Secrets of the Sun with Dara Ó Briain

Secrets of the Sun with Dara Ó Briain (2024- )

RunningDocumentary show

Dara Ó Briain embarks on a journey of discovery, exploring our relationship with the Sun.

Network
Scheduleevery Tuesday, Wednesday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Episode 2
Season 1Episode 260 min

Episode 2

While the Sun is critical to life, looks can also be deceiving. In this episode Dara is going to explore how our solar system's star has a darker side.

Dara's journey takes him to Space City, Houston. Here he meets ex-NASA astronaut Colonel Terry Virts a former commander on board the Space Shuttle. Terry got skin cancer because of the Sun and explains that monitoring the Sun's energy is extremely important to astronauts.

In Houston, Dara is invited to the central hub of NASA, the Johnson Space Centre to meet the scientists behind the Space Radiation Analysis Group. This is where NASA monitors solar flares, ejections from the Sun that can head towards the earth. They also discuss the so-called ‘Bermuda Triangle of Space' – the South Atlantic Anomaly – an area in space the Sun makes so dangerous that satellites and even the International Space Station need to power down when travelling through it.

Monitoring the Sun is critical, and Dara next explains that there are numerous missions from many countries across the world sending spacecraft to study the Sun at close quarters.

Dara's journey ends in the South of France, where he witnesses the Sun's extraordinary power first hand, at the world's largest solar furnace. Here, solar power is concentrated in huge amounts in order to generate power, and astrophysicist Dr Orlagh Creevey reveals how there's so much power generated it can vapourise rock.

Orlagh reveals this is actually much like how the story of our Sun will end. Our star will turn into a ‘Red Giant' and completely engulf the Earth. There is absolutely nothing we can do about this – it is the natural life cycle of a star. The Sun – the giver of life – will one day destroy us.

 

Jul 17, 2024

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E02Episode 2Jul 17, 2024
S01E01Episode 1Jul 16, 2024
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

View all cast

Characters

View all characters

Also known as

  • Wonders of the Sun with Dara O'Briain

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Doc
Running

Doc

Doc centers on the hard-charging, brilliant Dr. Amy Larsen, Chief of Internal and Family Medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis. After a brain injury erases the last eight years of her life, Amy must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she's treated, colleagues she's crossed, the soulmate she divorced, the man she now loves and the tragedy that caused her to push everyone away. She can rely only on her estranged 17-year-old daughter, whom she remembers as a 9-year-old, and a handful of devoted friends, as she struggles to continue practicing medicine, despite having lost nearly a decade of knowledge and experience.

Boston Blue
Running

Boston Blue

In Boston Blue, NYPD Detective Danny Reagan takes a position with Boston PD. Once in Boston, he is paired with Detective Lena Silver, the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.

GenreDrama, Crime
FROM
Running

FROM

FROM unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down. In season two, hidden truths about the nature and terrifying origins of the town begin to emerge, even as life for its residents is plunged into chaos by the arrival of mysterious newcomers.

Brilliant Minds
Running

Brilliant Minds

Inspired by the extraordinary life and work of world-famous author and physician Oliver Sacks, Brilliant Minds follows a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier - the human mind - while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.

For All Mankind
Running

For All Mankind

Imagine a world where the global space race never ended. This thrilling "what if" take on history from Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) spotlights the high-stakes lives of NASA astronauts and their families.