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Journey to the Planets
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YEAR: 2010 | LENGTH: 6 parts (45 minutes each) | SOURCE: ABC
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to leave Earth? To lose sight of our home planet and go where no human has gone before? What strange sights await you? What dangers must you avoid?
As dawn breaks on a new age of manned space flight and we head back to the moon and this time beyond, ‘Voyage to the Planets’ offers you a ringside seat to the splendors of the Solar System – an essential tour guide to whole new worlds of possibility.
Blast off with Voyage to the Planets: a 6 x 55 minute formatted documentary series with a parallel online experience exploring the pleasures and pitfalls of visiting the very alien planets of our own Solar System.
episodes:
01. Mars
Have you ever fancied catching a rocket to the Red Planet? How about road testing an alien planet as a tourist destination? Tonight you can as Voyage to the Planets blasts off from your living room in search of the Solar System’s most spectacular scenery and the chance to meet our nearest neighbours.
Mars is the ruby jewel in our night sky and arguably the hottest travel destination in the Solar System. Thanks to a robot invasion from Earth that began in the 1960’s, we probably know more about Mars than every other destination in the Solar System combined. Not bad for a planet so cool that the average summer temperature makes a winter in Antarctica seem positively balmy. It might be freezing, there might be nothing for a human to breathe, but of all planets we know, this rocky, red one is the most similar to home. Pack a good spacesuit and plenty of oxygen and prepare to be amazed.
Here, under butterscotch skies, are vast rust-coloured deserts and titanic canyons, towering volcanoes three times as high as Everest and mile-deep polar caps made of two different kinds of ice. This journey itself is a space traveller’s dream: a short hop to the planet next door and a wealth of things to see and do.
But the Red Planet is a far more complicated world than we ever gave it credit for. Once a sister to our early Earth, the surface of Mars bears the scars of a violent and watery past. Mighty floods once cascaded across the rocky landscape. We’ve been tantalized by tales of prehistoric oceans and seduced by that most exotic of attractions: the possibility of alien life. Might there really be lost microbe empires on Mars, and if so, where would you go to find them?
Mars is a place you can go. A planet with a solid surface you can walk on, touch, and explore. We’ve already seen the postcards, courtesy of our robot pioneers. Now we want to go there. Soon, it seems, this lonely Red Planet will be facing a human invasion. It may even be that the first space traveller to Mars is already alive somewhere on Earth.
What if it were you? What would you need to know before travelling to one of the greatest destinations in the Solar System? How to get there? When to go? What to pack? Which sites to see? But don’t be fooled: nothing about going to Mars will be easy and danger awaits you in equal measure to the desolate beauty.
Voyage to the Planets offers essential travel advice for any aspiring astronaut planning to take the first steps on the Red Planet. When that boot print is made, this small impression will be more than a giant stride into space: it will be proof that humans are once again moving beyond our comfort zone to explore new worlds and opportunities.
Strap in, space travellers! The destination is Mars…
02. Jupiter
Do you fancy blasting off to the King of the Planets? For a truly out of this world planetary experience, you should head beyond the Asteroid Belt to the largest planet in the Solar System. Welcome to Jupiter, a world so roomy that it could swallow every planet and moon in the Solar System and still have room for more.
For 400 years, we have been gazing at Jupiter and wondering. Wondering what sort of worlds the astronomer Galileo had spied all those years ago? What would it be like to pay the King of the Planets a personal visit, to step upon its many moons, or dive beneath its swirling clouds? These questions were partially answered when the Galileo spacecraft slipped into orbit in 1995 for a seven-year sojourn that would prove beyond doubt that the entire Jovian system is worth a return visit.
Jupiter is one of the most spectacular places in the Solar System. Approach by spacecraft and you would see from a long distance the cloudy face of Jupiter. Incredibly complex, constantly changing and multi-coloured, Jupiter is like a ball of liquid marble. It comes complete with giant red beauty spot: a titanic storm raging for well over 300 years, possibly an eternity. Wide enough to fit two Earths side-by-side, the Great Red Spot adds a little scale to Jupiter’s immensity.
