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The Best Episodes of NOVA Season 23

Every episode of NOVA Season 23 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NOVA Season 23!

Binge this in 17h 25m•Peaking at 8.4/10

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    NOVA Season 23 Episode 1 - Anastasia Dead or Alive?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - Anastasia Dead or Alive?

    S23:E1

    Investigate the massacre of Tsar Nicholas and his family, and evaluate whether modern science has resolved the mystery surrounding Princess Anastasia.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. NOVA Season 23 Episode 2 - Venus Unveiled
    7.9/10(11 votes)

    #2 - Venus Unveiled

    S23:E2

    Venus reveals its true face, recorded in detail for the first time by the radar spacecraft Magellan. Our next-door planetary neighbor turns out to be one of the most bizarre places in the solar system.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. NOVA Season 23 Episode 3 - Hawaii Born of Fire
    8.1/10(56 votes)

    #3 - Hawaii Born of Fire

    S23:E3

    From their blistering beginnings as molten rock, the Hawiian islands have grown into a verdant paradise of unique lifeforms.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. NOVA Season 23 Episode 4 - The Doomsday Asteroid
    8.4/10(20 votes)

    #4 - The Doomsday Asteroid

    S23:E4

    Is there an asteroid or comet out there with our name on it? NOVA scans the skies and the geological record on Earth, for evidence that giant rocks from outer space have struck before and will eventually plow into our planet again.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. NOVA Season 23 Episode 5 - Lightning!
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    #5 - Lightning!

    S23:E5

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. NOVA Season 23 Episode 6 - Hunt for the Serial Arsonist
    7.8/10(18 votes)

    #6 - Hunt for the Serial Arsonist

    S23:E6

    In the spring of 1991, a rash of suspicious store fires in Los Angeles set fire investigators on the trail of a serial arsonist. Using ingenious techniques to "read" burn patterns and reconstruct the chain of events at each fire, the team uncovered a crucial clue—a fingerprint on a crude incendiary device. Eight months later, the team closed in on their chief suspect and revealed the shocking truth behind his identity. A classic scientific detective story with a final twist that will keep viewers guessing until the end.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. NOVA Season 23 Episode 7 - Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef
    8.2/10(9 votes)

    #7 - Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef

    S23:E7

    Recording sights that will astonish even experienced divers, NOVA documents an extraordinary day in the life of the largest coral reef in the world, capturing for the first time the annual spawning of coral and other unusual creatures of the reef.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. NOVA Season 23 Episode 8 - Race to Catch a Buckyball
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Race to Catch a Buckyball

    S23:E8

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. NOVA Season 23 Episode 9 - Can Buildings Make You Sick?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Can Buildings Make You Sick?

    S23:E9

    A search for the causes of Sick Building Syndrome. Experts look at various problem buildings, inspecting their air conditioning, lights and carpets for clues to the mysterious maladies afflicting the workers inside.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. NOVA Season 23 Episode 10 - Terror in the Mine Fields
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Terror in the Mine Fields

    S23:E10

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. NOVA Season 23 Episode 11 - The Day the Earth Shook
    7.7/10(15 votes)

    #11 - The Day the Earth Shook

    S23:E11

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. NOVA Season 23 Episode 12 - B-29 Frozen in Time
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - B-29 Frozen in Time

    S23:E12

    Travel on a perilous mission to repair and refly a rare B-29 bomber stranded on a Greenland icecap for almost 50 years.Gleaming like a jewel this well preserved bomber from World War II rests on the Arctic tundra where it was abandoned when it crash landed in 1947. This plane has long been a legend and now facing incredible hardship a team of adventurers struggle to bring the frozen warbird back to life.NOVA follows bold pilot Darryl Greenamyer and his team on two expeditions to revive Kee Bird and make it fly again in one of the most isolated and harshest environments on Earth. Despite severe weather illness and difficulties with the shuttle plane in 1994 Greenamyer returns in May 1995 with a larger crew a more reliable shuttle plane and a new plan to bring Kee Bird back to life and back home.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. NOVA Season 23 Episode 13 - Plague Fighters
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Plague Fighters

    S23:E13

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. NOVA Season 23 Episode 14 - War Machines of Tomorrow
    7.8/10(8 votes)

    #14 - War Machines of Tomorrow

    S23:E14

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. NOVA Season 23 Episode 15 - Kidnapped by U.F.O.'s?
    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #15 - Kidnapped by U.F.O.'s?

    S23:E15

    Carl Sagan and other scientists investigate claims that people have been visited or abducted by aliens.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. NOVA Season 23 Episode 16 - Flood!
    7.0/10(11 votes)

    #16 - Flood!

    S23:E16

    The Great Flood of 1993 leaves a wake of destruction across the Midwest. Can rivers ever be contained?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. NOVA Season 23 Episode 17 - Dr. Spock the Baby Doc
    7.8/10(11 votes)

    #17 - Dr. Spock the Baby Doc

    S23:E17

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. NOVA Season 23 Episode 18 - Warriors of the Amazon
    7.3/10(15 votes)

    #18 - Warriors of the Amazon

    S23:E18

    Explore the unique culture of the Yanomami, an isolated tribe living deep in the Amazonian rainforest.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. NOVA Season 23 Episode 19 - Bombing of America
    7.7/10(13 votes)

    #19 - Bombing of America

    S23:E19

    Bombing is on the rise across the United States. But science is fighting back. Hidden within the chaos of a crime scene lie clues that can solve the case. Can science help stop the "Bombing of America"?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 23 Ratings Summary

"Anastasia Dead or Alive?" is the best rated episode of "NOVA" season 23. It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/10/1995. This episode is rated 7.9 points higher than the second-best, "Venus Unveiled".