This is a series I could happily watch again and again. It has an impressive amount packed into every episode, (unlike many documentaries which just seem to spend an hour reiterating the same concept over and over in PORTENTOUS TONES) and is to be commended for successfully employing the enlivening device of linking sections together conceptually rather than plodding from planet to planet.

These programmes are full of information, wonderful discoveries explained in an extremely engaging, accessible way, and above all, beauty. Beauty, beauty and more lovely rapturous beauty as we see the point of sending unmanned vessels, probes and little robots into space – to be our eyes, and to bring the planets and their moons before us in all their stately and gorgeous mystery. Visually seductive, well-scored and presented with enthusiasm and a palpable sense of wonder, these programmes are to be treasured.

I’d not watched Wonders of the Solar System, or actually heard about it really until I saw Brian Cox on Jonathan Ross, in which he was hilarious whilst being a highly entertaining personality. This prompted me to watch the series via iPlayer and I was pleasantly surprised. Being someone that hated physics and the sciences during school with a passion, I wasn’t sure if this was for me, but i’ve found the show extremely entertaining whilst being educational with Professor Brian Cox being one of the most likeable presenters on television. I’ve now bought the entire series for my blu ray player which is even more incredible with the high definition quality.

One of the main, most noticeable things about the series, is how well the BBC have put the budget to good, effective use. The amount of panoramic and cinematic shots are incredible and they are simply breathtaking with the BD 1080i quality. On top of this, the use of graphics and effects as Cox describes the facts and theories are highly interesting and really keep you captivated. Each one of the five episodes is just under an hour long, but it really doesn’t feel like it. There’s a good balance of recent, relevant footage, explanations with props by Cox as well as archive footage and photos from space probes etc that doesn’t end up boring you, it only leaves you in awe. The way Cox is so likeable and enthusiastic makes the time fly. There are moments which emphasise this and his funny personality such as some of the comments he makes just after carrying out an experiment with regards to air, paper and a glass of water – look out for this and other moments of brilliance from him.

Before I watched one of episodes, I really didn’t think I’d like it and i’d be bored. I really don’t think I could have been more wrong. Sensational work by the BBC to bring an exciting educational documentary series to our screens. Don’t think I could recommend this product anymore, especially on blu ray.

Brian Cox presents this TV documentary about our solar system, but as the title suggests – this isn’t a boring run down of how our neighbouring planets behave. It’s a look at the more magical aspects, it explores the “what if?” element of our local cosmos and presents it in package which made me sit wide-eyed in awe.

It’s clear that Brian Cox is more than just a physicist, he has a passion for his favourite subject which is nothing short of infectious. As he explains the beauty of Saturn’s rings or the secrets of Europa, he does it with the excitement of a proud child desperate to share the knowledge and you can’t help but feel the same. He makes things sound so simple and has a knack for using whatever is around him to create analogies for what he is discussing.

There are only five episodes in this series, but each covers a specific theme and feels epic in its scope. By talking about extraterrestrial phenomena and then relating it to how beautifully complex and beautiful our own planet is, the intangible becomes understandable and you appreciate what the Prof is explaining to us.

Computer generated imagery helps to bring it all to life and the depictions of celestial bodies look great. Volcanic eruptions on Io, the many rings of Saturn, and solar flares are just some of the amazing things which appear on screen to add an extra dimension to the series. These visual aides help to cement your understanding of what is being covered.

In a nutshell: Professor Brian Cox is almost poetic in his enthusiastic fronting of this fantastic series. Wonders of the Solar System doesn’t gloss over the basic facts, it asks big questions and then offers answers. It shows you the latest thinking and details the most modern of theories and yet manages to do it all in a intelligible and accessible way.

I was captivated by this series from start to finish. Learning more about our planet and our solar system has made me appreciate the wonder of Earth and the miracle of life. We should treasure our “Goldilocks”planet(because it’s just right). A mind blowing experience!

