The Planets

[Robster59]

I don't know how many are watching this programme but I am totally hooked to it. Brian Cox is a great natural presenter and the detail and knowledge researchers have found out about the other planets in our solar system is mind blowing. This has to go down as one of the great documentary series of recent time.

 

[bobmac]

Amazingly, over 100 million Americans think he's wrong

 

[Smiffy]

I don't know how many are watching this programme but I am totally hooked to it. Brian Cox is a great natural presenter and the detail and knowledge researchers have found out about the other planets in our solar system is mind blowing. This has to go down as one of the great documentary series of recent time.

Don't know why but I can't stand the prat.

 

[pendodave]

I remember years ago we bought my daughter a telescope for Christmas.
We were mucking about in the garden that night and accidentally saw Saturn. It's remarkable, and all the more amazing coming completely out of the blue.
It felt a bit liking getting a hole in one on your first round of golf, nothing else is quite like it.

 

[robinthehood]

Not a bad program , a lttlle basic but still worth a watch.

 

[Kellfire]

It’s a good program but far too many speculations and extrapolations are stated as fact.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

It’s a good program but far too many speculations and extrapolations are stated as fact.

So Professor Brian Cox is wrrong?

 

[Kellfire]

So Professor Brian Cox is wrrong?

No one knows...

 

[Lazkir]

It’s a good program but far too many speculations and extrapolations are stated as fact.

Such as?

 

[robinthehood]

It’s a good program but far too many speculations and extrapolations are stated as fact.

I don't remember it like that

 

[CliveW]

It's a programme not a program!

 

[Kellfire]

Such as?

I’ve only watched two episodes so far but things like how Mars was formed, it definitely had an atmosphere like ours, how certain parts of the landscape were formed. It’s all fascinating but it is all best guess.

 

[Robster59]

I’ve only watched two episodes so far but things like how Mars was formed, it definitely had an atmosphere like ours, how certain parts of the landscape were formed. It’s all fascinating but it is all best guess.

Well I would say it's a lot more than "best guess". This is from the extrapolation and observation from experts in their field, from photos taken on Mars, from the Mars rover, from comparisons with how Earth evolved, from millions of pieces of data accumulated. Call it "best guess" if you like but it's WAY oversimplifying the thought process behind it. Scientists know they don't know everything but their ability to interpret the facts in front of them is a lot better than it was 50 years ago.

 

[Kellfire]

Well I would say it's a lot more than "best guess". This is from the extrapolation and observation from experts in their field, from photos taken on Mars, from the Mars rover, from comparisons with how Earth evolved, from millions of pieces of data accumulated. Call it "best guess" if you like but it's WAY oversimplifying the thought process behind it. Scientists know they don't know everything but their ability to interpret the facts in front of them is a lot better than it was 50 years ago.

All true and, as I said, I find it fascinating but it IS ultimately guess work because these processes have never been observed anywhere.

 

[Kellfire]

It's a programme not a program!

Both are fine.

 

[robinthehood]

I’ve only watched two episodes so far but things like how Mars was formed, it definitely had an atmosphere like ours, how certain parts of the landscape were formed. It’s all fascinating but it is all best guess.

You should probably watch again and do a bit of research too.

 

[Kellfire]

You should probably watch again and do a bit of research too.

I don’t get where you’re going with this. Things they are saying are most certainly theories, albeit the best they can make with current knowledge. It may be right, it may not but it’s incredibly non-scientific to present theory as fact and they do cross that line at times.

I find Brian Cox is very much aimed at relative beginners to science programs and he’s a surface level presenter which I take into account but they shouldn’t blur the lines between fact and theory and confuse the lay-watcher.

 

[Lazkir]

I’ve only watched two episodes so far but things like how Mars was formed, it definitely had an atmosphere like ours, how certain parts of the landscape were formed. It’s all fascinating but it is all best guess.

There are a lot of extrapolations admittedly, but they are mainly based on known facts. Mars definitely had an atmosphere at one stage (still does in fact), how things are formed are based on what we know happens on earth and since the laws of physics do not change, then we're pretty certain that the same things have happened on mars and other planets. It's definitely not 'best guess'.

 

[Kellfire]

There are a lot of extrapolations admittedly, but they are mainly based on known facts. Mars definitely had an atmosphere at one stage (still does in fact), how things are formed are based on what we know happens on earth and since the laws of physics do not change, then we're pretty certain that the same things have happened on mars and other planets. It's definitely not 'best guess'.

“Pretty certain” sums it up. Also known as best guess.

 

[Beezerk]

Bit early for anchor o clock isn't it 😂