Cosmic Vistas

Meteorites slicing across the sky introduce us to another component of the solar system – asteroids and comets. The series concludes with a tantalizing glimpse of the alien worlds that lie far beyond our solar system and a recognition that another new horizons now beckons.

The moons orbiting the giant planets are shaping up to be a fascinating scientific inquiry. Europa, Titan, Io and more: exemplifying the spectacular diversity within our own solar system, they may also offer our best chance for finding alien life in our solar system.

The gas giants of the outer solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune represent a very different kind of planet, with exotic atmospheres, liquid interiors and even rings. Looking beyond, to the outer fringe of our solar system where Pluto resides, we may find the history of the solar system preserved in a deep freeze.

Thanks to a fleet of advanced spacecraft in orbit and on the surface of the red planet, a new portrait of Mars is emerging. As we look more closely at the multitude of puzzles written into the Martian terrain and the water locked within it, we are able to consider the prospects for a human presence.

Mercury offers us a look at a solid world and the forces that shape it. Venus tells an even more complex story, but the story of life on these rocky shores ends with our own planet - Earth. The moon, our silent partner, is our closest neighbor in space and the keeper of some of our oldest secrets.

For the first time since man explored new continents on Earth, the human race is once again on the edge of discovery. This time our sights are set on unlocking the secrets of our solar system – starting with the Sun – the most brilliant and dangerous location we can explore.

Computer simulations are helping us see what it's like to fly over other worlds and how galaxies interact over millions of years.

The northern lights are more than just beautiful. They tell us about the make up of our planet, our sun, and may even be a signpost for the possibility of life on other planets.

High in the mountains and far removed from the light pollution of big cities, the Atacama Desert in Chile provides some of the best views on earth of the night sky. Advanced telescopes gather images that rival, and sometimes surpass the Hubble Space Telescope.

In the world of astronomy, how do we overcome the limits imposed by our own eyesight? The universe comes alive by viewing the cosmos in infrared light to gamma radiation.

Gigantic telescopes of the future with multiple mirrors working in unison like the Spitzer Space Telescope, will see further than the Hubble Space Telescope, and possibly get our first pictures ever of another planet than can support life as we know it.

Thanks to a dramatic repair mission, the Hubble Space Telescope has another chance to capture more stunning pictures like only it can.

Mars sparks our curiosity like no other planet because it is so reachable. Despite having landed there, most of the information we gather is still done by instruments in the planet's orbit.

For more than 25 years the shuttle was our ticket to space, and our laboratory in orbit. Uncover the legacy of this amazing machine, and see what lies ahead.

Gravity has long been a force that has intrigued scientists. Now, for the first time scientists are probing to detect gravity waves in space as well as mapping the gravity patterns of the moon

They key ingredient to life in the universe is water. Until recently we thought Earth was the only place in the solar system to have any water at all. Now that probes are peering around nearby worlds we are finding that is just not the case.

With the Dawn missions exploration of the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, asteroids are a hot topic. See what these incredible missions have uncovered.

Saturn is the second largest planet and has an astonishing 60 moons in its orbit. Thanks to the Cassini mission, it's also one of the most studied and most photographed planets in our neighborhood.

This episode takes a look at Landsat 8, the advanced planetary explorer with a 900 million dollar price tag. It is designed to peer across multiple wavelengths to reveal complex and ever-changing details that are undetectable by the human eye.

The Fermi Paradox asks the ultimate question: Given a few reasonable assumptions about the chance of life arising elsewhere in the universe and the distance between the stars, why has an alien civilization not presented itself?

Cosmic rays can tell us much about the universe. They are not simply another form of light, but carriers of information about powerful and unseen processes at work thousands or even millions of light years away.

Mercury is one Earth's closest neighbors, but for centuries it eluded astronomer's best efforts to learn its secrets. But that has changed thanks to missions like Mariner and most recently, Messenger.

This episode traces our view of the Milky Way, from the mythology of ancient sky watchers to the efforts of scientists to map it from the inside out.

Throughout history, our nightly view of the universe has fueled our collective imagination. When it comes to the Big Bang, not even the most creative work of imagination can rival what science has revealed about the birth of the universe.

Explore answers to an age-old question: was the universe made just for us? Hear what science has to say about the “anthropic principle,” whether the world was created in a way that compels life to exist, and the possibility of a multiverse.

Take an intimate look at the real lives of stars and what they’re made of. Find out why these celestial bodies appear in different colours, what their temperature reveals about their composition, and how stars create matter.

More than just celestial spectacles, lunar and solar eclipses reveal a great deal about Earth. Find out what we can learn about our planet when it plays hide-and-seek with the sun and moon.

We can’t see it, but dark energy is thought to be a main force shaping the universe. View the latest work to reveal the mysteries of this phenomenon, including a dark energy camera and telescope that will search for it in the movement of galaxies.

A closer look at constellations reveals more than just star shapes that represent gods travelling across the heavens. Dive deep into these star clusters to uncover beautiful nebulas and galaxies that are billions of years old, among other surprises.

For decades, orbiters and tiny vehicles have roamed Mars, searching for signs of life. Get the latest scoop from Curiosity, a car-sized Mars rover with an impressive arsenal of scientific tools.