The Sky at Night - Season 63 / Year 2019
Season 63 / Year 2019
Episodes
Beyond Pluto
On 1 January 2019, Nasa's New Horizons probe notched up another historic first: the first ever Kuiper belt fly-by. Its target was 2014 MU69, a chunk of ice and rock about four billion miles (approximately 6.4 billion kilometres) from Earth, dubbed Ultima Thule, a Latin phrase meaning a distant, unknown region. It is the most distant fly-by in history, and it is believed the data New Horizons gathers will shed new light on the solar system's early days. Chris Lintott reports from the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland to bring the latest news and pictures from this extraordinary mission.
Is Cosmology in Crisis?
Ever since we discovered that distant galaxies are racing away from us, there has been a heated debate over just how fast the Universe is expanding.
At the beginning of the 21st century, we thought we knew the answer. But now, two very different viewpoints have emerged. And they are dividing the scientific community.
The Sky at Night meets leading astronomers and cosmologists on both sides of the debate. Which team has the right answer? Or could both
teams be right? If so, we may need to rethink everything we think we know about the Universe.
Marsquake!
Marsquake! This month's episode follows Insight, NASA's latest mission to the Red Planet, as it goes in search of the secrets buried deep below Mars's surface. By listening for tremors caused by Marsquakes and meteor strikes, scientists hope to reveal how the planet was formed, why its fate was so different from the Earth and whether the planet is dead or alive.
The programme also says a heartfelt goodbye to Opportunity, the rover that explored the surface of Mars for more than 14 years until it was engulfed by a dust storm last year.
Supermassive Black Hole
This month, the Sky at Night team reveals how the first picture of a supermassive black hole was captured. When the photograph of the hole at the heart of the M87 galaxy was released in April, it captured the world's imagination and made headlines everywhere.
Chris Lintott reports from behind the scenes, meeting the scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope who worked for a decade to capture the image. And Maggie Aderin-Pocock reveals the mysterious and terrifying power of this astonishing cosmic phenomenon.
Return to The Moon
In the first of two programmes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings, the Sky at Night team take a look at the latest plans to return to the Moon. Recently, China, Israel and India have all sent major missions to the Moon. The Europeans and Americans are planning to build a space station in permanent orbit around the Moon. And NASA has just announced that they plan to land astronauts on the Moon's surface within five years. It all suggests that we are on the verge of a new golden age in lunar exploration.
The Moon, the Mission and the BBC
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo mission to put a man on the moon, The Sky at Night looks back through the archives to tell the story of how the BBC reported the moonshot, with some very special guests. Scientist John Zarneki discusses the huge scientific and engineering challenge. The first British astronaut, Helen Sharman, reveals just how accurate the predictions and preparations for life in space were. And writer and broadcaster James Burke - who reported the whole amazing story at the time - explains why Nasa loved the BBC and how he gained access to the command module for an episode of Tomorrow's World.
Space Mission Special
Only a handful of missions are sent into space every decade, but how do we decide which missions are cleared for launch and which are grounded?
This month the Sky at Night goes behind the scenes as the European Space Agency select their next F-class mission, scheduled to be launched in 2028. And we meet the British teams vying to have their ideas selected, including a revolutionary mission to a comet.
Alien Worlds
It is not just our sun that is circled by planets. In recent years, astronomers have found over 4,000 planets circling stars other than our own. The Sky at Night team investigates what we know about these alien worlds and looks at how we have managed to detect them.
Professor Chris Lintott visits the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh to see a cutting-edge camera designed to take pictures of exoplanets. And Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock talks to experts about the continuing hunt for alien worlds and, even, alien moons.
Meanwhile, Pete Lawrence sticks to hunting for planets in our own backyard, looking for Neptune and explaining what is meant when a planet is said to be in opposition.
Question Time
A one-hour special in which The Sky at Night team face a live studio audience to answer their questions about the mysteries and wonders of the universe.
Rosetta: The Comet's Tale
The Rosetta mission to comet 67P was the first time a spacecraft landed on a comet's surface. What has this icy body taught us about the dawn of the solar system and the origins of life on earth?
Review of the Year
Looking back on the major stories of the year - from the New Horizons mission to the most distant world we have ever visited to the release of the first-ever picture of a black hole. The team relive the highlights and uncover the latest developments.
Recently Updated Shows
Wild Cards
Wild Cards follows the unlikely duo of a gruff, sardonic cop and a spirited, clever con woman. Ellis, a demoted detective, has unfortunately spent the last year on the maritime unit, while Max has been living a transient life elaborately scamming everyone she meets. But when Max gets arrested and ends up helping Ellis solve a local crime, the two are offered the opportunity to redeem themselves, with Ellis going back to detective and Max staying out of jail. The catch? They have to work together, with each using their unique skills to solve crimes. For Ellis, that means hard-boiled shoe leather police work; for Max, it means accents, schemes and generally befriending everyone in sight, while driving Ellis absolutely nuts. Against the backdrop of beautiful Vancouver — with all its unique, charming, and even contradictory neighbourhoods and subcultures — the two will have to learn what it means to trust another person and maybe actually become partners.
America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen is filmed in a real, working test kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook's Illustrated magazine and the Monday-to-Friday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, food scientists, tasters, and cookware specialists.
Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots
Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots is a television drama from the prolific writer, director and producer Tyler Perry. The show follows the complicated dynamic between the rich and powerful Cryer family and the hired help who work in their opulent Savannah, Georgia, mansion.
From the outside, the Cryers are the enviable face of success and wealth, but behind the veil, the family's dysfunction threatens to destroy their world of privilege. Cryer family patriarch Jim Cryer (John Schneider) is a powerful judge whose double life, including tawdry affairs with high-priced escorts, puts his family and political ambitions at risk. His wife, Katheryn Cryer (Renée Lawless), is the ultimate matriarch, portraying a loving and dutiful wife, but she is willing to do anything to protect her family's status. Their son, Wyatt (Aaron O'Connell), is a troubled, angry jock who cares little for his own image and finds himself in and out of rehab. His sister, Amanda (Jacyln Betham), a struggling law student, tries harder to live up to her parents' expectations but unknowingly has befriended a scurrilous young woman, Candace Young, with the power to ruin the entire family.
Coronation Street
Step onto the cobbles for all the drama, secrets and unforgettable moments from the world's longest running TV soap.
Will Trent
In Will Trent Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta's overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.