To drop beneath Jupiter’s clouds is to dive into a seemingly endless sky. At first it’s like entering an enormous alien chemical factory with swirling clouds of rotten egg gas and paint stripper, but penetrate this outer onion skin of clouds and things get increasingly weirder. Hydrogen gas is gradually squeezed by heat and pressure into a liquid, and then into a churning maelstrom more like a metal than the flimsy gas we are more familiar with. This ocean of metallic hydrogen is the dynamo that powers Jupiter’s vast magnetosphere, generating the powerful radiation belts that make the Jovian System the most hazardous corner of the Solar System for either Man or Machine.
If you like solid ground beneath your feet, there’s plenty of that as well. Encircled by some 63 moons and moonlets, Jupiter is like a miniature solar system all of its own. The four biggest moons offer off-world travel opportunities to die for – possibly quite literally. Closest in is Io, the most volcanic place in the Solar System, with pools of molten lava on its boldly coloured surface and towering plumes rising into Space. Stand on its trembling surface and you’d witness one of the Solar System’s great spectacles – and one of its most dangerous. If the lava doesn’t get you, the radiation certainly will.
But it is frozen Europa where everyone is trying to reach. Deep beneath its icy shell scientists expect to dive into a vast, dark saltwater ocean, warmed by the heat of the rocks below. Water, warmth and an energy source: travel down here with a submarine and we might have the best chance of a close encounter of the alien kind.
Choose Jupiter for your next Solar System sojourn and a change of scenery is guaranteed. With so many different worlds on offer, there’s something for everyone out here.
03. Saturn
No planet beats Saturn for sheer jaw-dropping beauty. Majestic, mysterious, and massive, this giant is the pin-up boy of the Solar System. But delve deeper and you find a brooding monster – with supersonic winds, fearsome storms and nowhere to stand. Revolving serenely above it all are the dazzling rings, an entire system of glistening particles nearly as wide as the distance from the Earth to the Moon, yet no thicker than one or two storeys in a modern apartment building. Like cars on a celestial beltway, the ring particles race around Saturn at speeds of 60,000 kilometres per hour, but if you could park a spacecraft in orbit doing the same speed, it would be possible to pick up a ring particle in your hand.
Thanks to the continuing exploits of the Cassini-Huygens mission, one of the most successful robotic spacecrafts of all time, Saturn is being revealed to us like never before. The images alone were worth the trip, with stunning vistas of the rings, strange six-sided storms around the North Pole and similar, circular giants girdling the South.
But it is on Saturn’s many moons that the greatest adventures await. Of the 60-or-so satellites, it’s tiny Enceladus that is making all the headlines as the must-see destination these days. It’s the little moon that has it all. Enormous geysers shoot water and ice into space from a geothermal field the size of California. All indications are that the water is coming from a warm salty ocean hidden beneath the surface. We know the water is laced with organic material because the Cassini spacecraft, in unparalleled feats of precision flying, has flown through the plumes to sample them. Everything is pointing to an environment on Enceladus with a real possibility of being suitable for life.
Even more Earth-like and yet far more alien is Titan, with a thick atmosphere and weather. Potentially an easier surface to explore even than Mars, this is the only other world we know that you could visit without a spacesuit. Rug up for the cold and fly a hot air balloon in Titanian skies, trek across vast dune fields, or row across a Titanian lake. Just don’t fall in or get caught in the rain: it’s liquid natural gas out here, not water, and it’ll freeze you as hard as rock. Nothing is what it seems on Titan. Reach out and touch molten lava and you would not burn your hand, you’d freeze it.
All this and more, and only a billion miles from home! For the scientists of the Cassini-Huygens mission it has been the ride of a lifetime, and one they are keen to share, as they plan ahead for the second -alf of their travels in the Saturnian System.
The postcards Cassini has returned from Saturn have already confirmed that this is a planetary system as alien as one on the far side of the Galaxy and worthy of further, detailed exploration. So, strap in space travellers: it’s time for an adventure Ringside.
04. Neptune & Uranus
Got time for a 24 year holiday? Then consider a journey to our most distant and least explored planets, the ice giants Uranus and Neptune.
