The biggest objects, farthest distances, and fastest speeds are made relatable through extreme physical analogies.
From the sweep of a pulsar, to the deafening roar of our boiling sun this episode explores the undiscovered soundscapes of the solar system, the galaxy, and the entire cosmos.
An exploration of Earth's cosmic neighborhood. Looking beyond the borders of our solar system, at how other objects in our local area influence life on Earth, and how Earth's place in the galaxy makes it livable.
This episode discusses the coldest places in the universe from labs on earth to super cold places in our solar system, galaxy and beyond.
The key to understanding the universe seems to be understanding its smallest components. This program explains some of the strange behavior scientists have discovered at the smallest scales.
Board a virtual space ship to travel along with a variety of comets; long and short period, sun grazers, comets masquerading as asteroids and comets still in deep freeze in the Oort cloud.
Voyage back in time to investigate the violent events that profoundly shaped the planets, including earth itself.
At 4.6 billion years old, the Solar System is our solid, secure home in the Universe. In this episode we trace the system's birth from a thin cloud of dust and gas.
We'll show what the astronauts would have to do to survive dust storms and space radiation, while extracting vital resources like water from the Martian soil itself.
Earth may seem like the most hospitable planet in the solar system. But look again. Startling new discoveries reveal the blue planet has been plagued by more chaos and destruction than scientists once imagined.
Authors, astronomers and theoretical physicists examine the different technologies that would be required to bridge the stars.
Since the dawn of civilization, humans have wondered who or what created the universe. This episode embarks on a mind-bending scientific search for God, asking physicists and theologians if supporting life is evidence of a creator.
A trip to Enceladus; Saturn's famous rings; Jupiter's Great Red Spot; the Asteroid Belt; Mount Olympus; a close encounter with the searing surface of the sun; exploring Earth.
The Red Planet has yielded up many new clues that life may have once existed there and may even exist there today.
A look at what causes a magnetic super-storm, why magnetism is so powerful and what can be done to prevent future storms.
Discover why time travel into the future is unavoidable in Einstein's world of relativity; the bizarre consequences of going into the past and altering the future; travel to the nearest star, 4.3 light years away.
In the 21st century, space probes are photographing, drilling and even sniffing new worlds in the quest for life.
The latest discoveries in the deadly world of asteroids; a recently returned Japanese spacecraft may become the first to bring an asteroid sample back to Earth; why President Obama choose an asteroid as the destination for the next mission in space.
The complex movements of the Earth, Moon and Sun that produce total eclipses, detail why we may be the only intelligent beings to witness eclipses like those on Earth.
Death stars are in the final stage of life until they explode into supernovae, and occasionally unleash the biggest blast in the universe known as a gamma ray burst; the violent ends of death stars.
How Earth without the moon would be a very different and desolate place with just four hours of sunlight, giant hurricanes that would last for months and virtually no complex life forms.
Scientists gain insights into the cosmos from objects that fall from the heavens, including asteroids, comets, meteors and space debris.
An examination of the most powerful explosions and blasts in the universe. Includes a look at the Mexico's Yucatán peninsula and the impact which caused the Chicxulub crater. Also a look at gamma rays and Big Bang Theory.
They are breathtaking, lethal and a constant source of surprise. Saturn's rings have long fascinated humans. Lesser known are the other planets that have rings - Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, possibly Pluto and Mars. Even Earth has a man made ring.
Experts come up with 10 ways the Earth could be destroyed, including swallowing it with a microscopic black hole, blowing it up with antimatter, hurling it into the sun and switching off gravity.
Exploring two kinds of star clusters in the galaxy that provide scientists with insights into the birth and formation of stars.
Outer space is already an essential part of America's ability to fight wars. From ground-based lasers to telephone-pole sized rods hurtling from space to the far out weapons of the distant future, it's time to lock and load for Space Wars.
Liquids of the universe include scalding iron rain, lakes of methane, oceans of electrified hydrogen metal and miles-high geysers.
Researchers try to turn science-fiction concepts into reality; testing a "transporter"; physicists rewrite fundamental laws of the universe.
Vast amounts of various forms of energy maintain the universe's equilibrium while creating awesome cosmic events and stellar displays.
The dangers of manned space travel include the controlled explosion of a launch, the fiery crucible of re-entry and everything in between; how a spark inside a spacecraft or a micro-meteor could cause a catastrophe; black hole; gamma rays.
Some of the world's leading physicists believe they have found evidence proving the existence of parallel universes.
Ways scientists envision breaking the "light barrier," which might be the only way travel to the stars becomes a reality; the physics of light speed.
Probing the physiological, psychological and cultural challenges of sex in space as humans move toward colonizing the cosmos; how sex issues might impact the emotional lives of astronauts.
