The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide
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- Episode
- Other Worlds
- Broadcast Info
- 2007 (29 mins)
- Description
- We report from the summit of an extinct volcano at La Palma in the Canary Islands, home to some hugely impressive telescopes. The SuperWASP Telescope could probably fit in your shed at home but it holds the key to finding ‘exoplanets’ - worlds outside our solar system! In Haute Provence we meet the men who made headlines around the world when they discovered the very first exoplanet. Then we visit California and a lab with a difference - this one gives birth to baby planets inside a virtual universe. We learn that observers have spotted something odd happening on the Moon - could it be a gasp for life? We see the amazing discoveries on two of Saturn’s Moons - Titan and Enceledus - and learn about a hidden frozen sea on Mars. Finally we catch up one of NASA’s key planet hunters to learn more about future planets for tracking down other Earths!
La Palma Canary Islands telescopes SuperWASP Telescope exoplanets Haute Provence virtual planetary births in a virtual universe life on the Moon Saturn’s moons Titan Enceledus Mars frozen sea planet hunters - Genre
- Science; Astronomy; Cosmology
How to cite this record
The Open University, "The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/7762 (Accessed 11 Jan 2025)