In Discovering a Habitable Planet, Professor Stephane Udry and his team use the most powerful planet detection instrument in the world, located deep in the desert of Chile. By observing distant stars and detecting subtle wobbles caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets, they discovered Gliese 581c, a potentially habitable planet similar in some ways to Earth.
In Studying the 581 Planetary System, researchers explore the potential habitability of the planets in the Gliese 581 system. Gliese 581c is considered too hot to support life due to a runaway greenhouse effect, but Gliese 581d may have a chance. Its distance from the star and the potential for a warming greenhouse effect give it the possibility of sustaining life. Learn about the factors that make a planet habitable, such as atmosphere, temperature, and distance from its star.
In The Fate of Mars Is Tied to the Sun, Professor Brian Cox explains how Mars went from being full of water to a barren desert. Learn why the Sun is so important for the planets that orbit it, including Mars and Earth. 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 Unique Mating Habits of the Kobudai, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the unique mating habits of the kobudai, a species whose largest females can change sexes. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In How Earth's Extreme Environments Are Helping Scientists Search for Habitable Worlds, astrobiologist Louisa Preston explores how life in extreme environments on Earth can provide clues for finding life on Mars. Scientists believe that if life can survive in Earth’s harshest conditions, similar life could exist on Mars. This exploration not only advances our search for life on Mars but also helps us better understand the origins of life on Earth and may lead to future innovations in space exploration.
In How Rare Is Our Planet?, Dr. Lynn Rothschild explains the delicate balance that makes Earth unique. She focuses on the habitable zone — the perfect distance from the Sun that allows liquid water to exist allowing life to thrive. This exact positioning results in a tiny wobble in the star, which makes it extremely challenging to find another planet with conditions similar to Earth’s.
In Exploring a New Planet and Its Atmosphere, 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 The Key to Finding Life on Other Worlds, Dr. Sean Raymond uses computer simulations to search for the potential of water — and, therefore, life — on other planets. These simulations show how planetary systems evolve over millions of years, often resulting in planets in the habitable zone with water. This discovery not only enhances our understanding of the conditions for extraterrestrial life but also highlights the possibility of finding Earth-like planets in distant star systems.
In Discovering a Habitable Planet, Professor Stephane Udry and his team use the most powerful planet detection instrument in the world, located deep in the desert of Chile. By observing distant stars and detecting subtle wobbles caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets, they discovered Gliese 581c, a potentially habitable planet similar in some ways to Earth.
In Studying the 581 Planetary System, researchers explore the potential habitability of the planets in the Gliese 581 system. Gliese 581c is considered too hot to support life due to a runaway greenhouse effect, but Gliese 581d may have a chance. Its distance from the star and the potential for a warming greenhouse effect give it the possibility of sustaining life. Learn about the factors that make a planet habitable, such as atmosphere, temperature, and distance from its star.
In The Fate of Mars Is Tied to the Sun, Professor Brian Cox explains how Mars went from being full of water to a barren desert. Learn why the Sun is so important for the planets that orbit it, including Mars and Earth. 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 Unique Mating Habits of the Kobudai, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the unique mating habits of the kobudai, a species whose largest females can change sexes. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In How Earth's Extreme Environments Are Helping Scientists Search for Habitable Worlds, astrobiologist Louisa Preston explores how life in extreme environments on Earth can provide clues for finding life on Mars. Scientists believe that if life can survive in Earth’s harshest conditions, similar life could exist on Mars. This exploration not only advances our search for life on Mars but also helps us better understand the origins of life on Earth and may lead to future innovations in space exploration.
In How Rare Is Our Planet?, Dr. Lynn Rothschild explains the delicate balance that makes Earth unique. She focuses on the habitable zone — the perfect distance from the Sun that allows liquid water to exist allowing life to thrive. This exact positioning results in a tiny wobble in the star, which makes it extremely challenging to find another planet with conditions similar to Earth’s.
In Exploring a New Planet and Its Atmosphere, 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 The Key to Finding Life on Other Worlds, Dr. Sean Raymond uses computer simulations to search for the potential of water — and, therefore, life — on other planets. These simulations show how planetary systems evolve over millions of years, often resulting in planets in the habitable zone with water. This discovery not only enhances our understanding of the conditions for extraterrestrial life but also highlights the possibility of finding Earth-like planets in distant star systems.