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Eclipses and Other Celestial Phenomena
A selection of films for those who are passionate about astronomy or who simply have a curious mind
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North Star2023Laurie Rousseau-Nepton is a young, Quebec-born Innu astrophysicist who’s leading a massive research project at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Drawing on a worldview rooted in a love of nature, as well as her talents as a science communicator, she shares her passion for the study of celestial objects. Ranging from Ashuapmushuan to Wendake, Hawaii and Mont-Mégantic, Laurie’s inspiring journey will leave viewers starry-eyed. North Star is directed by Patrick Bossé. -
Chasing the EclipseIan Elkin & Norma Bailey 1979 23 minA group of amateur astronomers and eclipse-chasers arrive in Canada from Warren, Michigan, to view a total eclipse of the sun near Brandon, Manitoba. The film follows them through their preparations, the "chase," and finally the eclipse.
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Hubert Reeves: Star TellerIolande Cadrin-Rossignol 2002 52 minHubert Reeves is an astrophysicist whose honours from the scientific community include the Albert Einstein award. But Reeves is known to the public as a wonderful popularizer of scientific ideas, possessed of an exceptional talent at combining science and humanism.
As a child growing up near Lac St-Louis in Quebec, Reeves was fascinated by nature and its relationship to the rest of the universe. This fascination led him to Cornell University, where he studied with some of the great scientific minds of the 20th century. A raconteur, Reeves tells stories about his remarkable professors, men like Hans Bethe, Philip Morrrison and Bob Wilson, whose research led to the atom bomb. Reeves also offers revealing anecdotes about Einstein, Niels Bohr, Oppenheimer and Teller.
With his usual enthusiasm, Reeves highlights milestones in astrophysics, showing us a view of the moon as seen by Galileo in 1609, and remarkable photos of galaxies colliding billions of light-years away. Along with stunning visuals, we listen as Reeves explains history and theory in a highly accessible way.
A committed ecologist, Reeves warns about the deterioration of our planet. In the face of explosive economic globalization, Reeves believes that the globalization of ecological movements offers hope. -
Quiet ZoneDavid Bryant & Karl Lemieux 2015 14 minCombining elements of documentary, film essay and experimental film, filmmakers Karl Lemieux and David Bryant (Godspeed You Black Emperor!) take us deep into the world of those who suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Stubbornly defying traditional genres, Quiet Zone weaves together an unusual story in which sound and image distort reality to make the distress of these “wave refugees” palpable.
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NFB Space School - Astrogeology - Lesson 3 - Chapter 4 - Remote Sensing & Ground TruthingScott Simpson 2014 3 minRemote Sensing and Ground Truthing. Procedures and technologies used to study celestial bodies.
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The Northern LightsAlan Booth 1992 47 minThis feature length documentary examines the phenomenon of the northern lights, aka the aurora borealis. Though scientists have advanced many theories in an attempt to explain it, mysteries still linger. Experience a visual panorama of animated legends and international space launches as indigenous people and scientists offer their perceptions of the wondrous northern lights.
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Shadow ChasersJean Marc Larivière , Carlos Ferrand , … 2000 58 minThis feature-length documentary is a portrait of eclipse chasers, people for whom solar eclipses - among nature's more spectacular phenomena – are a veritable obsession. The film follows 4 of them as they travel incredible distances to witness the last total eclipse of the millennium as it sweeps eastward across Europe to India. At various points along the way enthusiasts Alain Cirou in France, Paul Houde in Austria, Olivier Staiger in Germany and Debasis Sarkar in India offer their impressions of the historic event.
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The Moon ChangesSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, The Moon Changes uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain what causes the different phases of the moon.
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Lift OffSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Lift Off uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain what makes a rocket lift off.
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Mirrors of TimeJean-Jacques Leduc 1990 23 minThis short animated film delves into the mysteries of time: how calendars came to be; why the seasons change; why the year is divided into days, etc. From Babylon to 16th-century Europe, this film presents the history of the measurement of time.
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Cosmic ZoomRobert Verrall 1968 8 minThis short animation transports us from the farthest conceivable point of the universe to the tiniest particle of existence, an atom of a living human cell. The art of animation and animation camera achieve this exhilarating journey with a freshness and clarity. Without words.
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Satellites of the SunSidney Goldsmith 1974 12 minFilm animation and a knowledge of outer space bring to the screen this spectacular, awe-inspiring view of our solar system. Staggering distances are eliminated through the art of film: before our eyes is displayed the wonder of the universe. Moon, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Earth and all the other satellites and lesser matter in space are seen in amazing detail and perspective in their eternal orbits around the sun.
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Eclipse at Grand'Mère1964 6 minThis six-minute short documentary captures the eclipse of July 20, 1963, in the small town of Grand-Mère, Quebec. The eclipse was plainly visible and attended by scientists, stargazers, and an influx of visitors who came to see it and join in the accompanying festivities.
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UniverseRoman Kroitor & Colin Low 1960 28 minA triumph of film art, creating on the screen a vast, awe-inspiring picture of the universe as it would appear to a voyager through space, this film was among the sources used by Stanley Kubrick in his 2001: A Space Odyssey. Realistic animation takes you into far regions of space, beyond the reach of the strongest telescope, past Moon, Sun, and Milky Way into galaxies yet unfathomed.
