* Spacecraft missions to nearby planets * The Library of ancient Alexandria * The human brain * Egyptian hieroglyphics * The origin of life * The death of the sun * The evolution of galaxies * The origins of matter suns & worlds The story of fifteen billion years of cosmic evolution transforming matter & life into consciousness of how science & civilisation grew up together & of the forces & individuals who helped shape modern science. A story told with Carl Sagan's remarkable ability to make scientific ideas both comprehensible & exciting.