When it comes to public image, the planet with the funny name has always had it tough. But if you think Uranus is a strange name for a planet, perhaps you’d prefer its first name… George. When British astronomer, William Herschel, first discovered the planet in 1781, he christened his discovery after the King of England, George III. But the custom of naming planets after mythological characters ensued and ‘Planet George’ was no more.
From above, Uranus appears as a fathomless ball of green-blue fog. But dip below its clouds and you encounter a boiling ocean, a hundred times deeper than the Pacific. With a planet load of gas on your back, nothing down here will survive for long.
Of all the planets, the seventh world from the Sun is the most laid back of all – literally. Uranus circles the Sun on its side. How did it end up this way? The answer may surprise. Meanwhile, snap your cameras at Uranus’ tilted hula-hoop rings and its orbiting flotilla of 27 moons that resemble a giant, celestial bullseye.
Cruise down the cosmic highway for another three years and you encounter the last official planet in our Solar System, and a reminder of home. Neptune is the second Blue Planet, the colour courtesy of some mysterious alchemy that’s hard at work in the frozen atmosphere. But does this chilly gas giant who takes its name from the god of the sea really a water world? You’ll need to take the plunge to find out.
For all its surreal blue calm, Neptune is a wild world. It boasts the fastest, supersonic winds in the Solar System. But what’s driving them? And what became of its Great Dark Spot that disappeared only five years after its discovery?
And no visit to the ice giants is complete without a daytrip to Neptune’s moon, Triton. Its gushing, inky ice-volcanoes are proof that even way out here, the Solar System still has a few incredible tricks up its sleeve.
There’s only ever been one Earthly visitor to this ice zone, the Voyager mission, launched in 1977. What would it be like to follow in its wake, for a human to undertake one of the greatest journeys in space exploration? How would you get there? What would you see? And would you ever survive? Strap yourselves in for an incredible voyage into the chiller.
05. Venus & Mercury
Everyone likes a vacation in a warm climate, but fancy a trip to a place as hot as Hades? Voyage to the Planets heads in towards the Sun to find two quite different sun-drenched worlds that both lay claim to that title.
Tiny Mercury, almost invisible in the glare of the Sun, is the place to go for the ultimate suntan. But if your sun protection isn’t up to scratch, you can always get out of the oven by chilling out on the Dark Side. Step into the shade and Mercury’s mercury plunges over 600 degrees.
And it’s here, in Mercury’s deep freeze, that things begin to get interesting. There’s an exclusive night show, caused by the Solar Wind that bombards the planet’s feather-thin atmosphere. And on the closest planet to the Sun, there is even the prospect of ice. In Mercury’s eternally shadowed polar craters, radar observations have detected what could be thick deposits of frozen water. And however it arrived on this sun-drenched, ancient surface, it certainly has a story to tell.
But it is our nearest neighbour, pale and beguiling Venus, that hides the biggest secret. The Goddess of Love will literally melt your heart and crush your defences at the same time. Once the twin of Earth, it’s thought that Venus had oceans for billions of years and even the likelihood of life.
Our first attempts to unveil Venus were confounding. Every spacecraft that plunged beneath her clouds inexplicably vanished. It wasn’t until 1975 that the first robotic probe made it to the surface and revealed the horrible truth: Smothered by a climate gone mad, a romantic visit to our sister planet’s volcanic scenery means diving into an atmosphere hot enough to melt lead, where acid smog eats bare metal for breakfast and the pressure could crush a submarine.
Something happened here to make Venus turn bad. And it could have something to do with why the planet is the only world in the Solar System to rotate backwards… and slowly. Could life have ever survived such a catastrophic climate change? If so, could Venusian bugs really be floating around in the thick, acid atmosphere?
Voyage to the Planets reveals the many reasons for a visit into the Hot Zone on our planetary doorstep. What happened to turn our neighbours so astonishingly alien? And what can a jaunt to these worlds tell us about our own?
06. Pluto & Beyond
Like getting away from it all? Pluto must be one of the loneliest places of all. For more 70 years it was counted as the ninth planet, an isolated but sentimental favourite at the end of the Solar System. But in recent years it has been at the centre of a neighbourhood dispute of cosmic proportions. Just what on Earth caused Pluto to be struck off as a planet? It now seems that Pluto has company… and lots of it. And it’s changed the way we think about our Solar System and even how we all came to be here.
