The First PBS-Backed ‘Crash Course’  Episode Is Now Live

In November, PBS Digital Studios announced a deal with Vlogbrothers duo Hank and John Green for a pair of new entries to the Crash Course library. One of those series has now arrived, with blogger Phil Plait bringing his astronomy knowledge to the Green brothers’ educational hub.

As with other Crash Course videos, the first episode of the astronomy course combines Plait’s narration with colorful animations that appeal to the YouTube audience. Plait, who runs the “Bad Astronomy” blog for Slate, begins the episode with a quick overview of his subject. “Over the course of this series,” he states, “we’ll explore planets, stars, black holes, galaxies, subatomic particles, and even the eventual fate of the universe itself.”

Plait’s astronomy lessons can be found on the Crash Course channel, which has more than 2.6 million subscribers. At the same time, the PBSDS deal will also bring the videos directly to educators. The digital wing of the public TV channel has added Crash Course to the PBS LearningMedia service, which others classroom-worthy media to K-12 educators.

The second new course backed by PBS is a US government series hosted by YouTuber Craig “WheezyWaiter” Benzine. It will make its debut on January 23rd, one week after the arrival of Plait’s astronomy primer. Beyond these brand new offerings, Crash Course also offers education in ten other subjects, including Biology, World History, and Literature.

New episodes of the astronomy course will arrive each Thursday on the Crash Course channel. PBSDS will also share the series at its own YouTube home.