Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe

Gr 9 Up—Based on two popular BBC science series hosted by physicist Brian Cox, this app immerses viewers in the science behind our solar system and the universe. It contains content from both television series with video clips, animated images, and infographics, alongside an incredibly rich and deep text.Opening instructions guide users on how to navigate the app's text and image gallery. The content is organized under the two broad areas (space and the universe), and both of these sections contains a number of subheadings or chapters. Chapters begin with a video clip introduction by Cox. Discussions start small-for example, sub-atomic and atomic particles expands to conversations about galaxies and the universe. A search box linked to a detailed index will help viewers locate specific information.Cox is a great guide and the two-and-a-half hours of film clips of him discussing a variety of topics bring viewers to new levels of understanding. For instance, in considering the more than 2000 objects that circle the Earth, the author demonstrates what this "congestion" looks like with a clip of the identified asteroids in motion, and later, onsite at the Barrington Crater in Arizona.Also included are more than 50 high-resolution 3D images that illuminate phenomena such as black holes and nebulae. These, along with authors' renderings, can be saved, tweeted, emailed, or posted to Facebook.To describe the content as multi-layered hardly does justice to this production. It's a course in itself, taught by an engaging instructor, who while imparting his vast knowledge instills his students with awe and wonder appropriate to these otherworldly topics and scenes.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal