.
32 min
04: Death by Black Hole
Take a look at black holes, one of the most fascinating topics in the universe-including the ways in which they would kill a human being, how they wreak havoc in the universe, and some provocative new research.
31 min
05: Ends of the World
Here is a detailed look at three scenarios for the destruction of our planet: the death of the Sun, the collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, and the heat death of the cosmos.
31 min
06: Coming Attractions
We now know that a deposit of energy sufficient to kill off 50 to 90 percent of all species strikes Earth every 100 million years. This lecture looks at our risks of getting hit by an asteroid and what we can do to avoid it.
32 min
07: Onward to the Edge
Take a break from the death and destruction of asteroids and the end of the universe and wonder, instead, at the enormity of the cosmos and what our place in it might be.
31 min
08: In Defense of the Big Bang
We now know without doubt how the universe began, how it evolved, and how it will end. This lecture explains and defends a "theory" far too often misunderstood.
34 min
09: The Greatest Story Ever Told
A synthesis of the greatest discoveries of physics, astrophysics, chemistry, and biology creates a coherent story of the birth and evolution of the cosmos.
31 min
10: Forged in the Stars
The origin of the elements that make up life is one of the most important discoveries in any field in the 20th century, yet underappreciated by the public because it happened over many decades. This lecture presents a step-by-step explanation of the long path to a Nobel Prize-winning idea.
31 min
11: The Search for Planets
Before 1995, the planets of our own solar system were the only ones we knew about; the total has now passed 100. This lecture discusses the tools and methods being used to find other planets that might be hospitable to human life.
33 min
12: The Search for Life in the Universe
This lecture examines the very real possibility that life exists elsewhere, and speculates about its origins and chemical makeup.
35 min
