A Journey to the Edges of the Solar System
In A Journey to the Edges of the Solar System, learn all about the Voyager probes launched in 1977 that returned with exciting new images of Saturn and its rings. Data revealed that its atmosphere is made up of helium and hydrogen, a critical piece in understanding the planet’s evolution. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a documentary series hosted by Professor Brian Cox that explores the dramatic lives, formation, and unique features of the eight planets in our Solar System through stunning visuals and scientific insights.
Lesson Express
Q: What did the Voyager probes reveal about Saturn?
A: The Voyager probes provided detailed images of Saturn's atmosphere, rings, and moons. They also revealed that Saturn's atmosphere is primarily composed of helium and hydrogen, providing crucial insight into its evolutionary history.
Q: Why is the composition of Saturn’s atmosphere important for understanding the planet?
A: The composition of Saturn's atmosphere — mainly helium and hydrogen — helps scientists understand its formation and the broader processes that shape gas giants. The presence of these gases is a critical part of understanding how Saturn and similar planets evolved.
Q: How did the Voyager mission change our understanding of the Solar System?
A: The Voyager mission provided unprecedented images and data from Saturn, enhancing our understanding of its atmosphere and rings. It also marked a significant advancement in space exploration technology, allowing for far-reaching studies of distant planets and their moons.
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In 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?