NOVA: Death of a Star (1987)

Facinating but very old

I had missed the point about the age of the program. Yes, this Nova program would have indeed been fascinating in 1987 or 1988, even in 1990. The science is very good, and the details are well explained. That is what the 3 Stars are for ! But this is a 18-19 year old program, and given the latest development in computer animation and the latest Hubble pictures, the old program left me wanting for more awesome pictures and graphics. I highly recommend this to those who really like to know about the discovery of Supernova 1987-A ! for the rest of us who like to be dazzled by starts and visual affects, this is not a very good program. December 20, 2007

One of the best NOVA episodes EVER

I've been waiting for 10 years for this NOVA episode to be available on DVD! This is one of the best NOVA programs in the long-running PBS series. It takes us inside the discovery of supernova 1987(a) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way).

What makes it so good? First, it presents the science accurately and in detail. My gripe with some of the more recent Nova episodes is that the science is watered down so much that you can't understand what is really going on. Not here. Although supernova astronomy has come a long, long ways since this episode was made nearly 20 years ago, it still gives you an excellent overview of what supernovas are and the astounding, titanic, almost incomprehensible amount of energy released in these explosions.

Second, and most importantly, it captures the excitement of science discovery better than any other episode of Nova. Yeah, a bold claim but I've seen every epsiode aired since 1975 and I stand by it. You will see an astronomer so excited by supernovas he becomes unable to speak. His walking away from the camera is one of my favorite Nova moments of all time. The passion of the other astronomers involved in this story is also revealed. This episode has not only an interesting subject (an exploding star in the nearest galaxy to ours), but is full of interesting people involved in the story--that's what makes it killer. And the event itself changes their lives.

Third, you will get an inside look at the process of discovery, and learn how astronomers communicated the discovery of a new object (at least in 1987--it's changed since then). This kind of detailed, inside information is what makes a documentary really ring.

If you are interested in astronomy, or in science in general you must see this Nova. It is outstanding! January 4, 2007

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