We now know that Pluto is just one of a swarm of frozen bodies beyond Neptune, a vast disc of ice and rock known as ‘The Kuiper Belt’. Out here are oceans of frozen water and planetary spare parts that were hurled to the edge of space when the Solar System first formed. Every so often one of these planetary popsicles comes in from the cold. Most comets pass harmlessly by and merely soak up the Sun. Other times they pay us a more personal visit – and one with a big impact. It’s one such intruder that may have ended the reign of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.
Comets can deliver death, but they also come bearing gifts. After studying these rampaging tourists, we now know the outer Solar System is awash with primitive, carbon-bearing molecules that are found in the DNA of every living creature on Earth. It’s likely these cosmic couriers from the Kuiper Belt not only delivered the crucial ingredients to kick-start life here, but also to all the other planets and moons in our Solar System.
Although Pluto remains a distant, fuzzy dot of light at the end of our best telescopes, in 2015 all that will change. Right now, a lonely little spacecraft, known as New Horizons, is making its way to the end of our neighbourhood. And onboard is a very special passenger indeed – the cremated remains of Pluto’s discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh. But Clyde will not rest at Pluto; his destiny is to become humanity’s longest space traveller as New Horizons keeps flying eternally outward to the Universe beyond.
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The Universe
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YEAR: 2007-2016 | LENGTH: 9 seasons 89 episodes (45 minutes each) | SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
description:
The Universe is an American documentary television series that features computer-generated imagery and computer graphics of astronomical objects in the universe plus interviews with experts who study in the fields of cosmology, astronomy, and astrophysics. The program is produced byFlight 33 Productions and Workaholic Productions.
The series covers topics concerning space exploration, the solar system, and astronomical objects in the universe. It shows CGI renderings of these aforementioned, video footage, photographs, and views from scientists, project managers, engineers, advocates, writers and other experts. The episode “7 Wonders of the Solar System”, and Season 6 were produced in 3D.
episodes:
season 1
01. Secrets of the Sun
A look at how the Sun was formed and how it could potentially die; its physical composition; how it makes energy; and the nature of solar eclipses, solar flares, and sunspot activity.02. Mars: The Red Planet
A look at the planet Mars, the planet most similar to Earth in our solar system; an examination of Olympus Mons the largest volcano in the solar system; how NASA probes search for evidence of past life on the red planet, and what that life might have looked like.03. End of the Earth
A look at end of the world scenarios involving killer asteroid or comet impact events, solar flare and gamma-ray bursts, and the plans that scientists have to potentially save the Earth from an interstellar disaster.04. Jupiter: The Giant Planet
A look at the solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter; its formation and composition and its mini-solar system of over 60 moons – some of which may have the potential to support extraterrestrial life.05. The Moon
A look at the formation of the Moon; how it played a role in the evolution of life on Earth; and the future plans of NASA to establish a permanent baseon the surface.06. Spaceship Earth
A look at the planet Earth; how it was born out of a chaotic shooting gallery during the formation of the solar system; how life could have begun here; and what could ultimately cause its destruction.07. Mercury & Venus: The Inner Planets
A look at the two most hostile planets in the solar system – Mercury and Venus; one gouged with craters, the other a greenhouse cauldron of toxic gases and acid rain; both scorched by their close proximity to the sun. Scientists theorize about what sort of life could evolve on these alien worlds.08. Saturn: Lord of the Rings
A look at the planet Saturn and its fascinating rings; how they may have been created; how the latest probes have answered questions and revealed new mysteries about the planet, and how Saturn’s moon Titan may hold more resources of petroleum than Earth will ever need.09. Alien Galaxies
A look at space through the amazing images of the Hubble Space Telescope; and a look at the formation of our galaxy and how it is just one of hundreds of billions in the universe.10. Life & Death of a Star
A look at stellar evolution; how gravity causes hydrogen gas to coalesce under friction and pressure to ignite in a flash of nuclear fusion, the energy and glow lasting billions of years, and then the ultimate demise in the largest and most colorful explosions in the cosmos.11. The Outer Planets
A look at the solar system’s most distant worlds – Uranus, a gas giant with the most extreme axial tilt of any known planet and its wildly orbiting moonTriton; its near-twin Neptune and its moons; and finally, distant Pluto which orbits the sun every 248 years.12. Most Dangerous Places
A look at the most dangerous objects known in space – all consuming black holes, deadly gamma-ray bursts, powerful magnetars, and galactic collisions.13. Search for E.T.
A look at possible extraterrestrial life in the universe; the mission of organizations like SETI to find it, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life existing right in our own solar system on the moons of Europa and Titan.14. Beyond the Big Bang
A look back in time billions and billions of years to the origin of the Big Bang. Leading physicists and historians theorize what happened before the bang occurred, how the physical nature of the universe unfolded as energy became matter forming stars and galaxies, and how the universe continues to expand outward at an ever-accelerating rate.season 2
01. Alien Planets
A look at the science of planet hunting; astronomers explain the technology and methods used to find extra-solar planets – worlds outside our solar system orbiting other stars; and a look at some of the most interesting planets that have been discovered, such as “Hot Jupiters” and “Super-Earths.”02. Cosmic Holes
A look at the mysteries of black holes and theories about the existence of other kinds of holes, such as “mini” or microscopic black holes that exist at the atomic level; “white holes” – the opposite of black holes where matter is eject out; and “wormholes” – gateways in hyperspace that connect points in space and time and possibly lead to other dimensions.03. Mysteries of the Moon
A look at the Moon and the role it has played in the history of mankind – how it was once worshiped as a god; used as a timekeeper by farmers; a beacon for sailors at sea; and how it effects ocean tides and the behavior of animals. Also discussed is the transient lunar phenomenon which has baffled scientists for centuries.04. The Milky Way
A tour of the Milky Way; a look at the massive black hole with the mass of thousands of suns, that lies at its center; how the death of old stars provide the material to create new ones; and how stars from the galactic center are being catapulted beyond the outer arms at unimaginable speeds.05. Alien Moons
A look at Kuiper belt objects and the moons of the solar system such as volcanic Io, ice covered Europa, and the mysterious Triton; scientists and physicist theorize as to what discoveries could be found there. .06. Dark Matter/Dark Energy
A look at the theory of dark matter – the undetectable mass thought to make up 96% of the universe, and dark energy – the unseen force that is expanding the universe. Physicists use the latest cutting-edge technology and conduct groundbreaking experiments in an attempt to discover more about these mysterious forces.07. Astrobiology
A look at the science of astrobiology – the search for life in space by combining the disciplines of astronomy, biology and geology; a look at how life could evolve on planets vastly different than Earth; and a trip to an area in Australia to search for the oldest forms of life on Earth and what it could teach us about life on other worlds.08. Space Travel
A look at some revolutionary ideas about travel in space, from ship designs to innovative methods of propulsion such as solar sails and laserbeams. Also a look at antimatter as a power source and the possibilities of faster-than-light travel that could make the greatest science fiction dream a reality.09. Supernovas
A look at the sensational death of stars in supernova explosions which shine as bright as a 100 billion suns and release jets of high-energy matter asgamma-ray bursts and x-ray radiation. Also a look at supernovas recorded throughout history and how stardust creates the building blocks of planets and life.10. Constellations
A look at some of the 88 constellations in the sky which are arrangements of stars that form a picture or symbol. Also how ancient civilizations developed and used them for navigation and exploration.11. Unexplained Mysteries
A look at some of the myths, misconceptions and facts about the universe, from life on Mars to whether or not time travel is possible and ifEinstein’s theories of relativity could support it.12. Cosmic Collisions
A look at the cosmic shooting gallery of the universe; what happens during comet, asteroid and planetary collisions; the effects of mass extinction impacts; what happens when stars collide, and when entire galaxies merge together.13. Colonizing Space
A look at the efforts underway to establish permanent human colonies on the Moon and Mars; how food will be grown and waste recycled and eventually the plans to terraform Mars to make it more habitable for humans.14. Nebulas
A look at nebulas – the “art gallery of the galaxy” – amazing regions of space, where old stars die and new ones are born. Astronomers reveal the techniques and technology used to capture the details and wonder of these distant objects, many of which are too far away to be seen by the naked eye.15. Wildest Weather in the Cosmos
A look at bizarre weather phenomena on other worlds in our solar system such as tornadoes with 6,000 MPH winds, and rain made of iron.16. Cosmic Collisions
