The Mistery of the Milky Way • 2012 • episode "S1E1" • Hunting the Edge of Space

42:06

Experts aim to uncover what is hidden beneath Jupiter's violent storms. The story of how humans built machines that not only survived the perils of Jupiter, a massive and dangerous planet surrounded by a wreath of deadly radiation, but revealed its innermost secrets.

S1E2 • Mysteries of our Universe: Our Solar System • 2019 • Astronomy

42:29

New discoveries are causing astronomers to question if the Big Bang really happened, and using the latest science, they investigate if it wasn't just the start of our universe but many mysterious multiverses.

S7E6 • How the Universe Works • 2019 • Astronomy

51:01

In August 1977, the Big Ear Radio-telescope in Ohio received a strange signal from the Sagittarius constellation while searching for intelligent extra-terrestrial life. It had a duration of 72 seconds and an intensity 30 times higher than usual. Named the WAW signal (as an engineer wrote ‘WOW’ on the data as it came in!), it is still being considered as one of the best examples of having being sent by intelligent extraterrestrial life. But, nothing has revolutionised the search of extra-terrestrial intelligent life as much as the recent discovery by the Kepler Satellite, of thousands of Earth-like planets where life could be possible. Join the debate with this stunning one-hour documentary from 2015, as we ask Is Anybody Out There?

2015 • Astronomy

29:22

In July 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope released its first images. They were visually stunning, and it was clear they provided more detail of stars, galaxies and planets than ever before. But for the scientists waiting on the data, this was just the beginning of their journey to discover what the new telescope would reveal. Since then, they have been working hard and publishing papers on all the data JWST has been sending back. Two years ago, just after the first images were released, Chris Lintott set off on a road trip to meet some of the scientists that were excitedly waiting on the first data. He wanted to find out what they hoped it could reveal. To mark the second anniversary Chris, along with fellow presenters Maggie Aderin-Pocock and George Dransfield, headed off to meet scientists old and new, to find out what the Webb Telescope has told us so far. Chris gives us a run-down of the highs and lows the Webb Telescope has been through and the other discoveries it has made. Maggie is off to Bristol University to revisit Dr Hannah Wakeford who has been using JWST data to reveal what interesting chemicals exoplanet atmospheres contain. George meets Professor Leigh Fletcher at the University of Leicester. When Chris met him two years ago, only one JWST image of Jupiter had been released. Now, he has data from all four of the outer planets of the solar system, and they have all thrown up surprises. JWST has revealed new jet streams on Jupiter and provided a greater understanding of its Galilean moons. Seasonal changes on Saturn have now been documented, and Uranus and Neptune have thrown up quirks that need another few years of work to understand. Chris also visits the University of Cambridge to meet Dr Sandro Tacchella, who has been part of a team looking back at some of the earliest galaxies. He explains what new light the JWST data can shed on ancient stars, and what that can reveal about how our cosmos formed after the Big Bang. Finally, our resident astronomer Pete Lawrence guides us through what there is to see in this month’s night sky, and how you too can look at some of the same targets as the James Webb Space Telescope – just not quite in the same level of detail!

S68E4 • BBC The Sky at Night • 2024 • Astronomy

50:07

In just one generation, our ability to search for planets beyond our solar system has transformed. With modern techniques and telescopes, planetary scientists have found thousands of exoplanets in our universe, and many of them have the perfect conditions for life. Are we about to find Earth’s twin?

Secrets of the Universe (Curiosity) • 2020 • Astronomy

59:31

A billion miles from home, running low on fuel, and almost out of time. After 13 years traversing the Saturn system, the spacecraft Cassini is plunging to a fiery death, becoming part of the very planet it has been exploring. As it embarks on its final assignment - a one-way trip into the heart of Saturn - Horizon celebrates the incredible achievements and discoveries of a mission that has changed the way we see the solar system. Strange new worlds with gigantic ice geysers, hidden underground oceans that could harbour life and a brand new moon coalescing in Saturn's magnificent rings. As the world says goodbye to the great explorer Cassini, Horizon will be there for with a ringside seat for its final moments.

Horizon • 2017 • Astronomy