In Mercury: A Planet Exposed, narrator Professor Brian Cox highlights the brutal environment of the smallest planet in our Solar System. Its small size meant Mercury didn’t have enough gravity to hang on to its atmosphere. Without the protection of even that thin line of gas, temperatures fluctuate from 842°F (450°C) during the day to -290°F (-180C) degrees at night on the rocky planet. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In From Moon to Ring: Creation of Saturn’s Rings, Professor Brian Cox explains how Saturn’s rings came to be and what scientists have learned from the Cassini mission. Learn how dynamic and dramatic Saturn’s iconic rings are and the role that gravity plays in creating its rings. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity: An Elegant Equation, narrator Kate Yule explores Einstein’s realization that a key feature of space-time is that it could bend and flex. The Sun changes space-time, which Einstein suggests is the true nature of gravity. Learn how Einstein created an equation to express the curvature of space and time. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Exploring a New Planet and Its Atmosphere: Unveiling the Mysteries of Alien Worlds, Dr. Lynn Rothschild ventures into the Atacama Desert to explore the environmental conditions of Gliese 581c, the smallest and most Earth-like exoplanet detected so far. Despite some similarities to Earth, this exoplanet is much closer to its star, which leads to significant differences in its conditions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary that explores the fascinating geology on planet Earth.
In Once a Red Planet, Always a Red Planet? The Birth of Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains how when Mars and Earth were born, they had similar atmospheres and were made of similar material, but the two planets took dramatically different paths. Learn how different Mars is from Earth, and how much Mars has changed in 4.6 billion years. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Giant Pull: Jupiter’s Effect on the Planets, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter’s movement through the early Solar System, into the inner Solar System and toward the Sun, impacted Earth and Mars, and made the planets what they are today. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Godfather of the Planets: Jupiter, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter has influenced other planets, including Earth. Learn what scientists have learned about Jupiter and its moons from the Pioneer and Voyager expeditions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In By Air or by Sea: Seed Dispersal, Ranger Hamza and the Ramblers are on a quest to find seeds, but the seeds are blowing away! Learn how different trees produce seeds that are great at getting away by blowing on the wind, being eaten by animals, and even floating away. This video is excerpted from BBC's Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest, a nature exploration show in which Ranger Hamza and the Ramblers go on quests to discover nature’s wonders and the important role they play in our environment.
In The Moon and Lunacy: Myths vs. Science, host Harith Iskander debunks myths that connect the Moon's phases to human behavior, particularly the idea of "lunacy" or madness. The Moon's gravitational pull does influence tides, but it does not have an effect on the water in our bodies, despite common myths. Learn about the Moon’s gravitational force and its real effects on Earth, as well as the science that dispels these longstanding myths. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
In Slingshotting Through Space: Exploring Uranus and Neptune, Professor Brian Cox explains why Uranus and Neptune are so difficult to reach, and how the Voyager expedition took advantage of a planetary event that happens every few hundred years to speed through space so we could get a glimpse of these distant planets. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Brian Cox’s Adventures in Space and Time, a series that seeks to explain our place in the Universe. Professor Brian Cox looks back on decades of discovery and toward the next frontier in space, pondering the question: What’s next?
In Mercury: A Planet Exposed, narrator Professor Brian Cox highlights the brutal environment of the smallest planet in our Solar System. Its small size meant Mercury didn’t have enough gravity to hang on to its atmosphere. Without the protection of even that thin line of gas, temperatures fluctuate from 842°F (450°C) during the day to -290°F (-180C) degrees at night on the rocky planet. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In From Moon to Ring: Creation of Saturn’s Rings, Professor Brian Cox explains how Saturn’s rings came to be and what scientists have learned from the Cassini mission. Learn how dynamic and dramatic Saturn’s iconic rings are and the role that gravity plays in creating its rings. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity: An Elegant Equation, narrator Kate Yule explores Einstein’s realization that a key feature of space-time is that it could bend and flex. The Sun changes space-time, which Einstein suggests is the true nature of gravity. Learn how Einstein created an equation to express the curvature of space and time. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Exploring a New Planet and Its Atmosphere: Unveiling the Mysteries of Alien Worlds, Dr. Lynn Rothschild ventures into the Atacama Desert to explore the environmental conditions of Gliese 581c, the smallest and most Earth-like exoplanet detected so far. Despite some similarities to Earth, this exoplanet is much closer to its star, which leads to significant differences in its conditions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary that explores the fascinating geology on planet Earth.
In Once a Red Planet, Always a Red Planet? The Birth of Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains how when Mars and Earth were born, they had similar atmospheres and were made of similar material, but the two planets took dramatically different paths. Learn how different Mars is from Earth, and how much Mars has changed in 4.6 billion years. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Giant Pull: Jupiter’s Effect on the Planets, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter’s movement through the early Solar System, into the inner Solar System and toward the Sun, impacted Earth and Mars, and made the planets what they are today. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Godfather of the Planets: Jupiter, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter has influenced other planets, including Earth. Learn what scientists have learned about Jupiter and its moons from the Pioneer and Voyager expeditions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In By Air or by Sea: Seed Dispersal, Ranger Hamza and the Ramblers are on a quest to find seeds, but the seeds are blowing away! Learn how different trees produce seeds that are great at getting away by blowing on the wind, being eaten by animals, and even floating away. This video is excerpted from BBC's Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest, a nature exploration show in which Ranger Hamza and the Ramblers go on quests to discover nature’s wonders and the important role they play in our environment.
In The Moon and Lunacy: Myths vs. Science, host Harith Iskander debunks myths that connect the Moon's phases to human behavior, particularly the idea of "lunacy" or madness. The Moon's gravitational pull does influence tides, but it does not have an effect on the water in our bodies, despite common myths. Learn about the Moon’s gravitational force and its real effects on Earth, as well as the science that dispels these longstanding myths. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
In Slingshotting Through Space: Exploring Uranus and Neptune, Professor Brian Cox explains why Uranus and Neptune are so difficult to reach, and how the Voyager expedition took advantage of a planetary event that happens every few hundred years to speed through space so we could get a glimpse of these distant planets. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Brian Cox’s Adventures in Space and Time, a series that seeks to explain our place in the Universe. Professor Brian Cox looks back on decades of discovery and toward the next frontier in space, pondering the question: What’s next?