Seeing in the Dark

slade_x

I recieved an e-mail yesterday from Meade4m.com relating to Timothy ferris' book seeing in the dark becoming a TV Documentary and airing on 19th september on PBS (A US channel)

In the the linked info from njnightsky is a little preview clip, a better quality version can be found here thanks to astronomy.com

Could anyone please keep their eyes out for a UK/Ireland Broadcasting and update in this thread please. I will look up the onscreen skytvguide when the date approaches, but i'd doubt it will be aired here anytime soon.

The email;

Seeing in the Dark, a film by 4M Community Alliance member Timothy Ferris, will air on Public Broadcasting Stations across the USA on Wednesday, September 19 at 8:00 p.m. (check local listings)

Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary written, produced and narrated by award winning filmmaker, journalist and best-selling author Timothy Ferris. The program introduces viewers to the rewards of first person, hands-on astronomy. It is based on Ferris's book, Seeing in the Dark (Simon & Schuster, 2002), named by The New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year.
The program features remarkable high-definition astrophotography and introduces men and women who have seen and captured phenomenal images within and beyond our solar system and galaxy, both professionals and amateurs. They include:

• Robert Smith, former star NFL running back turned stargazer, Miami, Florida
• Barbara Wilson, who teaches at a public observatory near Houston, Texasli>Steven James OMeara, an artist and astronomy writer who lives in Hawaii
• Ron Bissinger, a corporate CEO in Pleasanton, California who hunts for planets of distant stars
• Rob Gendler, a radiologist and deep-space astrophotographer in Avon, Connecticut
• Michael Koppelman, a musician who imaged light older than Earth from his observatory outside Minneapolis
• Debra Fischer, an astrophysicist at Cal Berkeley who works with amateur astronomers
• The Bisque Brothers, designers of telescope-control software and hardware in Golden, Colorado

The Seeing in the Dark Web site (pbs.org/seeinginthedark, going live on September 5th) will enable viewers to print star charts for their time and location, view video tips on how to get the most out of stargazing, learn more about the people and concepts in the film, and find local star parties where they can look through amateur astronomers' telescopes free of charge. A Seeing in the Dark robotic telescope, located at a high-altitude site in New Mexico, will be available for students to image star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies for themselves. Seeing in the Dark was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation and with support from the Public Broadcasting Service. The program DVD will be available for $24.99 at www.pbs.org immediately following the broadcast.

Sourced from njnightsky;

Coming to PBS September 19, 2007

America's Writer Laureate of astronomy invites millions of viewers to enjoy the wonders of the night sky in a spectacular HDTV special
Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary by Timothy Ferris that premieres on PBS September 19, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. The film, Ferris' third, is based on his book, Seeing in the Dark (2002), named by The New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year.

Seeing in the Dark</I> is meant to alter, inspire and illuminate the lives of millions," said Ferris. "It introduces viewers to the rewards of first-person, hands-on astronomy — from kids learning the constellations to amateur astronomers doing professional-grade research in discovering planets and exploding stars. I hope it will encourage many viewers to make stargazing part of their lives, and a few to get into serious amateur astronomy."
Here is a clip of the film-Clip

Source

For those that arent familiar with the book:
http://www.space.com/spacelibrary/books/library_seeing_020829.html

Dr Pepper

Looks great! Thanks for the heads-up... I'll be keeping an eye out for it.

slade_x

The DVD will be available for purchase on the 19th also:

Seeing in the Dark DVD

Seeing in the Dark DVD & Book

Might be better to catch it aired for free somewhere though. The book and DVD deal seems good, would probably make for an excellent present for someone.