"Wonders of the Solar System" Airing in the US

The popular BBC Two series, "Wonders of the Solar System", is finally making its way to this side of the Atlantic.  The first episode, "Empire of the Sun" premieres on the Science Channel on Wednesday, August 4 at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT.  The show, hosted by Brian Cox, was well received when it aired in the UK earlier this year.  It covers various aspects of planetary science, from the Sun in the first episode, the formation of the Solar System and Saturn's rings in the second, planetary atmospheres in the third, geology in the fourth, and the role of water for life on Earth and elsewhere in the fifth.  A significant section on Io, its volcanic activity, and the terrestrial lava lake analog at Erta'Ale will air in the fourth episode, "Dead or Alive."

Thankfully, while it looks like they have changed the music, the world-wide version will have the same host as the BBC one, though given that he is an on air host, I don't really see how else you can do it.  But at least they are not replacing him with Oprah.

In addition to airing next month, the series will also be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 7.  Strangely enough, the Blu-ray version is cheaper on Amazon.com than the DVD.  Good news for me ;-)

Tip o' the hat to Ashley Davies for the tip!

Here is the trailer for the new series: