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Private Notes
Patrick Moore presents a retrospective of five decades of The Sky ay Night, recalling the history of space exploration from the first Russian Sputnik, the major astronomical discoveries over half a century, and the people he has met, from Orville Wright to Neil Armstrong.
Using archive sound, satellite footage and film taken by the astronauts, Patrick Moore presents the story of mankind's first journey to another world. The task of telling Apollo 11’s story from a British angle is a challenging one, since most of the domestic television presentation was not saved for the archives. However, Apollo 11, A Night to Remember, part of BBC Four’s Moon Night, has knitted together the remaining material into an effective two-hour documentary. Satellite pictures have been married up with amateur audio recordings, and linked with rarely-seen reports, background films, a couple of rediscovered studio clips, and some new explanatory pieces by Sir Patrick Moore, one of the presenters in 1969. The satellite images, which form the bulk of the programme, cover the main events in America, in the spacecraft, and on the moon. The source tapes are the BBC’s original 525-to-625 line live electronic standards conversions, but because they are derived from an international signal feed, they are lacking the domestic commentary and captions. However, it has been possible to reinstate much of the commentary from amateur off-air recordings, and thereby restore parts of the BBC’s television coverage. This technique has been applied in previous moon landing documentaries, but here it is used much more extensively than before, greatly enhancing the experience. The sound quality of the amateur recordings is not brilliant; usually it is perfectly intelligible, but occasionally becomes indistinct against all the interference from the space communications. A highlight of the programme comes near the start, when we can savour lengthy sections of what must be one of British television’s most compelling commentaries, as Michael Chartlon dramatically sets the scene at Cape Kennedy’s launch site, then guides us through the last 6 minutes of countdown. There are several technical glitches resulting from a poorish satellite link but these do not detract
Astronomers have been fascinated by the idea of the Star of Bethlehem for centuries. Did it exist? And if so, what was it? The list of candidates includes some of the most exciting objects in the night sky - supernovae, comets, meteors and unusual alignments of the giant planets. In this surprising and entertaining Christmas special the Sky at Night team go in search of the potential causes of the Star of Bethlehem.
The planets have fascinated us for millennia, but over the past 60 years our understanding of them has been transformed. Using The Sky at Night archives, Maggie Aderin-Pocock takes us on a spectacular voyage of discovery through our exploration of the planets. From incredible technological achievements, to astonishing phenomena such as epic storms on Jupiter and the stunningly complex rings of Saturn, this is the definitive guide to the planets. And the journey doesn't end at the edges of our solar system. We're now discovering that the Milky Way is full of weird and wonderful exoplanets outside our own solar system. Yet the more we learn, the more we discover how special our own planet really is.
Galaxies are the building blocks of the universe. Our solar system sits inside a huge galaxy that we call the Milky Way - home to as many as 300 billion stars. But the Milky Way is itself just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable universe. Over the last 60 years of broadcasting, the Sky at Night has covered every major story of discovery about the galaxies, and in this film presenter Chris Lintott uses this archive to reveal the deepest secrets of galaxies, from their earliest beginnings to their very ends. From the first galaxy ever discovered through to today's cutting edge attempts to map our own Milky Way, this is a story of incredible ingenuity, extraordinary technology and spectacular discoveries. We'll discover how galaxies work - from the secrets of their spiral arms to the dramatic events that drive their evolution - uncovering a weird and wonderful menagerie of objects along the way. Ultimately, the discovery of the galaxies is also the story of how we found our place in the cosmos, and discovered answers to some of the biggest questions in the Universe.
For as long as humans have walked the Earth, the stars have fascinated us. But we have come a long way since the earliest days of astronomy when we had nothing but our eyes to observe the night sky. Since then we have designed an arsenal of ingenious machines to help us unlock the secrets of the stars – from how they work and move around the Universe to how they live and die. For more than 60 years, the Sky at Night has covered every major development in our understanding of the stars, and regular Sky at Night presenter, Professor Chris Lintott, uses this archive to reveal spectacular and surprising facts about these heavenly bodies. From the ancient myths of the constellations to today's cutting edge attempts to map our own Milky Way, this is a story of incredible ingenuity, extraordinary technology and spectacular discoveries. We will discover how stars work, from the nuclear reactions at their cores to the strange phenomena on their surfaces, and we will follow the life cycle of a star all the way through to its spectacular end – one of the most dramatic events in the Universe that also turns out to hold the key to our very existence.
Comets and asteroids are the building blocks of the planets, relics from the early days of the solar system. They have been witnessed in our skies for millennia - tantalising, yet too small and too distant to study. However, over the course of the past 60 years, developments in astronomy and space exploration have allowed scientists to now see these tiny, mysterious worlds up close - and the Sky at Night has been there every step of the way. Using the Sky at Night archives, Maggie Aderin-Pocock takes us on a journey in pursuit of comets and asteroids - from ancient history to the cutting edge of modern astronomy, from tales of omens seen in our skies to exhilarating space missions straight out of science fiction. Unlike planets and moons, we only get fleeting glimpses of comets and asteroids. It’s that rarity that makes these visitors so special. Who knows what the next one will bring us?
On 4 April 1957, Patrick Moore was sitting in a BBC studio at Lime Grove. “I was staring at a television monitor,” says Patrick. “On the screen appeared the words ‘The Sky at Night: a regular monthly programme presented by Patrick Moore’. Then I saw myself on the monitor and a thought flashed through my mind: ‘My entire career depends on what I do during the next 20 minutes.’” The first ever episode looked at the discovery of Comet Arend-Roland in November 1956.
The Moon and Hampstead Observatory
A look at Jupiter
Our Glaxy, globular clusters and the possibility of life on other planets.
Volcanic eruptions on the Moon
Latest Russian rocket successes and recent volcanic activities on the Moon
The lesser-known bodies of the Solar System
Lights in the sky, sunspot emissions, aurorae
Russian rocket hits the Moon and a new comet
Russians took first photos of the far side of the Moon
Pairs of suns and further photos of the Moon
Various theories for the Star of Bethlehem
The Andromeda Galaxy
Russian astonomy, and tracking Sputnik
Hopes for British satellites
Comets and comet hunting
The giant outer planet
The star clouds of Sagittarius
The moons of Saturn and Jupiter
Meteors and meteorites
Measuriing the Universe
Patrick Moore reviews the historic Soviet mission to launch a manned rocket into space and discusses with Gilbert Fielder, Director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association, the atmospheric conditions to be faced on the moon and the problems that could be solved by a successful landing of instruments there.
Patrick Moore describes how the modern spectroscope has enabled astronomers to find out what different stars are made of and how bright they actually are.
Sunspots.
The respective theories of Prof Sir Martin Ryle and Prof Fred Hoyle.
In this programme, postponed from February, Patrick Moore discusses with Dr. F. L. Jackson, of King's College Hospital Pathology Department, the results of certain experiments carried out specially on behalf of 'The Sky at Night'. In these experiments various living organisms have been subjected to the conditions of atmosphere and temperature which exist on Mars.
Venus - a look forward to lunik 4 results.
Radio astronomy
George Hole's telescope and Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (Three earlier episodes were 'specials', making the '50th Programme' number 54)
The mounting of telescopes in satellites.
Do volcanoes or meteorites cause Moon craters?
Pluto, on the boundary of the solar system, is the planet most remote from the earth. Patrick Moore discusses this strange small world whose mysteries have puzzled astronomers ever since its discovery in 1930.
The recent United States attempt to put millions of fine copper wires into orbit round the earth for communication purposes has aroused fierce objections from some astronomers. Patrick Moore discusses this controversial subject with Colin Ronan.
Is space empty? Astronomers used to think so, but nowadays it is believed there is matter spread out between the stars so that we look out through a sort of cosmic fog. Patrick Moore talks about what astronomers have learned by studying this matter.
Every year many people watch the midsummer sun rise over the avenue at Stonehenge. Patrick Moore discusses how much the ancient peoples knew of astronomy and how far the old Stone Circles of Britain were aligned astronomically.
Frank Hyde's radio observatory.
A look at Saturn
The first interplanetary rockets could carry with them bacteria from earth which might contaminate other planets. Returning spacemen might bring back new and dangerous bacteria which could endanger our existence here. Patrick Moore, Sir Bernard Lovell, and Dr. Francis Jackson give their views on this vital aspect of space travel.
The American spacecraft Mariner II should be at its nearest to Venus on about December 14. Patrick Moore discusses with Howard Miles, Director of the Artificial Satellite Section of the British Astronomical Association, what it may reveal about the mysterious cloud-covered planet.
Results of Mariner 2.
Including a report on the discovery of Barnard's Star.
Russian report on traces of volcanic activity.
Special edition.
Cosmic ray flare on the Sun of 16 July 1959.
Many of the early Sky at Night programmes were destroyed or lost from the BBC library. Recently this early and very rare programme from 1963 with Arthur C Clarke, was discovered in an African TV station. Patrick and Arthur were both members of the British Interplanetary Society and here they discuss bases on the Moon and Mars. Arthur C Clarke made very few interviews, so this really is a broadcasting gem- once lost, but now found.
Jupiter research and Lunik 6.
Recent Flight of Ranger 6 to the Moon.
Armagh Observatory and the Magellanic Clouds.
New York symposium on the structure of the Moon.
Stonehenge and Egyptian theories of the Sun and planets.
Description given to recently discovered objects.
Current evidence on formation of Solar System.
Ranger 8 photos of Moon's surface.
Mythology of stars.
Useful observations without instruments.
Mariner 4 photos.
Quasars, recently discovered, have cast doubt on existing knowledge.
The lsaac Newton Telescope.
Theories on the origin of the Universe.
The village of Barwell is hit by a meteorite.
Is astronomy a good basis for further education?
The partial eclipse of 20.5.1966
The History of the Astronomers Royal.
Use of sundials in modern astronomy and Surveyor 1.
Distant galaxies, Lunar Orbiter 1, Lunik 2 and comets.
A dose look at Saturn.
The Leonid Meteor Shower.
Report of a meteor shower in America.
Jupiter and the latest Moon pictures
How amateurs can track satellites
Planetary nebulae where new stars are forming, and Lunar Orbiter 3
Clips of the solar eclipse (15.2.61); Sir R Woolley (3.6.66); Martian experiment (20.3.61); 50th programme (21.8.61)
The possibility of life on Mars
One of the bright stars in the Summer Triangle
A history of the telescope, filmed At Birr Castle
The discovery of Nova Delphini
How photos are sent back from the Moon
Meteors
Henry Hatfield's Observatory
The length of days on other planets
Armagh Planetarium
The nature and movement of asteroids
Sunspots
Superstitions associated with Moon and Apollo 8 orbit
The future of space research; possible contamination of Mars by space probes
Studying stars with a telescope
The possible effect of the Moon on weather
The possibility of plant life on Mars
The transit of Venus from Tahiti in 1769
Possible danger of meteorites hitting Moon spacecraft
Patrick Moore takes a look at the close up pictures of Mars taken by the American Mars probe, Mariner 6.
Does it ever rain on Mars? Are there clouds, winds, and storms? The Mariner probes have sent back new, fascinating information about the Red Planet, but even now there are many problems to be solved. Patrick Moore talks about the Martian climate and what future astronauts may expect to find there.
Variable stars
The plan to visit all the major planets
Moon marbles
Orion and galaxy-measuring machine
The history of early navigation
Lunar 16 and the Grand Tour and the IAU conference on Tombough's discovery of Pluto
In this episode Patrick talked to the first man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong. The astronaut discussed what it was like to walk on the surface and the possibility of future Moon bases. Since the Moon landings, Armstrong has famously shied away from the media spotlight, making this a very rare and interesting interview
Demonstration of star distances
Drawings of the surface and dust storms of Mars
Viewers' questions answered
Patrick Moore is at Stonehenge to watch the midsummer sun rise over the Heel Stone, and to discuss with Professor Gerald Hawkins the evidence that ancient monuments were built as observatories or eclipse computers.
The story of a supernova seen 400 years ago
Preparations for the June total eclipse
Measurements of the planets with infrared
The total eclipse of 30 June
Significance of new radar maps showing craters
The optical illusion that affects the size of the Moon
A transit of Mercury
Pioneer 10 space probe
Failure of Russian Mars probes to send back pictures
The possibility of life existing elsewhere in the Universe
The red star, Antares
The Perseid Meteor Shower and how to photograph it
Review of space missions
Patrick Moore focuses on the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, identifying points of interests about these remote members of the solar system.
Patrick Moore focuses on the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, identifying points of interests about these remote members of the solar system.
X-Ray sources discovered by Ariel 5
Film of amateur spectrohelioscope at Commander Hatfield's observatory
Sixth anniversary of the first manned Moon landing
Jupiter's four largest moons
Remote objects studied from balloon
Russian landing on Venus
Look forward to Viking probe
A look forward to the pass of Pioneer 11
X-Ray results from Ariel 5
Before Viking 1 mode its landing on Mars, The Sky At Night examined what kind of surface the lander would encounter. Enter the expertise of model maker Mat lrvine: "There were three small landers that I mode reasonably heavy, and I built up a base that incorporated three surfaces on which to drop them," recoils Mat.
Viking 1 lands on the surface of Mars
Results of the Viking mission
Venus
The density of Sirius and the former state of the Pup
Astronomers' terms to describe the size of the Universe.
Using photos sent back from Mariner 10
The newly discovered ring system
A look forward to UKIRT, the new telescope in Hawaii.
Cygnus and NGC 349 may have a planetary system.
Results of the Anglo-Australian telescope to date.
A tour of Paul Doherty's home-built observatory
Science fiction and space exploration.
The local group of galaxies
A review of the Viking space probes
The origin and nature of the minor planets
Stellar evolution
Earth as it would appear From space
Viewers' letters answered
Transient lunar phenomena
Theory that organisms from space brought life to Earth
Supernovae
The effect that the Forthcoming alignment might have on the Earth
Results from eight spacecraft to have visited Venus - six American, two Russian
Profile of Charles Messier and his catalogue
Theory that life elsewhere is a remote possibility
Interstellar material
Results of the recent fly-by
Earth weather satellites and how they work
Results from Ariel 6
Skylab expected to fall to Earth
Myths surrounding the constellations
Patrick Moore and Dr Garry Hunt discuss the American probe Pioneer II's attempt at surveying Saturn and its rings from close range.
How the amateur can study the Sun
Stellar spectroscopy
Features that con be seen when the rings are edge-on
For this programme, Patrick Moore flew to Arizona to meet Professor Tombaugh and to ask him what he now thought about the curious planet he discovered half a century ago.
The MMT on Mount Hopkins, Arizona
The possible black hole at the centre of our Galaxy
America's national observatory, including the solar telescope (McMath)
Recent investigations using new instruments
First maps achieved with radar results from Pioneer 1
Origins and formation of Meteor Crater, Arizona
Difference of seasons on Earth and other planets
SS 433, a scintar, and supernovae and pulsars
Voyager's closest approach to Saturn
The meteor shower seen in January each year
History and current research of the Hale reflector
Latest discoveries of the Orion Nebula and a new comet and new nova
Bicentenary of discovery of Uranus
Constellations and planets visible in April
Looking forward to studying very distant galaxies with the La Palma telescopes
Look forward to Voyager encounter
History and future possibility of asteroid collisions
Double stars seen with a small telescope
Results from a French expedition of August meteors.
Voyager 2's pictures of Saturn
Tribute to Sir Bernard Lovell, recently retired as Director of the Radio Astronomy Observatory, Jodrell Bank. In this programme he talks to Patrick Moore about the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank.
Pegasus and other constellations
Attempt to solve the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem
Patrick Moore talks about lunar eclipses, looking in particular at the eclipse of 6 January 1982, and describes features in the January night sky.
Evidence of current active volcanoes
Epsilon Aurigae
The retrograde motion of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
A look back at a special programme marking the 25th anniversary of The Sky at Night. Patrick Moore reports on what is happening at great observatories all over the world.
New quasar discovered 13,000 million lightyears away
Visit to the observatory in the Canary Islands
Possibility of a 10th planet waiting to be discovered
Report on the Anglo-Australian Observatory, its discoveries and photographs
Powerful stars inside arms affect the Milky Way and other star systems
The comet was rediscovered by astronomers at Palomar
Theories that comets hitting the Earth could have caused extinction of dinosaurs
Apollo 17 landed on the Moon 10 years ago
Winter constellations and news from La Palma
The hopes of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite launched in January
Visit to the observatory in Hawaii, and UKIRT - the UK Infra-Red Telescope
A newly found pulsar 'Flashes' 600 times per second
The search for neutrinos from a gold mine in South Dakota
Using speckle interferometry can show detail an the surface of stars
Pioneers 10 and 11 sending back information about the edges of the Solar System
Story of quasars and current work
IRAS discovered planetary system around Vega
Objects in the autumn sky and dust tail of Comet Tempel 2, another IRAS discovery
History of the observatory and its founder
Look back over the discoveries made by IRAS
Recent ability to 'weigh' black holes helps to understand the nature of them
A look around the winter sky
Work being done and planned at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux, includes Starlink
Recent findings by mapping surface using radar
Evolution of stars seen with small telescopes
Satellite repaired in space
Elements built up from hydrogen hove been 'cooked' inside stars that have since exploded.
A commissioning run on the telescope; the firsl colour video picture of on object outside the Solar System - the Ring Nebula in Lyra
A look ahead to the Halley's Comet encounter
Saturn's largest moon
Recent discoveries of possible planet-forming material around some stars
Centenary of Greenwich Mean Time
Photos taken with the AAT
Constellations from old star maps that no longer exist
The possibility of planetary material forming around Beta Pictoris and VB8B
Method of taking photographs of remote star systems
When and where to see Halley's Comet
More results from IRAS
Crack-like features on surface of the Moon
Galileo probe to survey asteroid Amphitrite
A look around the sky - repeat on 6.7.85 has shots of Giotto launch
Research being done with AAT
The second star in the 'handle' of the Plough
Computer-controlled telescope set up to follow Halley's Comet
Discrepancy in the redshift of two galaxies
Latest news of Halley's Comet; how to photograph it
Modern discoveries prove old theories wrong
Latest research on the Sun
Patrick Moore is joined by the leading NASA experts to give the latest news and pictures of what Voyager 2 has to tell us about this mysterious green world of Uranus. (1986)
Live from Germany and Greenwich, the arrival of Giotto at the nucleus of the comet
The night sky, including where to find Halley's Comet
History of its observation and current views
Latest results announced from the Giotto mission
A look around the sky
Discovery of supernova in Centaurus A
A study of Mercury
latest most distant quasar discovered
Main features of autumn sky, eclipse of the Moon on 17 October and latest pictures of Halley's Comet
Galaxy SS 433
The satellites of Jupiter
Objects to photograph with inexpensive equipment.
Where variable stars are found and how they behave.
Discovery of Supernova 1987A.
Thirty years of the programme, including clips and new film of JCMT and the William Herschel Telescope.
Atmospheres and weather on neighbouring planets.
Why the Moon appears higher and sometimes lower.
The world's third largest telescope is nearly finished.
On Hawaii with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, studying objects in the submillimetre waveband.
Theories and searches for tenth planet.
AAT findings on Supernova 1987A.
The 30th anniversary of telescope now renamed the Lovell Telescope.
Advice on which telescopes to buy or not to buy.
Accurate maps of the stars to be made by Hipparcos, set for launch in 1989.
A look around and results of the photo competition
Venus and Jupiter well placed for viewing
The largest refracting telescope and its history
Recently discovered 'quivering' of the solar globe
Controversial theory that quasars might not be as remote as most astronomers believe
Past and future planetary probes
Variable stars to be seen in the summer sky
In this episode of Sky at night from August 1988 Sir Patrick Moore discusses the Perseid meteors with Dr John Mason.
Latest theories on interstellar matter - the space between stars
An update on what is known about Mars.
A guide on how to record observations
Radio astronomy and hopes for the new Australia Telescope
'Earth-grazing' asteroids
A look around the winter sky and some of its mysteries
lt now seems there are many more star systems or galaxies than was believed
The discovery of a possible pulsar produced by the supernova of 1987
The European Southern Observatory at La Silla
The International Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite (IUE)
The new generation of astronomical telescopes
A summary of what is known and what we hope to find out about Pluto
The lunar eclipse of 17 August and how to take good photographs of it with an ordinary camera
A look around two of Chile's observatories: Cerro Tololo and Los Campanas
Voyager 2 has now passed Neptune, sending back remarkable new information about this distant planet. Patrick Moore and guests summarise what has been discovered. (1989)
A visit to Birmingham University to look at their course for would-be professional astronomers
A look at Taurus
A summary of all the information sent back by Voyager 2 on its journey through the Solar System
A look at astronomical 'tales of the unexpected': bright comets, new stars, outbreaks on planets and displays of aurorae
The New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile
Austin's Comet
A look at the constellations of Leo, Cancer and Virgo
Brown dwarfs
The William Herschel Telescope on La Palma
The Cassini mission to Titan
The Magellan mission to Venus
The work of the European Space Agency
The bicentenary of Armagh Observatory
New work which has disproved the theory of 'the great attractor'
The ROSAT Space Telescope looks at X-ray sources in the sky
Millisecond pulsars
Observing Jupiter
Cosmic rays
A study of comets
Active galaxy BL Lacs
A look at the ringed world
The latest developments in Soviet space science
How to find Polaris
The most luminous object ever discovered
The Hubble Space Telescope - achievements so far
The problems of light pollution
The discovery by a team at Jodrell Bank of a planet moving round a neutron star
The Keck Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii
A 'Guided Tour' Of The Skies
Asteroids
David Malin's photography
Looking at the achievements of astronomy during the last 35 years of the Space Age
Discovery by COBE of variations in the 'background radiation'
Summary of what has been discovered about Neptune and Uranus
The Giotto Extended Mission (GEM) - a discussion of the results obtained
Did Leonard Digges invent the telescope?
What is known about the Andromeda Spiral and how to find it.
The latest infrared findings from the Anglo-Australian Telescope.
The six mirrors of the Multiple Mirror Telescope are to be replaced with a single new 6.5m mirror.
Recent studies of the Crab Pulsar, which shows a 'glitch' in its timing.
A look at the winter sky, comparing Mars and Venus.
A visit to US radio observatories - mainly the VLA.
Latest on the Big Bang following COBE's results.
A look at plans for the telescope to go on Cerro Pochon, Chile.
Astronomical objects that people living with light pollution can look at.
New supernova in spiral galaxy M81.
A look ahead to the servicing mission, and latest results from Hubble Space Telescope.
The history and latest information on various planetary nebulae, mainly M57, the Ring.
New discoveries made in outer Solar System.
MERLN'S findings on Nova Cygni 1992.
The use of fibre optics in astronomy.
Taunton School's radio observatory.
Latest understanding of the nature of black holes.
A look at the constellation of Auriga.
How celestial bodies got their names.
Clementine spacecraft orbiting Moon.
Current work at Australian observatories.
When to watch and how to photograph the May eclipses.
ROE celebrates its centenary. The programme looks at development and current work.
Discoveries of X-ray binary systems in Cygnus.
Review of the results of Comet Shoemaker-Levy impact on Jupiter.
A visit to the Australia Telescope at Parkes and Narrabri.
A look at the autumn sky concentrating on Pegasus.
New research on distant bodies using foreground bodies as lenses.
latest discoveries suggest there may be planets associated with pulsars.
A round-up of the first year's results.
Hubble Telescope discovery of stars in M100 that appear older than the Universe.
More discoveries of objects coming from the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.
A summary of what is known about Mars.
A 'look around the sky' plus clips of weather problems from old programmes.
Areas where stars are born.
The search for new satellites and details in the rings as Earth crosses the plane.
The Kuiper Airborne Observatory - soon to be replaced - is the only 'Flying telescope'.
A review of what has been discovered since lost July's comet crash on Jupiter.
A look at other stars with possible planet-forming material. Also news of Comet Hale-Bopp and a tribute to model-maker Eric llett, who died on 9 August 1995.
How the outer planets were found.
A new instrument, the 2 Degree Field, is to go into service on the AAT next month.
History and expectations for this year and the next few years of the leonid Meteor Shower.
The Galileo probe to Jupiter is now due to send back information on the giant planet. Professor Garry Hunt joins Patrick Moore for an update.
A look around the winter sky.
The findings of studies on cold dust in the Universe.
The latest information from Galileo, ISO And SOHO.
Where to find Comet Hyakutake over the next few days and weeks.
Classical novae and what is being done to find out more about them.
Current theories on how the Universe will end.
A discussion of the deep-field photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
New neutral hydrogen studies to be undertaken by Jodrell and Porkes.
latest news of Galileo's pass of Ganymede, Saturn and Pluto.
Main ISO results. Also news of past life on Mars.
The story of the discovery of Neptune 150 years ago.
Supernova remnants.
On the three spacecraft due to be launched to Mars.
The discoveries Galileo has mode in its first year.
Recent research into the area suggests the possibility of a black hole.
A discussion about why there seem to be no quasars beyond redshift 4.6.
What it is, what it looks like, and how to photograph it. Includes Hale-Bopp pics.
For the 40th anniversary episode, Patrick traced the story of the telescope, from Galileo's 16th century optik' tube to the Hubble Space Telescope and beyond. Patrick travels the world in the programme, thanks to producer Pieter Morpurgo's clever editing of 10 years' worth of carefully planned clips. lt meant Patrick could start a sentence in Africa and finish it in Greenwich.
A review of the recent Hale-Bopp comet.
Discussing the Pathfinder spacecraft landing on 4 July.
Results of Pathfinder and a look at other planets visible.
The findings in the Hipparcos Catalogue.
The Cassini/Huygens mission due to be launched.
New instruments being used on old and new telescopes.
A look a round the night sky, concentrating on the different colours of stars.
White dwarfs stars and a tribute to Paul Doherty, who died on 26 November.
The discoveries of Saturn's moons. Lunar Prospector sent to Moon.
An exhibition of astronomical photos at the Science Museum and other places.
The total solar eclipse in the Caribbean on 26 February.
ISO, Infrared Space Observatory, is due to finish. A review of its work.
CCDs are now being used extensively by amateurs.
Hubble's release of the first photo of a planet outside the Solar System. A discussion of other candidates and what they might be like.
The Sun is becoming more active in its 11-year cycle.
The history and current work of the UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring, New South Wales.
An explanation of the requirements and mechanisms of a binary star system required to produce novae, a spectacular class of varying star.
A look around the autumn skies with emphasis on the constellation of Pegasus.
Highlights from the 300-year history of the RGO on the occasion of its closure.
A report on the 1998 Leonids and how to make a nocturnal clock to tell the time at night.
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Asteroid hunting and near-Earth asteroids.
Stellar evolution using the HR Diagram as a 'roadmap' to how stars will end their lives.
The latest two NASA probes on their way to Mars, the latest images from Mars Global Surveyor and the latest thoughts and theories on the planet as it reaches its 1999 opposition.
Patrick looks at what to see in the summer nights.
The subject of solar photography is discussed with particular emphasis on how to photograph an eclipse.
Brian May joins Patrick to discuss the various phenomena of a total solar eclipse.
A discussion of the forthcoming eclipse.
A report on our activities in Cornwall plus a round-up of the European eclipse.
A look at what's on view in the skies at the moment, and a catch-up with the summer's astronomical news and a review of the eclipse.
Our current understanding of black holes.
A review of the exciting range of telescopes available to the amateur astronomer.
A trip back in time to what on episode might have looked like in AD 1000, and a discussion of the astronomical achievements of the last 1,000 years.
The first direct sighting of a planet orbiting the star Tau Bootis 55 lightyears away.
Binary star systems of varying types discussed.
The XMM·Newton X-Roy Observatory is discussed and early calibration images examined with a look forward to the planned XEUS mission.
The planetary massing of May 2000 is discussed with a look at other massings past and present.
A look at the Moon and how to photograph it.
Patrick takes us through his Caldwell Catalogue showing some of his favourite objects.
Some basic definitions of terms used in astronomy - mainly concerned with what can be seen from Earth.
Some more basic definitions of terms used in astronomy - mainly concerned with objects beyond our Solar System and Galaxy.
The subject of dark matter is explored with a look at brown dwarves, WIMPs and MACHOs.
More on the subject of dark matter and dark energy.
An update on the various techniques used to discover extra-solar planets.
What the night skies and Earth look like when observed from space.
The Moon, Earth and their formation.
The progress and prospects for the Cassini·Huygens mission as it passes its last slingshot planet, Jupiter, before its rendezvous with Saturn.
The first of a two-part look at some of the latest images that Mars Global Surveyor has sent back.
The second of a two-part look of some of the latest images that Mars Global Surveyor has sent back.
A look at what it takes for life to exist and where it may be found elsewhere in the Solar System.
A visit to the Crendon Observatory where Gordon Rogers has an amateur setup to die for.
An exploration of our star, the Sun, together with a look at the African total solar eclipse of 21 June 2001.
More African total solar eclipse pictures and the first of a two-part discussion about Near Earth Objects and Potentially Hazardous Objects.
Further discussion about Near Earth Objects and Potentially Hazardous Objects.
Discussion about how the Universe began.
Further discussion about our current view of the Universe with thoughts about the cosmological constant, dark energy and supernova findings.
The prospects of a meteor storm from the Leonids.
Three wise men debate what astronomical phenomena might have caused the Star of Bethlehem.
Techniques such as Roman spectroscopy, perfected in Antarctica, that may one day find life on Mars.
From weather systems on Earth to spiral galaxies, helices are often found in the Universe.
Patrick looks at perhaps the two most familiar of constellations, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, to find what can be seen in that area of the sky.
A programme to dispel suggestions that the Apollo Moon landings were fake, and convince us that 12 men have indeed set foot on the Moon.
look back over 45 years of the programme.
Developments at Siding Spring.
How the Universe started.
South Downs Planetarium.
The threat of Near Earth Objects.
Part 1 of a two-part special on the 45th anniversary of Jodrell Bank.
Photographing the night sky.
Part 2 of a two-part special on the 45th anniversary of Jodrell Bank.
600th edition, interview with the Astronomer Royal.
The Sun and recent eclipse from Australia.
Artists for the past 100 years have visualised and drawn how they imagine our Solar System and Universe look. NASA scientists used lunar art work before going to the moon. Now we are able to confirm many of these astronomical artistic interpretations. Patrick Moore talks to leading astro-artist David A Hardy about the importance of space art and its modern development.
We don't know what it is, we can't see it and yet staggeringly it makes up 90% of our Universe. For astrophysicists, dark matter has proved to be an elusive and mysterious substance. In this episode, Patrick Moore talks to Professor Carlos Frenk about the Universe's darkest secret.
British lander craft Beagle 2.
Transit of Mercury, lunar eclipse and annular eclipse.
Gamma-ray bursts, plus Patrick reports from north Scotland on last month's annular eclipse, lunar eclipse and transit of Mercury.
A new era of discovery is taking place with satellites and probes being sent out into space.
A discussion about terraforming planets.
The evolution of galaxies.
In a new era of space age discoveries, Europe sends its first rocket to the Moon.
Galileo reaches the end of its mission to Jupiter and provides stunning images of the gas giant.
Patrick explores the link between music and astronomy.
Latest news from the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity
Patrick Moore talks to Prof David Southwood about Europe's space missions. Also the latest on Mars.
Patrick visits Europe's deepest mine, where scientists search for dark matter 1,300m below ground.
Patrick discusses how stars are created from the galactic maternity wards of dust we call nebulae.
This episode previewed a rare transit of Venus across the Sun, which took place on 8th June 2004. Featuring footage of Patrick and a host of guests watching the event from his garden in Selsey. "lt was one of those moments when you're looking at something that people hadn't seen for over 100 years," says episode producer Jane Fletcher.
Chris Lintott reviews the latest results of Cassini's spectacular flyby of the Saturnian moon Phoebe and the Huygens probe destined for Titan.
The spacecraft Cassini has been orbiting Saturn for just a month and has already sent back stunning images and amazing results.
New robotic telescopes observe the Rashes of the Universe's biggest explosions. Chris Lintott visits the Liverpool John Moores telescope on La Palma.
Patrick talks to planet hunter Prof Barrie Jones and Chris Lintott finds out about SuperWASP.
Patrick discusses the death of stars.
Patrick finds out how the world's largest telescope in Chile is unlocking the secrets to our Universe.
The Cassini spacecraft has been at Saturn for six months. Patrick also discusses Cassini's probe Huygens, which will be sent to Titan on Christmas Day.
Having hitched a ride on the Cassini spacecraft, the Huygens lander touched down on Saturn's moon Titan on 14 January 2005. On its way to the surface, radar images revealed seas of liquid methane and ethane. Chris visited ESA's headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, to witness the arrival of the first results, while Patrick marvelled at the incredible images of Titan's shores, rivers and lakes that look remarkably like those on Earth.
Comets are thought to come from the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud at the edge of our Solar System.
Sir Patrick hosts a star party at his house in Selsey.
In its 15 years, Hubble has revolutionised astronomy with its amazing insight into our Universe. Patrick looks back on its highs and lows.
Patrick talks to Scotland's Astronomer Royal, Prof John Brown, about the latest solar mission RHESSI, which is observing violent outbursts from the Sun.
NASA is sending an explosive probe into Comet Tempell on 4 July. This is a unique event, from which we hope to find out how comets are constructed.
July 4th 2005 a small copper impactor from the NASA Deep Impact spacecraft was released in the path of Comet Tempel 1, causing a collision that released fresh ice and dust, allowing astronomers for the first time to study pristine material from the formation of our solar system. Sir Patrick Moore is joined by leading comet experts who describe the science and importance of this historic achievement. While co-host Chris Lintott interviews British astronomer Richard Ellis at Palomar Mountain, California who is in charge of the observatory where professional astronomers using the historic Hale 200-inch telescope, and a team of amateur astronomers including Scott Roberts, Tony Cook, Russ and Stephanie Tanton, Dan Dickerson, John Downs, Mike West, and others who visually and photographically witnessed the actual point of impact.
Planets around distant stars have recently been discovered and Solar Systems like our own could be widespread, but is life on Earth unique?
Discussing two of the most comprehensive surveys for mapping stars: 2dF and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Earlier this month, astronomers from around the world converged on Cambridge to discuss the latest planetary research. Chris Lintott reports.
Patrick hosts a Mars party, while Chris reports from Madrid on the dramatic annular eclipse.
The Celestial Zoo contains stars as small as Earth and others tens of thousands of times brighter; Patrick celebrates 10 years of SOHO.
Patrick talks to Mike A'Hearn, the NASA scientist behind the Deep Impact mission.
A look at Hawaii's Mauna Kea observatories; Chris looks at the telescopes, while Patrick talks to British scientists who use them.
Patrick Moore presents a guide to the most familiar body in the night sky, whilst Chris Lintott gives tips on how to observe the moon.
Tips on finding Saturn; Patrick talks to Prof John Zarnecki about the latest from the Cassini mission.
Patrick Moore offers advice on how to observe the sun and its many brilliant features. Chris Lintott demonstrates how to split light into a spectrum.
On 29 March, a total eclipse of the Sun passes over Antalya in Turkey. Patrick hopes for a glimpse of the partial eclipse to be seen from the UK.
How galaxies are formed.
Discussing gamma-rays that the spacecraft Swift has shown are far more varied than at first thought. Chris Lintott also tracks down the supernovae hunters.
Uranus and Neptune, which four billion years ago were much closer to the Sun, regularly swap orbits. Chris lintott takes a closer look at Jupiter.
UK scientists hope to find Martian life with the innovative 'life marker chip'; Chris lintott goes in search of the rover that will climb Martian mountains.
SMART-1 project scientist Bernard Foing on the spacecraft's pioneering technology; Chris looks at the STEREO and Solar-B missions to the Sun.
What to look for over the next few months; Lucie Green visits the Autumn Equinox star party at Kelling Heath; Chris talks to cosmologist Jim Gunn.
The latest findings of Venus Express, currently scrutinising Earth's 'evil twin' Venus, known for its searing temperatures.
Patrick finds out how scientists are making sounds and music from the changes within stars. Chris Lintott looks at variable stars.
British astronaut Piers Sellers on orbiting the Earth and the future of the manned space programme; NASA's upcoming Hubble rescue mission.
Celebrating the success of Martian rovers Spirit and Opportunity; NASA's Phoenix mission; Lucie Green visits the ExoMars rover in Aberystwyth.
Chris shows us how to see Saturn with a small telescope, while Patrick finds out the latest from the Cassini mission currently orbiting the planet.
Celebrating 50 years of The Sky at Night, Patrick 'travelled' back to the show's first ever recording in 1957. The episode then jumped forward to 2057 where the 'virtual' Patrick talked to Dr Chris Lintott and Dr Brian May on Mars. Jon Culshaw's turn as a younger Patrick was uncanny as he recreated Patrick's first words on The Sky at Night.
The Sky at Night 50th birthday party. Patrick reflects on how astronomy has changed over the last half century, with amusing clips from the archives.
Patrick learns more about the exciting discovery of a planet that seems similar to Earth.
Patrick looks at the summer constellation Scorpius, and the black hole lurking at the centre of the Galaxy.
A look at Robonet, the robotic network of telescopes spanning the globe, able to react to cosmic phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts at any time.
Patrick uses magic to explain the mysteries of the Universe.
A look back at the completion of the world's largest steerable radio telescope in 1957, just in time to pick up the signal from Sputnik.
Patrick anticipates the cataclysmic day, in two billion years, when our Milky Way will collide with Andromeda, and the role dark matter will play.
In his garden, Patrick Moore is joined by Dr Brian May and Jon Culshaw to watch the cosmic firework display known as the Perseid meteor shower.
Dr Chris Lintott finds out how British technology is leading the way in satellite science, while Sir Patrick Moore investigates the threat from space debris that astronauts face in space.
A visit to the Johnson and the Goddard space centres and NASA's Ames research centre; a chat with Eugene Cernan, the last man on the Moon.
Patrick Moore investigates comet tails, meteorites and asteroids and discovers the terrible consequences of a cosmic collision with the Earth.
Mercury is a world of extremes and enigmas - the closest one to the Sun. The spacecraft Messenger, which has just reached it after a four year journey, now offers enthralling pictures of its hidden side, which has never been seen before. Sir Patrick Moore looks at the latest images from this exciting mission, while Dr Chris Lintott looks forward to the lunar eclipse this month.
With a new era of lunar exploration dawning as more probes are launched to try to unlock the Moon's darkest secrets, Patrick Moore finds out about British ambitions to get there. Dr Chris Lintott travels to NASA to hear about plans to blast a crater in the lunar surface and and meets the astronauts who may be the next men on the Moon.
It's the start of a new solar cycle, and the spacecraft Ulysses faces retirement, but solar missions Stereo and SOHO are still revealing our nearest star in a new light.
Celebrating the 666th edition of The Sky At Night. Patrick talks to cosmologists about what we know of the Universe, and what we 'just don't know'.
Patrick relays breaking news of the Phoenix Mars landing, then referees a debate about which of the two gas giants, Jupiter or Saturn, we should return to.
The latest from the Mars Lander - now on the Red Planet for a month - including the first ever images of the Red Planet's frozen ice caps.
Arizona's new Large Binocular Telescope. Its two 8.5m mirrors will provide images from beyond our Solar System, giving a glimpse of the dawn of time.
The Galaxy Zoo project: 150,000 volunteers have classified a fraction of the Universe's billions of galaxies; plus a Dutch teacher on her unique find.
Patrick hosts an autumn equinox party in his garden and talks to Dr John Mason about what to observe.
The world of astronomy. Gamma ray bursts are some of the largest explosions in the universe, and Sir Patrick Moore discovers how some of these monstrous events mark the spectacular deaths of the first stars. Also, Dr Chris Lintott visits the NASA Phoenix team fo find out the latest from the Mars Polar explorer.
Chris visits Hawaii's Keck Telescope and SETI's Alien Telescope Array in California to see how astronomers are searching for signs of alien life.
This first Sky at Night of 2009 is a celebration of the humble (and Hubble) telescope, which is now 400 years old. It all began with Galileo . . . or did it? Patrick Moore furrows his brow over the news that an Englishman may have invented the first. Over the last 50 years Patrick has visited almost all of the worlds large telescopes, and there is some archive footage of some of these visits. Meanwhile, Chris Lintott visits some mighty examples in the USA, and astronaut Jeff Hoffman describes how he repaired the Hubble Space Telescope. Preparations are underway in NASA's watertanks for the next repair/update mission, which NASA hopes to be the last, because the next space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to succeed it. In a unique visite we get to see how 10m glass mirrors are cast and polished under the Arizona Wildcats Football stadium, and talks about the future of Extremely Large Telescopes.
Chris lintott visits northern Norway to see how the Aurora Borealis is created; Patrick discovers how the Sun calls the tune for these 'merry dancers'.
Saturn's mysterious moon Enceladus has startled astronomers with its amazing ice geysers, which spew out material into space. Sir Patrick Moore talks to the scientists who are trying to unlock the secrets of this tiny world. Dr Chris Lintott visits the Open University to find out the latest on our own Moon. He meets scientists from the Japanese Kaguya mission and the Indian Chandrayaan mission, with its British instrument CIXS.
Patrick Moore discusses what Herschel, Europe's biggest and most expensive space satellite, will do once it begins its infrared exploration of the universe. Dr Chris Lintott gets a rare chance to see the Herschel mirror, which at 3.5 metres will be the biggest astronomical mirror ever to be sent into space.
Every day, asteroids whiz past the Earth on their journey through space. Sir Patrick Moore discusses the chances of a close encounter with an asteroid, after telescopes recently got a unique view of an asteroid disintegrating in our atmosphere.
Containing trillions of stars, Andromeda is the largest galaxy in our neighbourhood. It is 2.5 million light years away, yet is still visible to the naked eye. Sir Patrick Moore and his guests unravel some of the mysteries in the star systems that surround us and look at the latest discoveries from our local galaxies.
Forty years on, Patrick Moore and guests discuss the achievements of the Apollo programme.
Sir Patrick Moore, with the help of Pete Lawrence and the latest pictures, investigates the longest total eclipse of the sun for many years, which took place in India and China in July 2009. In orbit around Saturn, the Cassini probe has sent back amazing new images, and there's a new discovery on the moon Enceladus. Chris Lintott reports from the latest Cassini conference in London and finds out why there is a sprinkling of table salt in the rings of Saturn.
In July 2009, a mysterious large object crashed into Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, leaving behind a scar in the gas cloud the size of the Earth. Sir Patrick Moore examines this new feature with Jupiter experts John Rogers and David Rothery. Imaging experts Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel compete to capture the best images of the gas giant, while Chris Lintott has this month's news notes.
Following the Hubble space telescope's overhaul, Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott examine its latest findings and the data from NASA's other telescopes, Spitzer and Chandra. Pete Lawrence observes the spiral galaxies M31 and M33 and explains how they owe their enigmatic names to an 18th-century French comet hunter.
Observers now know there is water on the Moon, but how much? NASA's new LCROSS probe into the lunar surface will find out. Chris Lintott visits the Palomar observatory in California to witness the probe's impact, while Patrick Moore views it with friends from his home in Selsey. Can the Moon really support life?
For centuries, astronomers, writers and philosophers have speculated about life on the planet Mars, but we have learned more about our near neighbour in the last 30 years than at any time in human history. Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott explore the Red Planet.
Winter is approaching and, with longer nights, it is the perfect time to get outside to enjoy the wonders of the night sky. Sir Patrick Moore is joined by Dr Chris Lintott and Pete Lawrence, plus a host of stargazers searching for the best the winter skies have to offer.
For centuries, astronomers, writers and philosophers have speculated about life on the planet Mars, but we have learned more about our near neighbour in the last 30 years than at any time in human history. Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott explore the Red Planet.
Winter is approaching and, with longer nights, it is the perfect time to get outside to enjoy the wonders of the night sky. Sir Patrick Moore is joined by Dr Chris Lintott and Pete Lawrence, plus a host of stargazers searching for the best the winter skies have to offer.
January provides the perfect opportunity to observe stars, planets and galaxies. Sir Patrick Moore takes us on a tour of the winter sky, looking at twinkling 'variable stars' with Dr John Mason, and at planets and galaxies with Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel. Sir Patrick and Dr Chris Lintott also point out the best objects to observe if you've had a telescope for Christmas.
Mars is the brightest thing in the sky and is at its closest to Earth for the next four years. With NASA announcing that its Martian rover Spirit is to rove no more on the red planet, there is an interview with Prof Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, about the attempts to get it out of the sand dune which ensnared it in May 2009 and the agonising decision to stop the rescue.
Half a century ago, scientists were speculating about the possibility of planets outside our solar system. Since then over 400 such extra-solar planets have been discovered. Is there anything living on them and if so, is it intelligent? Sir Patrick Moore debates the question of life in the universe with today's planet hunters and astrobiologists, while at the Royal Society Dr Chris Lintott searches for evidence of alien life.
We can never see our nearest star at night, only by day. Looking at it directly will blind us - because our nearest star is the Sun. Sir Patrick Moore is joined by the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Professor John Brown and by Dr Chris Davis. They take us on a tour of the Sun, Earth's primary source of energy and without which life would not exist. Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel demonstrate safe ways to look at the Sun from Sir Patrick's observatory in Sussex.
Saturn is one of the largest planets and the beautiful system of rings surrounding it makes it the most distinctive in the solar system. But how were the rings formed and what effect do Saturn's many moons have upon them? Sir Patrick Moore is joined by Professor Michele Dougherty and Professor Carl Murray, while Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel demonstrate the best way to observe Saturn during May.
The many star-forming areas of our galaxy are obscured by interstellar dust, but Herschel, a new space telescope, can see these areas in infrared light. Sir Patrick Moore is joined by Professor Derek Ward-Thompson and Dr Chris North to examine the latest stunning images from Herschel.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis has returned from its final flight to the International Space Station. With the shuttle fleet soon to be decommissioned, Sir Patrick Moore and Dr Chris Lintott meet the crew of Atlantis to talk about the future of spaceflight, the legacy of the Space Shuttle - and how to prepare to go into space.
Patrick takes a look at 136a, the most massive star discovered to date.
In July 2009 a large object crashed into Jupiter, and in May 2010 one of the most prominent features of the planet, the southern equatorial belt, disappeared. But where did it go? Sir Patrick Moore is joined by Dr John Rogers and Dr Leigh Fletcher to discuss the latest events on Jupiter. Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel observe the planet and explain what features can be seen through a telescope.
Light echoes are reflections of light from distant objects in space. But what do they look like and how can they best be seen? Sir Patrick Moore and his guests Professor Mike Bode and Dr Tim O'Brien explain all. Chris Lintott helps to construct a new radio telescope in Hampshire while Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel preview what is on view in the October skies.
Comets are strange and exotic objects, the remnants from dead stars and the birth pangs of our solar system. Only a handful of these ghostly, celestial objects have been seen at close quarters. Sir Patrick Moore discusses NASA's EPOXI mission, which hopes to rendezvous with comet Hartley 2.
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is a rich source of galaxies, double and variable stars and the Hubble Deep Field, through which we are able to look back 10 billion years in time. Sir Patrick Moore and his astronomical team give an intimate guide to one of the skies' most recognisable constellations.
The planets and moons of our solar system are covered in volcanoes, some billions of years old and seven times the height of Mount Everest. Sir Patrick Moore discovers the havoc that volcanoes can wreak on our own planet, as well as elsewhere in our solar system.
The great winter constellation of Orion is easily visible, with its ruby red star Betelgeuse and distinctive shape. It is also home to the Orion nebula, our nearest stellar nursery, where thousands of stars are being born. Sir Patrick Moore and the Sky at Night team take us on a tour of this magnificent constellation and its jewels.
Sir Patrick Moore celebrates the 700th episode of The Sky at Night at his home in Sussex, with the help of special guests Professor Brian Cox, impressionist and amateur astronomer Jon Culshaw and Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal. A stellar panel of astronomers gathers to answer vexing questions from the viewers, while Sir Patrick has a close encounter with his younger self.
Sir Patrick Moore joins an unlikely star party in the heart of London, where enthusiastic astronomers are cutting through the light pollution to see the planets and stars. Dr Chris Lintott also drops in on another star party - the 88th birthday celebrations for the nation's most famous astronomer.
In the atmosphere of Saturn there is a gigantic storm, which is bigger than Earth itself. This month Sir Patrick Moore looks at the ringed planet, which can be seen in our night sky now. He talks to Paul Abel and Dr Chris North about these violent eruptions in the atmospheres of other worlds. And Jon Culshaw, Dr Lucie Green and Pete Lawrence travel to north Norway in search of the aurora borealis.
The summer constellation of Cygnus will soon be flying overhead in our night sky. With its rich array of nebulae and star clusters, it is a delight for astronomers to look at in the warm summer evenings. Sir Patrick Moore looks at the yellow star Albireo with its superb azure blue companion, while Chris North goes in search of the Milky Way.
Sir Patrick Moore visits the South Downs Planetarium and discovers how the stars appeared to the ancient Egyptians, whilst Pete Lawrence explains what to look out for in the summer night sky.
The NASA spacecraft Dawn is getting up close and personal with the asteroid Vesta. Sir Patrick Moore discusses the first fly-by images of this most unusual asteroid, which will tell us more about how our solar system formed some 4.5 billion years ago. Paul Abel and Pete Lawrence their guide to the August night sky, including the return of the red planet Mars.
The future of manned space flight is entering an uncertain phase, with our once vivid dreams of returning to the Moon and landing on Mars shattered by budget cuts and lack of will. Sir Patrick Moore discusses the demise of the shuttle programme with astronaut Piers Sellers, and also goes on an interstellar journey with Project Icarus, the visionary idea of how man might one day visit other worlds.
Two of the great autumn constellations of Andromeda and Pegasus will soon be gracing our night skies. The maiden Andromeda, chained to her rock, awaits her fate whilst the winged horse Pegasus gallops across the celestial skies. Full of interesting stars, nebulae and galaxies, these constellations are rich pickings for astronomers.
As Mars returns to our night skies, Sir Patrick Moore discusses its four faces. Dr Chris Lintott travels to a world gathering of planetary scientists in Nantes to find out about the NASA mission Curiosity, which will soon leave for the red planet in search of signs of life.
The outer limits of the solar system are a dark, cold and mysterious place, which only the Voyager spacecraft have visited. Sir Patrick Moore discusses the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, while Chris Lintott has an early Christmas treat - a lost episode of The Sky at Night from 1963 which has been returned to the BBC, in which Arthur C Clarke talks about his vision of bases on the moon and speculates when man will be on Mars.
We now know there are other solar systems far away in space, but are they like ours and is there life on these strange worlds? Sir Patrick Moore goes on the quest for little green men.
Space telescopes such as Herschel and Spitzer are peering at the dusty, dark cosmos and with their infrared eyes they can see the cold parts of the sky where stars are being born. Sir Patrick Moore discusses why the infrared is full of hidden delights, whilst Dr Chris North talks to Dr Amy Mainzer about NASA's infrared WISE telescope.
A look at how amateur astronomers can help in the quest for knowledge of the cosmos.
Have you ever dreamed of travelling through space? Sir Patrick Moore takes us on an epic journey to the ends of our known universe, stopping en-route to take in the view. The team engage the warp drive and celebrate 55 years of The Sky at Night - at the speed of light.
The Sky at Night celebrates 55 years with the second of its special programmes. Sir Patrick picked out 55 objects in the April sky and asked viewers to take part in his Moore Marathon. He finds out how everyone got on, with help from the team.
A European mission called JUICE has been announced which will visit Jupiter and its fascinating moons Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. Sir Patrick Moore finds out why these icy moons may harbour conditions suitable for life, and also has the latest news from the Cassini mission, currently sending back astounding images from Saturn.
The Sky at Night travels to the Arctic Circle and the archipelago of Svalbard to see the transit of Venus. This astronomical wonder, where the planet Venus passes in front of the sun, is the last one in our lifetime, but as ever the clouds test the team's nerves.
Up and down the country amateur astronomers are out in their back-garden observatories looking at stars, galaxies and nebulae. The team visits some astronomers on their own turf, to find out what keeps them up late at night.
The NASA rover, Curiosity, the size of a small car and nuclear-powered, landed on Mars in August and took its first view of the red planet. This ambitious mission hopes to find the building blocks of life as well as study the Martian climate and geology. Sir Patrick Moore discusses what Curiosity will be doing, as well as what to see in the September night sky.
Sir Patrick Moore selects celestial objects to observe in the winter night sky and challenges viewers to spot as many as possible. In the second part of the year's Moore Marathon, Sir Patrick has selected two lists to suit astronomers of all abilities - objects that can be seen with the naked eye or binoculars, and more remote ones observable only by telescope.
Sir Patrick Moore, Dr Chris Lintott and Dr Chris North find out what the universe is made of, from the 'dark matter' that shapes our galaxies to the infinitesimally small particles that make up atoms. Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel show how to use a planisphere as a guide to the night sky and what objects can be ticked off on the 'Moore Winter Marathon'.
The tiny planet Mercury is in the morning sky and Sir Patrick Moore talks about the latest news from Messenger, the spacecraft which is over Mercury at the moment. Mercury is often compared to the moon, which was last visited by man in December 1972. Forty years on, Dr Chris Lintott looks at the legacy of that mission, Apollo 17, and what it has been able to tell us about the moon.
For more than half a century Sir Patrick Moore encouraged people to look up at the wonders of the night skies. Fittingly in this programme, recorded just before his death, he and his team offer advice to those who are discovering astronomy for the very first time. How should they set up their new telescopes and what should they seek out in the winter skies as they begin to share Sir Patrick's lifelong passion for the stars?
The team are at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, to see how the sun affects our planet.
There are amazing astronomical objects to see in the winter night sky, and Sir Patrick Moore chose a few of them for his last Moore Winter Marathon. To find out how everyone got on, Chris Lintott and Lucie Green travel to the Kielder observatory in Northumberland to enjoy some of the darkest skies in Britain. Jon Culshaw joins them to take part in Patrick's final challenge, and the rest of the team set up their telescopes to try to catch an asteroid which is about to whizz past the Earth, closer than any before.
Meteorites regularly hit Earth, although most go undetected. Occasionally a big meteorite collides with Earth and when it does, it can cause devastation. Lucie Green and Chris Lintott visit the Natural History Museum to look at its meteorite collection and discuss the recent Russian impact. Jon Culshaw goes on a meteorite hunt, while Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel give their beginners' guide on how to look at Saturn.
Saturn is in our evening skies, and in any telescope looks a stunner. Lucie Green and Chris Lintott investigate the storm that is still raging in the planet's atmosphere, with the latest news from Saturn's amazing moons Titan and Enceladus. Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel illustrate Saturn's 'opposition effect' and look at some globular clusters, whilst Chris North gets a preview of the new eye-in-the-sky camera, soon to be fitted onto the International Space Station, which will image Earth in incredible detail.
Stars are full of variety - they can be big or little, bright or dim. Our sun is right in the middle - Mr Average - but eventually it will grow old and become a red giant. Lucie Green and Chris Lintott discuss the lives of stars and what happens to them when they die.
Every year thousands flock to Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice. Seeing the rise of the summer sun at Stonehenge is one of the most obvious connections between ancient man and the celestial calendar, but there is still fierce debate about possible links between this ancient site and the moon and stars. The team join in the solstice revelry and also launch the Moore Moon Marathon, with some easy things to look at on the moon over summer.
It's a golden era of exploration on Mars, with Nasa's space rover Curiosity finding out new and exciting things about the planet and which might offer the best chance of life elsewhere in our solar system. The spacecraft Mars Express is also celebrating a decade at the red planet and Chris Lintott and Lucie Green pick out some of the highlights, including the 'face of Mars'. Meanwhile Jon Culshaw explores the Moore Moon Marathon with astronomers in Chipping Norton.
Black holes are the beating heart of galaxies. It seems that they are pivotal in their evolution, but they also have a destructive side. A dust cloud more massive than the size of the Earth is on a doomed course, as it careers towards the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Chris Lintott talks to the Astronomer Royal about this cataclysmic encounter.
The team go camping at the Brecon Beacons star party and answer problems and queries about what to see in the night sky and how to use a telescope. Viewers have been sending in astronomy questions in the hundreds since the Space Surgery was launched six months ago.
The moon is a most familiar sight in our sky - it is the astronomer's friend and was Sir Patrick Moore's favourite object - yet fundamentally we still do not know how it was formed and why its far side looks so different. The team join astronomers on Blackheath to watch a lunar eclipse; find out how everyone got in the Moore Moon Marathon, the list of fascinating features you can see on the moon; and discuss the new missions that will explore this reassuringly familiar yet still most mysterious of cosmic satellites
Astronomers always get excited about comets and in December they are looking forward to something rather special. The snappily-named Comet C/2012 S1 ISON has travelled from the very edges of our solar system on a one way ticket around the sun. As it heats up there is intense speculation about whether it will develop a beautiful tail or just break apart. On the Canary island of La Palma the team use both the Liverpool and Issac Newton telescopes to go comet chasing.
