Catastrophe - Episode 1 - Birth of the Planet

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the first episode of Catastrophe, a five-part documentary series, presented by Tony Robinson.  This series investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence and suggesting that we are the product of catastrophe.

Catastrophe first aired on Britain’s Channel 4 on November 21^th, 2008.

The first installment of this series tells the story of Earth's difficult birth, and how the formation of our moon set us on a unique course to being a planet ripe for life.

Glowing peacefully in the night sky, it is difficult to imagine that the moon was actually born from one of the most violent and potentially devastating events in history. Four and half billion years ago, in the chaos of the early solar system, a Mars-sized planet smashed into our young Earth with such force that it sent rock debris hurtling out into space. This was how the moon was formed. The first film of the Catastrophe series explores the role of the moon in creating the calm atmosphere on Earth that would eventually allow life to take hold.

Catastrophe hosted by Tony Robinson is available on DVD from Amazon Books (UK).

Catastrophe - Episode 1 - Birth of the Planet
Copyright Disclaimer Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.