I am just over half way through this excellent BBC production and felt urged to review it. The passion of Brian Cox, the physicist who takes you on an amazingy discovery of the solar system, is prevalent in each episode. You really get a clear feel for his enthusiasm of his specialism. The explanations of the dynamics of our fragile and complicated environment are well conceived and illustrated by giving on-earth examples. For instance, the mechanics of the rings of Saturn are explained by a trip to the dunes of a desert and how the grains of sand are comparable to the rings. Interesting fact: one of the rings is as little as 3 metres in depth. When you consider the size of Saturn, I find that astonishing. Fact 2: The geysers on Saturn’s moon Enceladusj ejects so much ice out of it’s poles that it is resposible for the creation of one of the plannet’s outer rings in it’s entirity! Explanations at a perfect level for the average Joe.
CG imagery mixed with actual photography help make this very tangible. The music and stunning cinematography lend to the production value tremendously.
A very well produced BBC project, with heart and insight behind it. Licence payers money being put to good use at last.
Roll on Wonders of the Universe

Brian Cox shows a genuine passion for the subject and his often poetic language and explanatory models clearly draws inspiration from the late great Carl Sagan, whose Cosmos series 30 years ago helped spark Cox’s own interest in the study of the universe.

This series though brings things bang up to date, highlighting the latest remarkable discoveries and Cox is certainly one of the best popularisers of science around today. A refreshing change in this desperate age of reality television.

A simple description of this magnificent series really.
Professor Brian Cox never lets you feel bored, always makes you understand by explaining things how they should be, and with his soothing voice and great persona, Makes you want him to do plenty more programmes like this in the future.
I personally, have loved every episode and this should be shown in every school science lesson as it would make all children pay attention.
My hat goes off to the professor, What a great job you did. Bravo.

I have watched this series and have found it to be one of the best programmes of recent years. Its worth a years license fee on its own. Being 57 and remembering how much I enjoyed my physics lessons and still have regrets that I didn’t go on and get my degree I hope this is going to be the start of a new direction for the beeb. Over the years I have watched Horizon, it used to be good, but now its boring and dumbed down for the masses. I wish I could obtain copies of old Horizons (hint Beeb!!!!) I remember the fantastic TV programme called the Violent Universe and thought that I would never see anything that would compete but this does in every respect. The universe is a truly incredible place and its beyond me how people can’t look up at the night sky and just wonder what amazing things there must be out there and realise how fragile we are on this tiny lump of rock with a veneer of atmosphere.
The best piece is early on when Brian Cox explains how simple it is to calculate how much energy the sun is giving off using a bucket, some water, a thermometer, an umbrella and a knowledge of the distance we are from the sun. This is the marvel of physics. Watch it and get the kids to watch it too!

This is a rare example of a specialist topic given a mass appeal by the engaging voice accent and manner of Professor Brian Cox who manages to explain the Solar system as a natural phenomenon with numerous simple examples

It has some stunning computer generated graphics combined with real images and pictures

Traveling to many location over the planet including Ethiopia , India and Hawaii the producers found many places that resemble locations in other planets of the solar system .

The soundtrack is a mixture of dreamy and indie music that contributes to the experience of space travel .

The series contains five episodes, each of which focuses on an aspect of the Solar System and features a ‘wonder’.

1-Empire of the sun

A great introduction to the series that illustrates how the formation and behavior of the Sun affects each planet in the Solar System .The graphics of the formation of the sun are truly spectacular.

2-Order Out of Chaos
The second episode explores the Rings of Saturn and explains their differences and the effect of gravity on their formation. The pictures from Cassini add a wonderful touch to the stunning graphics.

3-The Thin Blue Line
The third episode looks at the atmosphere of Earth and that of Titan moon in Saturn. A very relevant program that touches on how fragile is our existence and how much we own to our atmosphere.

4-Dead or Alive
The fourth episode looks at the size of planets, volcanoes, and the moon Io ,and how size and position in the solar system determines if live can develop in a planet. The images form the Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia are a great example of the conditions in other places of the solar system.