A look at the cosmic shooting gallery of the universe; what happens during comet, asteroid and planetary collisions; the effects of mass extinction impacts; what happens when stars collide, and when entire galaxies merge together.17. Biggest Things in Space
A look at the biggest things in the universe, such as the cosmic web which connects galaxies together along threads of dark matter or the Lyman-alpha blob which is a bubble containing countless galaxies. Also a look at super-galaxies, super massive black holes, “radio lobes” and the biggest void in space.18. Gravity
A look at how the universe could end with various theories explored such as a “random quantum fluctuation” where everything is obliterated in the blink of an eye; where all energy is consumed and ends in a “cosmic ice age”; where everything collapses into black holes and disappears, and how there is nothing we can do to prevent the cosmic doomsday.19. Extra Backyard Astronomers
No Description.season 3
01. Deep Space Disasters
A look at the history of space disasters and the potential for danger in space – from explosive launches, fiery reentries, fire in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, deadly micrometeoroid impacts, catastrophic solar flares and a host of other space hazards astronauts risk on every mission. Also discussed are what could happen if a ship encounters a black hole or gamma-ray burst.02. Parallel Universes
A look at the theory of the multiverse – the possibility of parallel dimensions existing where Earth and everyone on it are duplicated many times over, and how physicists search for evidence of these doppelganger realities using state of the art particle colliders that can detect higher dimensions of existence.03. Light Speed
A look at the speed of light, the ultimate speed limit enforced by the laws of the universe, and how scientists are looking for ways to exceed it; a look at what happens when we reach the “light barrier”; what could happen if we surpass it, and how the “cosmic constant” can be manipulated.04. Sex in Space
A look at experiments in human sexuality in space; the psychology of relationships and reproduction that must be addressed if mankind wish to colonize other planets; how pregnancy and birth could be handled in microgravity and the complications that could arise under such conditions; and the answer to whether or not sex has already been attempted during a space mission.05. Alien Faces
A look at how differently life on Earth has evolved between animals, from the deep ocean to those on land, their environments played a role in their design; and an imaginative look at how similar life could take form under vastly different environments of alien worlds.06. Deadly Comets and Meteors
A look at how comets and meteors played a role in the formation of the solar system; their possible role in the extinction of the dinosaurs; and the theories that cometary dust could bring alien viruses to Earth.07. Living in Space
A look at how human colonies could exist in space, from domed cities to underground bases, to orbital habitats, to hollowed-out asteroids. Also a look at how robots will play a role in space survival; how food will be grown; the advances in space suit and equipment technology; and a look at how resources could be gathered and processed to sustain such otherworldly colonies.08. Stopping Armageddon
A look at some of the ideas scientists are exploring to save Earth one day from an inevitable meteor impact, including ways to divert near-Earth objects (NEOs) with laser beams, nuclear bombs, solar sails, satellites that act as artificial gravity sources, and rocket engines that could attach to and push them out of Earth’s path.09. Another Earth
A look at how astronomers search for other Earth-like planets around other stars; which stars are candidates for possible discovery; and how techniques develop and the sensitivity of equipment improve will make finding another Earth just a matter of time.10. Strangest Things
A look at some of the most bizarre things in the universe such as odd moons, strange stars, exotic particles, mysterious black holes, and invisible dark matter.11. Edge of Space
A look at the prospects for the commercialization space, from $20 million vacation trips to the ISS, the possibility of orbital hotels, and spaceplane flights 120 miles above the Earth are just the beginning. Also a look at the hazards, such as cosmic radiation and space debris, that could spell disaster for these outerspace endeavors.12. Cosmic Phenomena
A look at various cosmic phenomena, both “good” – such as the beauty of the aurora borealis, the thrill of a meteor shower, the miracle of photosynthesis, and the “bad” – such as UV radiation that can “get under our skin”, and solar flare activity that can not only scramble electronics, but could threaten life on Earth.season 4
01. Death Stars
