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The Sky at Night Season 20 Episodes

13 Episodes 1976 - 1976

Episode 1

The Changing Face of Mars

The planet Mars is brilliantly visible in the sky at the moment. It has always been regarded as the one planet beyond earth upon which life might exist, and in 1976 we could find out at last.

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Episode 2

The Pole Star

Everyone has heard of the Pole Star - but how many people can find it, or know its importance? From his observatory at Selsey, Patrick Moore talks about this huge, remote sun which has served to guide navigators for so many centuries.

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Episode 3

Black Holes in Space

What is a Black Hole? Nobody can yet be sure; it may be the final state of a very massive star which has collapsed, surrounding itself with a ' forbidden zone' from which not even light can escape. Patrick investigates this mystery.

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Episode 4

The Rings of Saturn

The rings, easily visible with a small telescope, are now better displayed than they will be for some years to come. Patrick talks about Saturn and describes what the spacecraft Pioneer 11 may tell us when it by-passes the planet in 1979.

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Episode 5

The Sun and the Earth

Patrick Moore and Dr. Ron Maddison of Keele University discuss some of these lesser-known effects of the Sun on the Earth.

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Episode 6

Neutron Stars

Patrick Moore talks about pulsars to Jocelyn Bell Burnell who was involved in their discovery.

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Episode 7

Viking to Mars

To give the latest news about Viking and the search for life on Mars, Patrick Moore is again joined by Professor Geoffrey Eglinton and Dr. Garry Hunt.

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Episode 8

Viking on Mars

Patrick Moore discusses the results of this historic mission with two leading experts Professor Geoffrey Eglinton and Dr. Garry Hunt.

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Episode 9

How Far Can You See?

With the naked eye one can see 12 million, million, million miles. Patrick Moore talks about these tremendous stretches of space and time in relation to our present efforts to explore the Solar System.

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Episode 10

Viking: The End of the Beginning

Both Vikings have not only landed successfully but have sent back information which is as exciting as it is unexpected. Now that the first results have been studied, we are able to give a realistic picture of Mars.

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Episode 11

A New Look from Old Greenwich

Patrick Moore and Dr. Percy Seymour, of the National Maritime Museum explain the modern role of the Greenwich refractor, which is still the largest telescope of its kind in the British Isles.

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Episode 12

Quasars: The Remotest Objects in the Universe?

In 1963 astronomers identified Quasars - remote and luminous star-like objects. Patrick talks to Dr. Simon Mitton, of Cambridge University, about these strange objects which may well lie very close to the edge of the observable universe.

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Episode 13

The Evening Star

This winter Venus is a brilliant object in the evening sky. Patrick Moore talks about this strange planet, and describes the latest studies which confirm that Venus has a heavily cratered surface.

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