Among the most terrifying figures of Greek mythology were the monstrous Gorgons. It was said that anyone who gazed upon such a monster would be turned to stone, and this strange idea emerged as an overarching symbol of terror wherever its influence reached. But what was the source of this curious tradition? To find the answer, it is necessary to consider celestial phenomena having no counterpart in our familiar sky today.
The subject of this video series by Dave Talbott is the ancient experience of towering celestial forms that are no longer present. From a single snapshot of the configuration, we can work backward to the first appearance of these bodies out of an undifferentiated cloud or sea of dusty plasma. We can then follow the configuration’s evolution through phases that range from quasi-stability to earth-shaking catastrophe.
See the three full documentaries in the Symbols of an Alien Sky series:
Episode 1, Symbols of an Alien Sky
Episode 2, Symbols of an Alien Sky: The Lightning-Scarred Planet, Mars
Episode 3, Symbols of an Alien Sky: The Electric Comet