A look at real life “death stars” that are far worse than the one in Star Wars such as supernovas that unleash massive gamma-ray bursts (GRB) that could eradicate all life for thousands of light years; a look at “WR104”, a dying star 8000 light years away that could point a GRB right at Earth, and “3C321”, a “death star galaxy” that could be a terrifying vision of what may befall the Milky Way galaxy. Eta Carinae and Betelgeuse are given as examples of stars that could have violent ends that are too close for comfort.02. The Day the Moon Was Gone
A look at the importance of our moon and what the Earth would be like without one, such as a four hours of sunlight, pitch-black nights, 100 MPH winds spawning massive hurricanes, wild fluctuating climate changes as the planet topples on its axis, and the end of complex life forms – including humans.03. It Fell From Space
A look at some of the thousands of objects, both natural and man made, that have plummeted to Earth. From space rocks that have crashed into homes, to rocket parts that have landed on front lawns, scientists share their amazing insights into the phenomena of the cosmos from the study of this space debris.04. Biggest Blasts
A look at some of the biggest explosions known, from the “Big Bang”, to incredible supernova blasts, to the massive impact of the Chicxulub asteroid on the Yucatán Peninsula that was believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.05. The Hunt for Ringed Planets
A look at planetary rings, especially those of Saturn where house-sized chunks of ice orbit at 53,000 MPH along a chaotic orbital racetrack; how the rings formed and the dangers they pose to spacecraft. Also a look at other rings around Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and possibly Mars; plus Earth’s “ring” which is made of some 200 satellites in geosynchronous orbit – the only “man made ring” in the known universe.06. 10 Ways to Destroy the Earth
A look at ten events experts envision, (both fun and serious), that could destroy the planet Earth – such as being swallowed up by a microscopic black hole, exploding it with antimatter, hurling it into the sun, and switching off gravity.07. The Search for Cosmic Clusters
A look at star clusters; how all stars within them are formed from the same material and are approximately the same age; a look at the two kinds of clusters – “open clusters” which are young and exist in the spiral arms of the galaxy, and “globular clusters” which are old and exist in the outskirts of the galaxy and possibly as old as the universe itself.08. Space Wars
A look at military concepts to weaponize space; how such systems would work and how effective would they be, such as an idea of telephone pole-sized rods that could be hurtled down from orbit. Also a look at some more fantastic weapon ideas and defenses against such weapons, such as ground base lasers.09. Liquid Universe
A look at places in the universe where it rains droplets of liquid iron, places at hundreds of degrees below zero where there are oceans of liquidmethane, and at the center of gas giants where pressure is so great there exists liquid metallic hydrogen.10. Pulsars & Quasars
A look at pulsars – tiny objects (only a few miles across) with powerful magnetic fields that spin so fast they appear to blink on and off; and quasars– the remnant cores of ancient galaxies that are so distant from us that they may be the oldest things in the universe.11. Science Fiction, Science Fact
A look at fantastic technology concepts, once mocked by physicists, that could be just over the horizon, such as teleportation, anti-gravity, and breaking the light speed barrier. Once only achieved by Hollywood, these concepts are now gaining serious attention within the scientific community.12. Extreme Energy
A look at the energy emitted by the universe, from powerful jets ejected by black holes, to the nuclear fury of the sun; and how the universe maintains this energy in perfect balance through the conservation of energy.season 5
01. 7 Wonders of the Solar System
A close up look at some of the most astonishing wonders of our solar system, such as the geysers of Enceladus; Saturn’s amazing rings; Jupiter’sGreat Red Spot; and the heights of Olympus Mons on Mars.02. Mars: The New Evidence
A look for evidence of life on Mars which provides many clues that it now, or once had supported it; from the remains of lakes and rivers that once flowed on the surface; to the water ice frozen at the poles; to the seasonal changes in methane gases that may prove bacterial life still thrives underground.03. Magnetic Storm
A look at magnetic storms – “Solar Katrinas” created by the sun with the power of ten-thousand nuclear weapons that could cause global electrical blackouts, electronics malfunctions and communication disasters if one should hit the Earth.04. Time Travel