5-Aliens
The program covers life surviving in extreme environments in our planet, and how the search for life on other planets follows the search for water. This last episode is the most interesting of them all as it asks a couple of very interesting questions ,Are we alone in the Universe ? What if we are ? What if we aren’t ?

A great achievement for the BBC

This is a superb series which graphically illustrates some of the high points of local cosmology. Each hour-long episode is visually striking and easily accessible for all ages. Presenter Prof Brian Cox never patronises the audience and has a special knack for explaining quite complex theories with real-life examples. There are five episodes in total, each one highlighting a different theme to explain some of the compelling forces at work in our solar system.
There isn’t a dull moment in the whole series, and it avoids much of the over-blown drama and pointless repetition which can plague current popular science programmes. Mind you, at times it feels a little like you’ve tuned into an episode of Top Gear by mistake (!), with 4x4s in the Namib desert, jet fighters on the edge of space, skidoos across snow-scapes, and such. That’s because Prof Cox visits a whole range of striking landscapes on Earth, to demonstrate that the same cosmic forces which have a profound effect across the universe are at work here.

`Wonders of the Solar System’ features plenty of excellent visual stimulation and makes great use of CGI as well as plenty of original images from space probes (the sun rise from Mars is magnificent, and the rocks from the moon Titan are spookily familiar). The animations usefully demonstrate some of the trickier aspects of planetary geometry – for instance, I never realised quite how far over the earth tips on its axis which creates the seasons, and the graphic illustrated this perfectly.
Similarly, understanding how the magnetosphere protects the earth from the solar wind isn’t exactly easy to picture from a wordy description, but the CGI showed it perfectly. The whole series has helped to expand my understanding of how the solar system was formed and is still changing, and there are plenty of little nuggets of new info in each episode – often fresh from whichever new probe has sent back data in recent years.

The series starts by studying the sun, the star at the heart of our solar system. Prof Cox immediately involves the viewer with a simple experiment to show how you can calculate the energy that the sun puts out using an umbrella and a can of water, and this is typical of how cosmic themes are grounded in earthy practicality throughout the series. This episode explains the cosmic coincidence which means we on earth can enjoy total solar eclipses, thanks to the size of the moon and its distance from us.
Prof Cox uses tornados to explain how the planets originally formed from clouds of dust and relates that to the rings of Saturn – again, there’s some gorgeous imagery in this segment including genuine footage from the recent mission to Saturn’s many moons. The pictures of the ice volcanoes erupting are amazing.
Another episode studies the atmosphere of planets and explains why Mercury doesn’t have one; why Venus’ is so thick, and why Earth’s atmosphere is so important. (A great excuse for a trip in an English Electric Lightning jet fighter!). It also reveals the other body in our solar system which has a similar atmosphere to ours, and which also appears to have lakes and rivers on it. All through, the cosmological details is compared to similar settings on our world, making it easy to understand and visually exciting.
Size really matters when it comes to planets and another programme looks at planetary cores and how they differ, which is a great excuse to stand on the tallest mountain on earth and look at live volcanoes! One of the moons of Jupiter, which should be cold and dead, is actually home to extraordinary lakes of lava and giant volcanic eruptions. We also enjoy a great explanation about the chances of finding life on other planets (including a look at some of the truly alien life-forms here on earth). Prof Cox also reminds us that life evolves over geological time and that when change happens fast we tend to go extinct. But he doesn’t labour the point.

All through this series you are swept along by Prof Cox’s enthusiasm for the subject and his delight in each new discovery. If I have to criticise it for anything then it’s for indulging so much in the terribly fashionable trend for science-by-globetrotting, but Prof Cox comes over as such a likeable guy that it’s easy to forgive him.
The science is solid; the explanations are easily understood yet of enough depth to interest adults with a decent understanding of popular science. So this series should suit all ages of people with an interest in other planets, and it’s very easy to recommend. I finally understand why most planets spin, and it’s taken 42 years for that to sink in! Plus, the photos from the Mars rovers, showing their own tracks in the dust of another world, make me choke up every time I see them.
The Blu-Ray version will make the most of the graphics, too.
9/10