For the benefit of anyone looking to binge-watch something more educational on Christmas Day, enjoy Carl Sagan's lecture series at the Royal Institution in London, as recorded on Dec. 25, 1977.
The series, which originated in 1925, was originally aired on BBC Two. At the time, Sagan was just over two years away from the premiere of his seminal series Cosmos. According to the Library of Congress, he was a professor of astronomy and space sciences at Cornell University with 350 articles and 14 books to his credit by the time he delivered the six lectures over a two-week period that December.
Each of Sagan's lectures can be seen in its entirety below.
Lecture 1: The Earth as a planet
Carl Sagan: Christmas Lectures 1 - The Earth as... by JohnnaKendrick
Lecture 2: The Outer Solar System and Life
1977 Carl Sagan Christmas Lectures 2: The Outer... by silichip
Lecture 3: The History of Mars
1977 Carl Sagan Christmas Lectures 3: The... by silichip
Lecture 4: Mars before Viking
1977 Carl Sagan Christmas Lectures 4: Mars... by silichip
Lecture 5: Mars after Viking
1977 Carl Sagan Christmas Lectures 5: Mars... by silichip
Lecture 6: Planetary Systems beyond our Sun
1977 Carl Sagan Christmas Lectures 6: Planetary... by silichip