A look at time travel; how it could one day become reality; how Einstein’s theory of relativity claims it is possible, and the probable results of traveling to the future and the mind-boggling consequences of traveling to the past.05. Secrets of the Space Probes
A look at space probes, what they have done and found for us in space, and what they might do in the future, such as searching for Earth-like planets and for extraterrestrial life.06. Asteroid Attack
A look at asteroids and the impact they have or had on life now and before. Also, what spacecrafts can tell us about them, what they can do to civilization, and the possibility of living on one.07. Total Eclipse
A look at the movements of the Earth, the sun and the moon during solar and lunar eclipses; how humans, even if not alone in the universe, may nevertheless be the only intelligent creatures to witness solar eclipses; and how astronomers discover planets in other star systems that partially eclipse or transit their stars.08. Dark Future of the Sun
A look at the future of the Sun and what might happen to it in five billion years when it uses up its hydrogen fuel and swells into a massive red giant star (consuming our planet and killing all life — including humans if any are still on it) and then shrinking into a white dwarf.season 6
01. Catastrophes that Changed the Planets
The planets of our solar system have experienced epic catastrophes throughout their long history, both raining down from outside and bubbling up from within. We’ll voyage back in time to investigate the violent events that profoundly shaped the planets, including Earth itself.02. Nemesis: The Sun's Evil Twin
Does the Sun have an evil twin named Nemesis, orbiting it and wreaking havoc on the planets at a million-year interval? This episode explores the possibility of the existence of Nemesis and its dangerous influence on other objects in the Solar System.03. How the Solar System was Made
At 4.6 billion years old, the Solar System is our solid, secure home in the Universe. But how did it come to be? In this episode we trace the system’s birth from a thin cloud of dust and gas.04. Crash Landing on Mars
What might happen if the first manned mission to Mars crashes hundreds of miles from the rocket that would take them back home?05. Worst Days on Planet Earth
Earth may seem like the most hospitable planet in the solar system. But startling new discoveries reveal the blue planet has been plagued by more chaos and destruction than scientists once imagined.06. UFO: The Real Deal
A look at the technology needed to build ships to the stars.07. God and the Universe
A scientific search for God. Also a look if the Universe was made by a creator or just nature.season 7
01. How Big, How Far, How Fast
Push the limits of your imagination as astronomers attempt to grasp the mind-boggling extremes of size, distance and speed within our universe by bringing them down to earth.02. Alien Sounds
Is it true that in space nobody can hear you scream? Our scientists reveal that there are places in the Universe that prove this sci-fi statement wrong.03. Our Place in the Milky Way
An inside look at the Earth’s position in the Milky Way galaxy.04. Deep Freeze
A look at the coldest objects and places in the solar system and the universe.05. Microscopic Universe
Particles are studied in an attempt to understand the universe.06. Ride the Comet
Following the path of a comet as it traverses the solar system.07. When Space Changed History
Examining how objects from space may have altered the course of Earth’s history.season 8
01. Stonehenge
Examining the possibility that Stonehenge was a prehistoric astronomical observatory, used to record the movements of the Sun and Moon.02. Pyramids
Examining the astronomical connections of the Pyramids of Giza .03. Heavenly Destruction
Examining possible astronomical explanations for the Biblical account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, including the possibility of asteroid impact.04. Star of Bethlehem
Examining possible astronomical explanations for the Star of Bethlehem in the Bible, which guided the Magi to the location of the birth of Jesus.season 9
01. Omens of Doom
Examining the interpretations by ancient peoples of celestial phenomena as bad omens, and the impact that the perceived omens may have had on history.02. The Eye of God
Examining strange shapes of the universe, such as the “Eye of God”, the hexagon on Saturn, and the “face” on the moon03. Apocalyptic Visions
The end of the world is coming, from a deadly Asteroid impact, to the Sun as a Red giant, to the Ultimate fate of the universe, nothing lasts forever.04. Alien Worlds
Examining the possibility of other planets existing in the universe.05. Predicting the Future
Examining whether tracking astronomical phenomena can actually predict the future.06. Roman Engineering
Examining Roman engineering and its impact on life in Ancient Rome.SIMILAR TITLES:
Journey to the Planets
Cosmos : A Personal Voyage
