magiclanternmedia.ca

Grade levels: Adult

  • Death of a Star

    Supernovas are as spectacular as they are rare. In early 1987, a giant star exploded in the sky – one of the most violent celestial events since the creation of the universe. Why did this phenomenon fascinate, baffle, and delight astronomers? What causes a star to explode? How will these energy blasts help us understand our universe? Journey to space and around the globe for an astounding look at the true meaning of star power.

  • The Stars – Supernovas, the Big Bang, and More

    Includes: Death Star; Death Of A Star; Runaway Universe

  • Mountain of Ice

    In this high-altitude adventure, author Jon Krakauer and world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker lead an expedition to the top of Antarctica’s tallest peak, Vinson Massif. Along the way, their experiences are contrasted with those of Norwegian adventurer Roald Amundsen and British explorer Robert Falcon Scott who in 1911 raced to be the first to reach the South Pole.

  • Great Peaks:Everest, Kilimanjaro, McKinley, Mont Blanc, and the Vinson Massif

    Climb Five of the World’s Great Peaks with NOVA. Everest: The Death Zone: Get ready for a breathtaking trek up Mt. Everest, from Base Camp through the chilling, corpse-strewn Death Zone; to the very pinnacle of the Earth, five and a half miles above sea level. Join the expedition as scientists follow a team of hikers to measure the toll high-altitude climbing takes on the heart, lungs, blood and brain.

  • The Miracle of Life Set – Also Includes Life’s First Feelings

    The Miracle of Life takes you on an incredible voyage through the human body as a new life begins. World-renowned Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson presents a spectacular look at a microscopic world of beautiful colors and forms deep inside ourselves. Bonus DVD! NOVA: Life’s First Feelings

  • Spies That Fly

    It has no pilot, no windows, and it’s flown by remote control. But this odd-looking plane is already credited with helping destroy nearly 750 enemy targets. It’s the Predator, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Join NOVA for this rare look at some of the most significant developments in military weaponry, and learn about the UAV’s dangerous and costly history, how flying insects are helping researchers create the first micro UAV, and how the military’s unmanned aerial vehicles may someday lead to pilotless commercial air travel.

  • Top Gun Over Moscow

    For half a century we feared them. Now, for the first time, meet the rugged pilots of the Russian Air Force- and take a close-up look at the heart-stopping maneuvers that still fill Western flyers with awe.

  • B-29 Frozen in Time

    Travel on a perilous mission to repair and refly a rare B-29 bomber stranded on a Greenland icecap for almost 50 years. NOVA follows bold pilot Darryl Greenamyer and his team on two expeditions to revive Kee Bird and make it fly again in one of the most isolated and harshest environments on Earth. Despite severe weather, illness and difficulties with the shuttle plane in 1994, Greenamyer returns in May 1995 with a larger crew, a more reliable shuttle plane and a new plan to bring Kee Bird back to life and back home.

  • War Planes

    Set includes B-29 Frozen in Time, Battle of the X-Planes, Spies That Fly, and Top Gun Over Moscow. 280 min on 4 discs

  • Hurricane! – Katrina, Gilbert, and Camille

    On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, killing at least 1,300, destroying over 600,000 houses, and turning downtown New Orleans into an uninhabitable swamp. Hurricane Katrina: The Storm that Drowned a City presents astonishing storm footage, suspenseful eyewitness testimony, and a penetrating analysis of what went wrong. Viewers relive the storm through the eyes of survivors and the stories of top engineers, hurricane experts, and emergency officials as they grappled with the arrival of the storm and its traumatic aftermath. Hurricane! – Witness nature’s fury as hurricanes Camille and Gilbert crash onto the Gulf coast. “It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” says Hugh Willoughby, relishing the unusual object of his profession. “That’s one of the reasons why people fly into hurricanes.” Join Willoughby on a data-gathering flight made into the eye of Hurricane Gilbert in September 1988. NOVA obtained spectacular footage of the storm’s center–a canyon of clear blue sky surrounded by a wall of clouds 10 miles high. Watch how these highly-trained scientists routinely–and carefully–fly into the world’s most destructive storms to discover what makes them tick and to measure their intensity and probable path. Then hear first-hand accounts of Hurricane Camille, the most devastating storm ever to strike the United States. (112 min on 2 discs)