Scientists, astrobiologists and astronomers have created five lines of extraterrestrial evolution in an effort to theorize about life forms from other planets.
NASA arms itself with the latest technology to pre-empt a cosmic collision that could threaten mankind's existence; comets, asteroids and meteors help shape the universe; mass-extinction events.
Theories about what forms homes and cities might take as mankind journeys into the cosmos; cities under glass; orbiting metropolis; hollowed-out asteroids.
New methods are coming online to help scientists scan the cosmos for Earth-like planets; the likelihood of finding life on another planet.
Discovering the most bizarre, mysterious and exotic things in the universe, including alcohol clouds floating in space, mini-black holes, pulsar planets and dark matter.
The dangers of traveling in low Earth orbit aboard a spacecraft include radiation, cosmic rays and debris; the commercial prospects of taking private citizens into orbit and aboard the International Space Station.
Cosmic events that have had helpful and harmful effects on life on Earth; the beauty of rainbows and the Aurora Borealis; the dangers of UV radiation and cosmic rays; photosynthesis; meteor showers.
Astronomers have now discovered over two hundred alien worlds, beyond our solar system, that were unknown just a decade ago.
Scientists scan the cosmos to research black holes, wormholes and white holes, where matter can disappear, be ejected, or transport to another place in space and time.
The moon captivates scientists; theories about transient phenomena; the moon influences Earth's tides; myths and mysteries.
Within the Milky Way can be found the debris of old, dying stars fueling the birth of new stars. Come along for a guided tour of 100,000 light-year-wide family of stars and stellar phenomena we call The Milky Way.
An exploration of moons surrounding planets in the solar system includes heavenly bodies that are bizarrely shaped, chemically active, volcanic or icy, and one with an atmosphere much like Earth's.
Dark matter and dark energy make up most of the universe, but scientists do not know what they are or what they portend for the future.
Astrobiologists search for life in space, combining the disciplines of astronomy, biology and geology.
Scientists pursue bizarre technologies to speed up space travel; examining the science behind the concept of warp-drive and a theoretical particle that can travel faster than the speed of light.
Highlights of some of the 88 official constellations; a star in Orion is due to explode; Polaris, the North Star; the 13th sign of the zodiac.
Myths, misconceptions and realities about the universe; whether there is water on Mars and whether it could support life; time travel; origins of the universe.
Astronomers try to gain a better understanding of cosmic collisions to learn more about how the universe was created.
Scientists examine the pros and cons of space colonization, as efforts are underway to develop technology to make Mars more habitable for humans.
Nebulae are clouds of gas that aren't classified as stars, planets, moons or asteroids. Astronomers use the most sophisticated techniques to view them since they are practically invisible to the naked eye.
Imagine a tornado so powerful it can form a planet, rain made of iron and 6,000 mile per hour winds. It maysound like science fiction, but the weather is wild in the cosmos.
Discover which is the largest planet, star, star cluster, constellation, black hole, volcano, galaxy, explosions, moon, storm, impact crater and void in space.
Scientists study gravity using space-based instruments to measure the waves of gravity sweeping across the cosmos.
Harsh realities are revealed about the future of our Universe; it may collapse and burn or it might be gripped by a galactic ice age.
Behold the sun and all of it's glory. Learn all things about the sun ranging from its beginning to its death. Also learn about how stars work in general.
NASA orbiters and rovers mapping Mars' surface may have revealed the possibility of finding life on the planet.
Asteroids, comets, gamma ray bursts and the sun all combine to make the Earth a dangerous place to live.NASA's top brass and other scientists are arming themselves with the latest technology to preempt an apocalyptic attack.
Famous for its red spot, Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system. Scientists discuss whether life could survive the swirling storms of hydrogen and helium on this gas giant.
Find out how the Earth's satellite came to be. From a god, to a compass to NASA's space exploration, its use has changed throughout history.
Bombarded with asteroids and comets, Earth survives in a violent solar system. A study of creatures that hold clues to how life began and where the water on our planet came from.
Scorched by the sun, Mercury and Venus are hostile worlds, one gouged with craters from cosmic collisions and the other a vortex of sulphur and acid rain.
With its famous rings, Saturn is the most distant planet visible from Earth to the naked eye. How did the rings get there and what secrets does Saturn hide?
Our galaxy is just one of hundreds of billions in the universe. View of universe through the Hubble telescope and go back almost all the way to the Big Bang.
This episode details outer lying planets of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and their moons. Using CGI, see what alien life might look like on other worlds.
Take a tour of the cosmic hot zones--black holes, galaxy mergers, gamma ray bursts and magnetars. Super black holes can literally lasso Earth out of the solar system.
SETI--the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence--is a privately funded project using radio telescopes and optical telescopes to scan the stars for signals.
The universe began with a massive expansion, billions and billions of years ago, and it continues to expand with every passing second.