Journey back to the beginning of history on a mind-blowing
adventure through space and time.
Using stunning HD graphics, The Universe returns in Season Four
to transport viewers past the wonders of our own solar system and
out to the bizarre far-flung reaches of the cosmos. From death
stars to ringed planets, star clusters to space wars, The
Universe uses new discoveries and more advanced CGI to help
explain the mysteries of outer space. From wormholes to
transporters, examine which elements from popular sci-fi movies
could really exist; and discover how the universe is awash in all
sorts of strange liquids, from oceans of methane to blobs of
alcohol floating in space, and even iron rain. Watch and marvel
as experts cook up ten ways to destroy the Earth, including
blowing it up with anti-matter, hurling it into the Sun, and
colliding with another galaxy.
Episodes:
Death Stars - Explore the threats to Earth from supernovas, gamma
ray bursts, and stars that collide.
The Day the Moon Was Gone - Everyone knows that the Moon controls
our tides, but did you know that if the moon disappeared, Earth
would spin much faster, giving us a shorter day, winds would blow
stronger and longer, and life on our planet would be doomed?
It Fell from Space - Every year, dozens of objects, both natural
and manmade, plummet through our atmosphere and c into the
Earth. These messengers from the sky provide scientists with
amazing ins into the natural phenomena of the cosmos.
Explore the mystery of these objects, some of which have turned
out to be pieces of Mars.
Biggest Blasts - The universe is full of explosions that both
create and destroy. This is a countdown of the biggest, most
powerful blasts to rock the cosmos.
The Hunt for Ringed Planets - What are the physics that form the
amazing phenomenon of planetary rings? From Saturn to Neptune (a
little known fact: it has rings that were only recently
discovered) and out into the realm of extrasolar planets, we
explore the science behind the most beautiful planets in the sky.
10 Ways to Destroy The Earth - Our experts cook up ten ways you
could destroy the Earth including: swallowing it with a
microscopic black hole, blowing it up with anti-matter, hurling
it into the Sun, and colliding with another galaxy.
The Search for Cosmic Clusters - They are some of the largest
structures in the universe, huge gatherings of millions, or even
billions, of stars in either globular or open clusters. But how
are these clusters born? What keeps them together? And, what
could tear them apart?
Space Wars - The first s of World War III will likely be
fired in outer space. How will the physics beyond our atmosphere
govern the future of warfare? Will lasers and phasers replace
machine s and missiles? And are rival nations already waging
battles in space, targeting each other’s satellites, and using
low earth orbit as a way to deliver warheads?
Liquid Universe - On alien planets, they rain from the sky as
scalding iron. On distant moons, even at hundreds of degrees
below zero, they slosh around in pristine lakes of methane. They
can cover entire planets in miles-deep oceans of electrified
hydrogen metal. Or erupt on alien worlds through miles-high
geysers. They churn in the interiors of dead stars and even our
own planet. They're so rare in the universe, they almost don't
exist, but these are the magical liquids of our Liquid Universe.
Pulsars & Quasars - They sort of sound like the same phenomenon,
but Pulsars and Quasars are very different. Pulsars are
tiny--only a few miles across--but they spin as fast as a kitchen
blender and sweep the sky with beacons of radiation that make
them appear to flash on and off. They have unbelievably strong
magnetic fields, are more accurate than atomic clocks...and they
can even tell aliens just where to find the Earth! Quasars are at
the other end of the spectrum. Quasars are huge cores of galaxies
with black holes that are called "monsters" and which spit lobes
of radiating called "DRAGNs."
Science Fiction / Science Fact - Warp speed, transporters,
wormholes and lasers--they are all stes of science fiction
books, movies, and TV shows. While scientists have long mocked
Hollywood's visions of warp speed and faster-than-light travel as
prohibited by Einstein's laws, a new generation of physicists
continues to rewrite the fundamental rules of the universe. Is
there a way around the cosmic speed limit?
Extreme Energy - Ours is a universe of energy, from powerful jets
ejected from black holes to the raw nuclear fury of our Sun. But,
the total a of energy in the universe maintains perfect
equilibrium--no more can be added or taken away. Because of this,
there are enormous as of energy being
transferred...electric, thermal, kinetic and magnetic energy are
just a few that keep our universe balanced--and create awesome
cosmic events and stellar displays.
Stills from The Universe: Season 4 (Click for larger image)