New presenter Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins Dr Chris Lintott in a revamped line-up that launches the show in its new home on BBC Four. The main subject is Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system and particularly bright in the night sky during the British winter. What makes Jupiter's extraordinary weather? Its coloured bands and iconic 'eye' are visible manifestations of an extremely violent atmosphere. Chris and Maggie are joined by guest reporter, physicist Dr Helen Czerski, to explain why Jupiter looks so extraordinary.
The Sky at Night team listens to the sounds of the cosmos. Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott explore how sound can reveal extraordinary secrets about the universe - from orchestral tunes rippling on the surface of the sun and the crackle of Jupiter's atmosphere to the sound waves that reveal how the universe was formed. This is astronomy as you've never heard it before.
Mars captures the imagination like no other planet and currently our nearest neighbour is at its brightest for several years, so it's a perfect opportunity to explore a planet that is tantalisingly similar to our own. And in the past it may have been even more like Earth, an inviting and habitable place, a perfect environment for life to flourish. Geologist Iain Stewart investigates how we can read the story of Mars's extraordinary past from its rocks, Maggie Aderin-Pocock comes face to face with the latest Mars rover and Chris Lintott meets the man behind the discovery which the whole history of the universe now rests upon.
The universe is filled with spectacular objects, from gloriously-coloured nebulae to the swirling motion of a billion stars formed into a single galaxy. One force has created it all - gravity. The Sky at Night team steps away from the bright lights and travels to the Brecon Beacons AstroCamp to see how gravity shapes the universe, in all its spectacular glory. Maggie Aderin-Pocock asks why so much of the night sky is filled with spheres and why not all these spheres are what they seem. Chris Lintott finds out about the newest moon in the solar system that has just formed in Saturn's rings, and how it could shed light on how the planets formed billions of years ago. Plus, how to get great images of the night sky without using a telescope and what the shape of a galaxy tells you about its past.
The team looks at the cosmic impacts which have shaped the universe around us, from asteroids crashing into the surface of the moon to galaxies colliding with each other.
The team explore stargazing in the daytime, show how seasons change on other planets across the solar system and examine what makes the sun special.
The team goes behind the scenes at mission control for the critical point of the most ambitious space project of the decade. The European Space Agency's Rosetta probe finally catches up with the comet it has been chasing across the solar system for ten years and prepares to send out a lander armed with drills and harpoons for a daredevil attempt to hitch a ride. With the latest images revealing that it may even be two comets stuck together, Dr Chris Lintott is on hand in Germany with updates from the mission team on this unparalleled challenge, whilst Dr Maggie Aderin- Pocock reveals the instruments that the lander is carrying.
Are we alone? Geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford seeks to define what life is and Maggie Aderin-Pocock explores our chances of finding it in the universe.
The vast frozen worlds of Uranus and Neptune are the most enigmatic and mysterious planets in the solar system. From the most powerful winds ever recorded to their exotic atmospheres, what makes these planets so unique? Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock reveal the latest images of the ice giants, while award-winning astro-photographer Damian Peach shares his tips for capturing these jewels of the night sky.
It is one of the most extraordinary space adventures in a generation - to land a spacecraft on a comet. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft has been hurtling through space for over 10 years, tracking down a comet called 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Now it is about to do something that has never been attempted before and land a spacecraft on the comet's surface. This special episode of The Sky at Night puts the viewer right at the heart of the action, witnessing events as they happened from inside mission control. It reveals the latest images, explores the first groundbreaking science coming back from the comet and asks the astonishing questions that make this mission so captivating. Could Earth's water have come from comets? How do comets survive for so long? Could they have triggered the start of life on Earth? The journey has been fraught with risk and at every stage the comet seems to surprise, but if the mission succeeds it will be a momentous day in the history of space exploration.
Perhaps no object in the night sky conjures up a greater sense of awe and wonder than a nebula. These vast clouds of dust and gases are stupendously beautiful, but they aren't just pretty objects. Nebulae play a key role in the birth and death of stars, and therefore in our own origins. And driving their creation is a kind of chemistry that the textbooks say shouldn't be happening.
The Milky Way, our galaxy, is a magnificent sight in the night sky, but we know surprisingly little about it for certain. What is its shape? How many stars does it actually contain? What lies at its centre? The Gaia space telescope will answer these questions, being armed with the most advanced camera to leave our planet, and it will allow us to see our galaxy as we've never seen it before. The Sky at Night visits the factory in Chelmsford that made the astonishing sensor at the heart of the mission.
From unexplained flashes in the night sky to flying saucers, this episode delves into the mysterious world of UFOs. How our drive to explain these bizarre phenomena, and desire to discover little green men, has in fact transformed our understanding of the universe.
For 25 years the Hubble Space Telescope has been showing us the cosmos as we've never seen it before. The team reveals the 'top five' greatest images Hubble has produced, images that have astounded us, transforming our understanding of the universe and our place in it.
The team explores our nearest neighbour Venus, discovering how it formed and how ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has revealed the secrets of its atmosphere. -- How can two such similar planets have become so different? One is the crucible of life, the other an inferno with a surface scorched by raining acid, yet both began as almost identical bodies. With Venus prominent in the sky in May, the team explores our nearest neighbour, discovering how it formed and how ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has revealed the secrets of its atmosphere.
With the exciting news that the Philae lander had woken up on comet 67P, Sky at Night reveals the latest results from the Rosetta comet landing. What have they learnt so far from Philae's onboard instruments? What do the stunning images from Rosetta tell us about the formation and structure of comets? And project scientist Matt Taylor shows how Rosetta is measuring the growing tail of the comet as it hurtles towards the sun.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott present the inside story of NASA's groundbreaking visit to Pluto. This is the first time any probe has visited the dwarf planet and Sky at Night has ringside seats, bringing you the entire story and expert insight into the latest images from the New Horizons probe. Sky at Night celebrates its 750th episode with the most exciting space event of 2015.
The Sky at Night team look at cosmic explosions. They explore the beautiful but potentially deadly outbursts of our very own star - the sun - and the most violent and energetic events in the universe, gamma ray bursts.
The team looks at the dynamic nature of the universe, winding its timeline backwards and forwards to reveal how the night sky changes over time. We see how different the night sky looked in the past and how it will be transformed billions of years into the future as the stars migrate and galaxies collide. Broadcast from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the team explores the latest theories on solar system evolution - how the familiar layout of today's solar system was created by a gravitational dance between the giant planets that left scars we can still see today.
We think of volcanoes as some of the most powerful natural phenomena on earth - but they are nothing compared to the volcanoes we find elsewhere in the solar system. This month's Sky at Night reveals the weird and wonderful world of volcanism on other planets and moons - from the giant extinct volcanoes of Mars to the tantalising possibility of continuing eruptions on Venus, and from the vast sulphur plumes of Io to the mysterious cryovolcanoes of Enceladus.
As we close in on the discovery of the 2,000th planet outside our solar system, or exoplanet, the Sky at Night investigates the techniques that are revealing so much about these alien worlds. The programme asks if we are really any closer to finding another world like our own - a second Earth.
Astronomers have been fascinated by the idea of the Star of Bethlehem for centuries. Did it exist? And if so, what was it? The list of candidates includes some of the most exciting objects in the night sky - supernovae, comets, meteors and unusual alignments of the giant planets. In this surprising and entertaining Christmas special the Sky at Night team go in search of the potential causes of the Star of Bethlehem. The team explore the possibilities, investigating the nature of the phenomena and digging through the historical records including Babylonian clay tablets and ancient Chinese manuscripts, to reconstruct events in the night sky 2,000 years ago. Maggie Aderin-Pocock goes hunting for supernovae using the most powerful laser in Britain, and discovers that these mighty explosions caused by the death of stars can shine brighter than the moon in our sky. Chris Lintott reconstructs the night sky over Jerusalem at the time of Jesus's birth, discovering a once-in-a-millennium conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter that was first suggested as a cause of the star by the great astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1604. Armed with his telescope, Pete Lawrence searches out the features of the night sky we can observe today that may provide clues to the origin of the Star of Bethlehem. Professor Alan Fitzsimmons explains why the sudden appearance of a comet in the night sky has always been seen as an omen of great events on Earth. Dallas Campbell goes in search of the historical and archaeological records that can shed light on the identity of the star. Finding Babylonian tablets in the vaults of the British Museum and ancient Chinese texts that record all the unusual events in the night sky 2,000 years ago, including a bright new star that appeared for 70 days in the year 5BC.
On January 20 2016, two American astronomers made an extraordinary claim - they had found evidence for a ninth planet in our solar system, a planet 20 times further out than Neptune which would take up to 20,000 years to orbit the sun. It is a discovery that could completely rewrite our understanding of our solar system and how it formed. As the world's biggest telescopes start scanning the skies searching for Planet 9, the Sky at Night team investigates. If Planet 9 exists, where is it and where did it come from? In California, Chris Lintott meets the astronomers whose study of the distant Kuiper Belt led them to predict the existence of the planet. And while some scientists are still sceptical, Maggie Aderin-Pocock discovers how our models of the formation of the solar system and the discovery of similar exoplanets around other stars all support the existence of Planet 9.
For 50 years we have been sending probes to gather close-up images of the other planets and moons of the solar system. The Sky at Night presents the five greatest images captured by those spacecraft. From a view of the surface of Mars, to live pictures of the sun and a unique picture of our own planet, these are the images that have transformed our perception of the solar system we live in.
Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock present a look at black holes, featuring an exclusive interview with Stephen Hawking. The physicist discusses how the recent detection of gravitational waves has added to scientific understanding of black holes, and may prove his own theories explaining how they can have properties that defy all known laws of physics. The programme looks at the latest understanding of black holes, featuring an interview with Stephen Hawking. Black holes are one of the greatest mysteries in the universe. They behave in a way that is contrary to laws of physics and one has never actually been seen. However, the recent detection of gravitational waves, as predicted by Einstein, proves that black holes exist and provides a way to investigate their remarkable behaviour and properties.
May 9 2016 sees one of the astronomical highlights of the year - a transit of Mercury across the sun, the best opportunity to observe this phenomenon until 2049. To mark the event, the Sky at Night attempts to explain the many mysteries of Mercury - a planet so bizarre that it is sometimes described as the 'problem child' of the solar system. Surface temperatures exceed 450 degrees but it also has patches of ice, its day is twice as long as its year, and it is a planet that appears to be shrinking.
Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock report on a plan to train as many telescopes as possible on the Whirlpool Galaxy. This star formation is 30 million light years from Earth and was discovered in 1773, its spiral shape believed to have been the inspiration for Van Gogh's painting Starry Starry Night. Optical and infra-red telescopes, radio observatories and ultraviolet and x-ray sensors will study the galaxy to learn more about a wave of intense star formation.
A look behind the scenes of Nasa's project to study Jupiter. As the spacecraft Juno enters Jupiter's orbit, the programme explores the dangers of the mission and what Nasa is hoping to discover about the giant planet - from the secrets of its formation to the source of the solar system's most powerful aurora.
Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock report on the recent discovery of a planet with similar qualities to Earth orbiting Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our solar system. The programme examines what the environment of this world might be like and the logistics of building a spacecraft capable of travelling 4.23 light years to reach it.
Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock report on the Rosetta spacecraft as it prepares to crash into the surface of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This month the Sky at Night goes behind the scenes at the European Space Agency as the Rosetta mission reaches its dramatic conclusion and the spacecraft is crashed into the surface of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. For nearly two years the Rosetta spacecraft has been in orbit around 67P - studying the comet at close range and returning the most extraordinary pictures. But now the the mission must come to an end and the project scientists have decided to have one final attempt at studying the comet at closer range than ever before. On September 30th the spacecraft - with all its instruments running - will be crashed into the surface of the comet. Its aim is to get the best ever view of the mysterious pits on the comet's surface. Pits whose walls are thought to have been undisturbed for over 4 billion years, since the formation of the solar system. Chris Lintott will be in mission control with the scientists as they watch the pictures come in from the spacecraft's dive towards the surface. And Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be investigating how the mission has transformed our understanding of comets and the birth of the solar system.
The Sky at Night team investigates the ongoing hunt for life on Mars. It is one of the great scientific questions of our time, but are we any closer to finding an answer? As well as uncovering the cause of the recent crash of the Schiaparelli lander, the team looks at the next missions designed to hunt for life on the red planet - from a rover designed to drill deep into the surface, to the orbiter sniffing for signs of methane in the atmosphere. Adam Rutherford joins the team to ask if we have been deliberately avoiding the most likely places to find life on Mars.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott present a look back at some of the biggest stories in space science of 2016, and see how these discoveries have developed since making the headlines. Featuring a look at new evidence of a ninth planet in the solar system, the Juno probe's study of Jupiter, and scientists searching for evidence of other planets capable of sustaining human life.
All good travel guides need a map, and the team unveil the most detailed 3D map of the Milky Way ever produced. A map that reveals that there may be 50 per cent more stars in the galaxy than we previously thought. American astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson gives us a guided tour of the strangest stars we have ever observed, and we discover that the Milky Way may already be colliding with our neighbouring galaxy, Andromeda.
The team travel to the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands where they take control of some of the world's largest telescopes to view the most spectacular sights in the night sky.
When the first episode of The Sky at Night was transmitted in April 1957, it was still thought that Mars could be home to advanced life, the Space Age was yet to begin, and the Big Bang was just a controversial theory. So to celebrate its 60th anniversary, this special programme looks at how our knowledge of the universe has been transformed in the last six decades - from the exploration of the solar system to the detection of black holes and planets orbiting distant stars. Featuring contributions from Jim Al-Khalili, Dallas Campbell and Monica Grady and including special birthday messages from a host of stars, this is a celebration of an extraordinary age of discovery, and The Sky at Night's role in covering it.
This edition comes from the heart of one of the most influential - and surprising - organisations in the history of astronomy. Maggie and Chris have been granted rare access to the Vatican and its little-known observatory, the Specola Vaticana, perched on a hilltop 30km outside Rome. -- There they explore its rich history and contemporary cutting-edge science, going inside the Vatican walls to visit the Tower of the Winds, a secret antique sundial that revolutionised the length of the year; the remains of a nest of telescopes atop an old medieval church where the science of spectroscopy was born; and the modern labs, manned by priest scientists who study a range of contemporary astronomical problems, from meteorites to binary stars to the birth of the universe itself.
The team looks at the trans-Neptunian objects - a vast number of strange, dark, icy worlds - which played a crucial role in the evolution of our solar system.
In August, the most spectacular meteor shower of 2017 coincides with transmission: The Perseids! If it's clear, it'll be a great chance to see scores of bright shooting stars streaking across the night sky. As those shooting stars vaporise in the atmosphere, a small part of some of them will fall to earth as dust. This dust will contribute to a total of about 40,000 tonnes of space dust and debris that falls onto our planet every year. In this episode, Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock investigate this mysterious cosmic debris that comes from outer space.
On 15 September 2017, the most successful space mission of all time will come to a dramatic and violent end as the Cassini probe is sent crashing into the planet Saturn. This one space probe has rewritten the rules of space exploration, repeatedly surprising scientists with its incredible and unexpected observations. It discovered lakes of pure methane on Saturn's moon Titan, mysterious weather systems on Saturn itself, and all the conditions for life on the moon Enceladus. It has exceeded every expectation of its original design brief, and its mission duration has been extended not once but four times. Its legacy for science and for space travel is unique. Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock explore four major ways in which space exploration of the future has been changed by the discoveries of the Cassini mission.
A look at the reasons behind renewed interest in sending manned missions to the moon, with plans by technology companies to build a permanent base on the satellite.
Observing events that occur in milliseconds, including the recently detected gravitational wave created by the collision of two neutron stars. Chris Lintott joins astronomers trying to detect a gamma ray burst in space, while Lucie Green discovers how similar phenomena can be found much closer to home. We're used to thinking that the universe operates on timescales of millions or even billions of years, where change happens with imperceptible slowness. But now we've discovered a whole catalogue of events that happen over much shorter times - seconds or even milliseconds. And these sudden, transient occurrences are among the most mysterious, powerful and destructive events in the universe. Observing them has raised exciting new questions about the way the universe works. This month The Sky at Night explores this world of transient phenomena. We hear more about the explosive event that created the recently detected gravitational wave - the collision of two neutron stars. And Chris spends 24 hours at the SWIFT space telescope base in Leicester in an attempt to detect a gamma ray burst - the most powerful and extreme short-term event known. Maggie goes to meet the team that are searching for the mysterious, barely understood transient phenomena called fast radio bursts. And Lucie Green reveals that some important short-term phenomena can occur much closer to home too. Astronomy used to be about staring up at the unchanging sky, so this search for transitory objects is truly revolutionary. It's time to enter the spectacular world of astronomy that takes place... in the blink of an eye...
The Sky at Night celebrates one of the most profound, moving and enjoyable activities there is - the ancient art of looking up, studying and marvelling at the night sky. The programme is based at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich - the spiritual home of British astronomy - and sets out to discover the many and varied ways we can all enjoy the majesty of the skies. Maggie Aderin-Pocock travels to Norway to see the northern lights, and discovers that we are in a golden age of aurora research as she learns what they tell us about the solar system. Chris Lintott learns the ancient art of navigating by the stars, whilst Pete Lawrence helps choose the right equipment to set yourself up as an amateur astronomer. This is your guide to observing and enjoying all the Wonders of the Night Sky.
The team reports on unnerving discoveries in the field of space science. Researchers estimate that 95 per cent of everything in the universe is "invisible", and while some of this number is made up of matter that just cannot be easily seen, the rest is thought to be comprised of nebulous concepts such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy. The team illustrates - as best they can - how the existence of these two hypothetical ideas - or lack thereof - could define the fate of the entire universe.
The team investigates an astronomical detective story. In October 2017, astronomers spotted the first ever object to visit our solar system from outer space. They called it 'Oumuamua. Its discovery set off a hurricane of press speculation and a major scientific investigation. The Sky at Night goes to Queen's University in Belfast, which has become the centre of scientific research on this cosmic visitor. When they first spotted it, all scientists knew was that it was small, it was travelling fast, and it came from outside our solar system. What did it look like? How had it formed? What was it made of? Where had it come from? To answer these questions, the team pieces together all the clues that scientists have extracted from the small amounts of data collected as 'Oumuamua flashed through the solar system.
Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock reveal the latest results from NASA's Curiosity and ESA's ExoMars TGO missions that are attempting to find signs of life on Mars. Andy Weir, author of The Martian, shares his thoughts on the possibility of a manned mission.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott examine the new information about the Milky Way recorded by the ESA's Gaia space telescope over the past three and a half years, including new data on how stars move over time and how the galaxy was originally formed.
Nasa's Juno spacecraft is currently making its 13th orbit of Jupiter on one of the most ambitious and risky space missions ever undertaken. The astonishing images it has captured are not just visually stunning, they also deliver spectacular scientific insight, revolutionising our ideas about Jupiter. Maggie Aderin-Pocock explores these stunning discoveries, from a new understanding of Jupiter's core and formation to revelations about how deep its raging storms penetrate the planet's mysterious interior.
Chris Lintott travels to the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Australia to find out how astronomers detected signals from the oldest stars in existence and what this discovery can reveal about the formation of the universe. In February 2018, news broke that astronomers had seen the cosmic dawn - the moment when stars first formed, flooding the universe with light. What's remarkable is that this incredible event was discovered by an instrument the size of a ping-pong table in a remote corner of Western Australia.
One evening in early September 1859, a spectacular blood-red aurora borealis appeared across America. Earlier that same day, in a leafy garden in the UK, a gentleman astronomer had noted a 'white light flare' on the sun's surface. The two events were linked; it's now known that the flare caused the aurora. The flare was a particularly violent eruption from the sun's surface known as a CME, a coronal mass ejection. Back then, it was considered an astronomical curiosity. But when it happens again, it will be a different story. For the modern, technological world such a violent solar phenomenon could be devastating. This episode examines just how damaging a CME could be and how astronomers, using two new satellites that will travel closer to the sun than ever before, can better prepare us for its impact.
A look at two missions attempting one of the most difficult feats of space exploration - to collect a rock from another world. This episode checks in on the US and Japanese attempts to bring a piece of an asteroid back to Earth. The missions have taken decades of planning, but the results will be worth it. We find out how studying these space rocks can teach us about the origins of our solar system and may one day help save Earth from a catastrophic collision.
The future of Britain's space programme, examining plans for the first UK spaceport in Scotland and the development of a new rocket system. The programme also examines a revolutionary new form of micro-satellites, and the plans to potentially launch thousands of them worldwide. Plus, Tim Peake takes a look at the history of British space exploration.
A report on BepiColombo, a spacecraft sent on a seven-year journey to the heart of the solar system to study Mercury. The objective is to discover why the smallest planet in the solar system seems to be shrinking even further, how it survives orbiting so close to the sun, and how it was formed in the first place.
Chris Lintott visits an observatory aboard a jumbo jet, which carries an infra-red telescope able to observe space from the vantage point of 40,000 feet above sea level. Plus, a look at how planets form and why fewer newly formed stars are being recorded.
On 1 January 2019, Nasa's New Horizons probe notched up another historic first: the first ever Kuiper belt fly-by. Its target was 2014 MU69, a chunk of ice and rock about four billion miles (approximately 6.4 billion kilometres) from Earth, dubbed Ultima Thule, a Latin phrase meaning a distant, unknown region. It is the most distant fly-by in history, and it is believed the data New Horizons gathers will shed new light on the solar system's early days. Chris Lintott reports from the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland to bring the latest news and pictures from this extraordinary mission.
Ever since we discovered that distant galaxies are racing away from us, there has been a heated debate over just how fast the Universe is expanding. At the beginning of the 21st century, we thought we knew the answer. But now, two very different viewpoints have emerged. And they are dividing the scientific community. The Sky at Night meets leading astronomers and cosmologists on both sides of the debate. Which team has the right answer? Or could both teams be right? If so, we may need to rethink everything we think we know about the Universe.
Marsquake! This month's episode follows Insight, NASA’s latest mission to the Red Planet, as it goes in search of the secrets buried deep below Mars’s surface. By listening for tremors caused by Marsquakes and meteor strikes, scientists hope to reveal how the planet was formed, why its fate was so different from the Earth and whether the planet is dead or alive. The programme also says a heartfelt goodbye to Opportunity, the rover that explored the surface of Mars for more than 14 years until it was engulfed by a dust storm last year.
The team reveals how the first picture of a supermassive black hole was captured. The photograph of the hole at the heart of the M87 galaxy was released in April.
