The search for life on Mars continues with ever more space-probes examining the red planet. Patrick Moore is joined by Dr David Wynn-Williams who has with him a miniature spectrometer that is about to be tested in Antarctica and one day may find evidence of Martian life.
In the depths of space there are giant tornadoes of cold, dusty gas and galactic whirlpools containing thousands of millions of stars. Patrick Moore is joined by Professor Chris Kitchin to discuss how these helices of the heavens are formed and to predict the fate of our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, when it collides with the Andromeda galaxy in 3,000 million years time.
Perhaps the most familiar constellation in the night sky is Ursa Major: The Great Bear. In this programme, Patrick Moore tells the story of the bear, and its smaller companion, Ursa Minor, and shows that even in these simple constellations there are interesting objects such as double stars, nebulae and galaxies to be seen.
Patrick Moore is joined by Douglas Arnold to dispel suggestions that the Apollo Moon landings were fake, and convince us that 12 men have indeed set foot on the moon.
When the Space Age began with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, our view of the universe was very different. The far side of the Moon was still unseen, plants were thought to grow on Mars, and no rocket had escaped the gravitational pull of Earth. Since then, Man has walked on the Moon, sent robots to other worlds and probed far beyond the limits of our solar system towards the far reaches of the universe. For 45 years, The Sky at Night has charted science-fiction becoming science fact. In this special programme, Patrick Moore recalls the milestones that have changed our understanding of the Universe and our place within it.
Patrick Moore is joined by Professor Fred Watson from the Anglo-Australian Observatory to view some of the wonderful images taken by the UK Schmidt telescope. They discuss the exciting new 6dF project, offering full hemisphere spectroscopic surveys for the first time, allowing us to better understand the complex movements of our galaxy.
Patrick Moore visits Britain's newest planetarium at Chichester, where the wonders of the cosmos can be observed night and day. Dr John Mason shows him around.
Britain's foremost radio astronomy observatory at Jodrell Bank celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. Patrick Moore remembers its unique discoveries and explores the future of radio astronomy.
Photographing the night sky and capturing astronomical events is skilful, challenging, and requires lots of patience. Patrick Moore talks to John Fletcher and Dr Steve Wainwright, two amateur astro-photographers, about their pictures and techniques and launches an astro-photography competition.
In the second of this two-part special from Jodrell Bank, the Sky at Night explores the future of radio astronomy. Over the past 50 years radio astronomers have discovered quasars, pulsars and intergalactic travellers, many of which were found by Jodrell Bank. With the upgrading of the Lovell telescope and MERLIN array, radio astronomers hope they are on the threshold of new discoveries. An entirely new design of radio telescope is also being planned, with expectations that when it is built, more secrets of the Universe will be unlocked.
In the 600th edition of The Sky at Night, Sir Patrick Moore will be interviewing special guest, Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees, who will be talking about the cosmos, black holes, dark matter and explaining the new theories as to the future of the Universe and its origin.
