Episode 1

In the most ambitious series to date, Brian Cox and Dara O Briain are back at Jodrell Bank Observatory, in the first of three live shows with the latest news and the best views of the night sky.

This time the team have taken on an astonishing challenge - to capture one of the top highlights of the solar system - the mysterious and elusive northern lights. But will the lights reveal themselves? Liz Bonnin reports live from within the Arctic Circle, joining aurora researchers in northern Norway, who will help her unravel the secrets of this eerie spectacle.

Brian and Dara have the very latest weather reports from around the solar system. They welcome celebrated NASA scientist Dr Carolyn Porco, who shares some of the most jaw-dropping pictures of the solar system ever beamed back to Earth: Saturn's gigantic storms and baffling hexagonal clouds taken by the Cassini probe.

Dara witnesses the launch of a new NASA mission to Mars, while resident stargazer Mark Thompson chases clear skies to show the best of what there is to see above the UK.

And if the January weather is not for you, you can help the team search for undiscovered galaxies from the comfort of your own living room.