In the first of two programmes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings, the Sky at Night team take a look at the latest plans to return to the Moon. Recently, China, Israel and India have all sent major missions to the Moon. The Europeans and Americans are planning to build a space station in permanent orbit around the Moon. And NASA has just announced that they plan to land astronauts on the Moon’s surface within five years. It all suggests that we are on the verge of a new golden age in lunar exploration.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo mission to put a man on the moon, The Sky at Night looks back through the archives to tell the story of how the BBC reported the moonshot, with some very special guests. Scientist John Zarneki discusses the huge scientific and engineering challenge. The first British astronaut, Helen Sharman, reveals just how accurate the predictions and preparations for life in space were. And writer and broadcaster James Burke - who reported the whole amazing story at the time - explains why Nasa loved the BBC and how he gained access to the command module for an episode of Tomorrow’s World.
The programme goes behind the scenes as the European Space Agency selects its next mission, which will be launched in 2028, meeting British teams vying to have their ideas selected, including a revolutionary mission to a comet.
Astronomers have found more than 4,000 planets circling stars other than our own. What do we know about these alien worlds and how have we managed to detect them?
A one-hour special in which The Sky at Night team face a live studio audience to answer their questions about the mysteries and wonders of the universe.
The Rosetta mission to comet 67P was the first time a spacecraft landed on a comet's surface. What has this icy body taught us about the dawn of the solar system and the origins of life on earth?
Looking back on the major stories of the year - from the New Horizons mission to the most distant world we have ever visited to the release of the first-ever picture of a black hole. The team relive the highlights and uncover the latest developments.
The Sky at Night team go back to basics to show you how to enjoy the night sky, wherever you are. It doesn’t matter if you live in a city or in the countryside, if you have a telescope, a pair of binoculars or just your eyes to look with. Pete explains why the night sky changes and joins a group of novice stargazers to talk about the best ways to introduce newcomers to the night. Chris ventures onto a roof in Oxford and marvels at the moon through binoculars, and Maggie goes back to her childhood telescope-making class to talk basic telescope essentials. Curious about the night sky but don’t know where to start? Want to know how to make the most of your new telescope? This is the programme for you!
The Sky at Night discovers how Esa's solar orbiter was built, and how it will protect itself against the sun's searing heat and investigate its mysteries.
The Sky at Night celebrates its 800th episode by showing how you can still explore space even when confined to your home by the coronavirus lockdown. Plus a new arrangement of the show's theme tune.
The Sky at Night team explore a changing world. Maggie Aderin-Pocock interviews astronaut Jessica Meir, who returned from 205 days on the International Space Station to a world she barely recognised. They also discuss Jessica’s experiments in micro-gravity, growing lettuce in space and the first all-female spacewalk. Chris Lintott meets the astronomer who recently announced the discovery of the closest black hole to Earth. Pete Lawrence photographs the dark side of Venus and Lucie Green investigates whether Elon Musk’s constellation of Starlink satellites are ruining the night sky.
The Sky at Night team explore the life and death of stars, including the dimming of Betelgeuse and the drawings that pre-date the telescope but which can predict solar activity.
Mars has fascinated us ever since we first looked up to the heavens. We have imagined alien civilisations, exotic life forms and even dreamed of travelling there ourselves. But after the first probes flew past the Red Planet, and with each subsequent mission that has orbited or landed on its surface, that vision has changed. We’ve come to realise that the planet is, most likely, dead. But that hasn’t dimmed our hopes for finding evidence of past life. And our desire to travel there and colonise the Red Planet still endures. From the very beginning of this exploration, the BBC has recorded our shifting perception of Mars. Since the Sky at Night started broadcasting in 1957, there have been over 50 episodes devoted to Mars and more than ten episodes of Horizon. This programme looks back at that coverage.
The Sky at Night gains exclusive access to the team of scientists behind the recent discovery of possible signs of life on Venus. Recorded in secret before the news broke, the film reveals the story behind this extraordinary piece of scientific discovery.
The focus for this edition of The Sky at Night is on astronomical research that is beyond the scope of our eyes. We think of astronomy as something we do primarily using our sight. But we can now search the cosmos using radiation beyond the narrow band of visible light, beyond what we are able to see. We visit the UK’s foremost radio observatory, Jodrell Bank, and meet some remarkable, vision-impaired astronomers who are pioneering new techniques to carry out their research using their senses of hearing and touch.
Chris and Maggie report on the reaction to the dramatic announcement of the discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus, a gas that could be a sign of life. Venus remains an inhospitable and unlikely host. But if not Venus, where in the solar system is the best place to look for alien life? Chris and Maggie investigate the latest missions to Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Away from the search for life, Pete previews the best meteor showers of the year.
The Sky at Night looks back at the last ten years of astronomy and ponders the most significant milestones and revelations. With the help of six distinguished astronomers, Chris and Maggie consider the state of astronomy in 2020 and wonder what new, exciting discoveries await us across the rest of the decade, as a host of new ground and space telescopes come online. Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees is among the guests to walk along the Astronomical Wall of Discovery in this one-hour special.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott look back at some of the biggest stories featured on the programme in 2020, with the help of special guests who have chosen their favourite moments. From the launch of Solar Orbiter to the discovery of phosphine on Venus, the team relive the astronomy highlights of a highly unusual year.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock reviews the astonishing footage returned from Mars by Nasa's Perseverance rover, and Chris Lintott reveals the incredible story behind the discovery of the Winchcombe Meteorite.
The Gaia space telescope is not just helping scientists create the ultimate star map of the Milky Way. It is also showing our galaxy's past and how it will change in the future.
The Sky at Night team visit the companies spearheading the boom in Britain's space industry, a sector with an annual income of £16.4bn and which employs over 45,000 people.
Chris and Maggie dive into the archives to discover how the hunt for extra-terrestrial life in the universe has been reported by the BBC over six decades. Such luminaries as Patrick Moore, Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, James Burke and Alan Whicker discuss the eternal question of whether we are alone. The story of how the BBC has covered advancements in this scientific field is told from the birth of radio astronomy in the 1960s to the discovery of the first planets outside of our own solar system in the 1990s, and right up to probes exploring our neighbouring planets in the present day. There are also some rather more offbeat claims of UFO sightings, alien abductions and accounts of humanoid-like beings that supposedly live on Venus.
The information on Jupiter gathered by the Juno spacecraft over its first 10 years. The spacecraft was intended to shut down this year, but has prvoen so robust it has been granted an extension to its life, and will gather vital research to provide starting point for future missions to the gas giant by both NASA and the European Space Agency.
A special ‘Question Time’ edition of the programme, recorded at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford, as part of the British Science Association’s annual science festival. Planetary scientist Dr Carly Howett and cosmologist Professor Hiranya Peiris join Chris Lintott, Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Pete Lawrence to answer questions from viewers covering all things astronomical – from the size of the universe to the possible nature of alien life. Chaired by Dallas Campbell.
The Sky at Night team reveal how important it is to investigate our solar system's outer planets close-up and why opportunities to do so only come around every so often.
The Sky at Night team explore the history of the telescope – from Harriot and Galileo's lunar observations to the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes – revealing how developments in the power of lenses have increased our understanding of our place in the cosmos.
Chris and Maggie look back at some of the stories they have covered in 2021 in the Sky at Night’s big review of the year.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Chris Lintott visit the Van Gogh Immersive Experience to seek inspiration in one of the world’s most famous works of art, Starry Night. How can we mitigate the effects of light pollution so that the beauty of the night sky captured by Van Gogh might be preserved in the real world for future generations? Images and data from satellites have made it easy for us to visualise the extent of the growing effects of light pollution around the world, but speaking with Professor Kevin Gaston from the University of Exeter, Chris discovers that our current estimates show that global light pollution could be much worse than past data suggests. Without satellites capable of analysing the light emitted from the now-popular bluer LED lighting, he estimates that the true levels of light pollution could be around 200% more than was previously thought. Kevin and Chris discuss how light pollution is not just a problem for astronomers but can have devastating effects
The Sky at Night team report on the new scientific methods being used to detect exoplanets and how the winter darkness of Antarctica is critical to their success.
2022 marks the fiftieth year since an astronaut last stepped on the moon's surface. We look back at the legacy of the Apollo programme and forward to the future of lunar exploration. Maggie and Chris visit the Science Museum in London, where Maggie discovers from space curator Doug Millard that one of the museum's star attractions – Apollo 10's command module – nearly did not make it back to Earth.
Martin Rees is perhaps Britain’s most renowned cosmologist. He was master of Trinity College, Cambridge, president of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics, and has led the nation’s foremost science institution, the Royal Society. Now, about to celebrate his eightieth birthday, Lord Rees talks to Chris Lintott about his career in science.
The British weather is often the enemy of stargazers up and down the country. A forecast of a couple of hours of cloud cover will disappoint even the most determined of amateur astronomers. So, this month, the Sky at Night becomes the ‘Sky at Day' to provide an alternative range of spectacles to observe and activities to partake in, ideal when the nights are short, and the stars are hiding behind the clouds.
The Sky at Night team meets the scientists in the UK researching the astonishing new data returned by the James Webb Space Telescope.
The Sky at Night turns its focus to the wonderful world of astrophotography, including a look at the new technology being built for the Very Large Telescope.
A special 'Question Time' edition of the programme, recorded at The Venue in De Montford University, Leicester, as part of the British Science Association's annual science festival.
The Sky at Night in the Multiverse of Mystery is a magical journey into the far-flung ideas at the very edge of scientific knowledge, exploring the concepts that today seem like science fiction but may one day become science fact.
The Sky at Night team investigate the latest science in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. Scientists have never been more obsessed with finding aliens than they are right now. And they’re using the most advanced engineering and technology to look in some pretty weird and wonderful places across the universe. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock visits Professor Mark Sephton at Imperial College London – one of the scientists leading on the Perseverance Rover mission to Mars. This is the first mission to bring samples of rock from another planet back to earth, and Mark shows how they use images sent from the rover to decide the best places to take the precious samples. He reveals the latest technology used to analyse the samples of Martian rock for signs of life. April 2023 sees the launch of a major European Space Agency mission to explore habitability on Jupiter’s icy moons, with the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer aka Juice. Professor Chris Lintott meets leading scientist Professor Michele Doughert
The Sky at Night team explores the threat of an asteroid impact on earth and meets the space scientists who are developing methods of planetary defence that sound like the stuff of science fiction.
The Sky at Night team investigates the science and engineering helping the UK to blast into space. Chris visits a rocket company near Glasgow to find out how rockets are built.
The team investigates the controversial world of alien communication. If we discover aliens, how would we contact them, and should we communicate with them at all?
For August 2023, The Sky at Night team investigate the science of black holes and discover the incredible techniques being used to uncover their secrets, and even help us answer bigger questions about our universe. Chris meets Dr Becky Smethurst at the University of Oxford to learn how a black hole forms from the death of a star. He also investigates whether black holes deserve their menacing portrayal in popular culture. He describes what would happen if we got too close to the event horizon and how black holes might actually play a role in lighting up the universe. Maggie explores how scientists are trying to understand more about black holes by meeting Dr Tessa Baker, who works on LIGO. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory is one of the world’s largest physics experiments and is not your usual type of observatory; instead of looking - it listens. The next observation run has just started, and Maggie learns what they are hoping to find.
The Very Large Telescope has been responsible for some of the greatest astronomical breakthroughs. For September 2023, the team travels to the heart of the Atacama to explore one of the most advanced observatories in the world, a site at the forefront of astronomy.
A special ‘Question Time’ edition of the programme, recorded at the University of Exeter as part of the British Science Association’s Science Festival.
In a special episode to mark the end of another season, The Sky at Night teams up with Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage to talk all things amateur astronomy.
The Sky at Night team delve into Nasa’s OSIRIS-REx mission and find out what it takes to analyse the tiny pieces of space rock that may tell us about the origins of life.
