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13 Episodes 1977 - 1977
Episode 1
Sirius is now at its best in the evening sky. It is one of our nearest stellar neighbours, and is much more luminous than the sun. Patrick Moore and lain Nicolson discuss some of the questions associated with Sirius.
Episode 2
How big is the universe - and does it have a boundary? Distances on the astronomer's scale are very hard to appreciate. Patrick Moore and Dr. Ron Maddison discuss them in this programme, and explain how to describe them in everyday terms.
Episode 3
First detailed photographs of Mercury, were obtained by the space-probe Mariner 10. Maps of Mercury have been drawn from these photographs by Arthur Cross and he joins Patrick to explain how the maps were made and what they have told us.
Episode 4
Every month, since April 1957, The Sky at Night has presented the changing scene. In this 20th anniversary programme Patrick Moore discusses the past and the future with some of Britain's leading figures in astronomy.
Episode 5
Sunspots are known to increase and decrease over an 11-year cycle. Patrick and Dr. Ron Maddison discuss the possible causes of this apparent irregularity in the solar cycle, and talk about some of the other features of the sun's surface.
Episode 6
For centuries the ringed planet Saturn has been regarded as unique. This year the startling discovery has been reported that Uranus also has a system of rings - though as yet they have not been seen directly.
Episode 7
An important new telescope has been completed. It is to be set up in Hawaii, and it is not an ordinary telescope; it is designed to study infra-red radiation from space, which cannot be seen directly but is all-important in modern science.
Episode 8
Recently astronomers have found a new object in Cygnus - a star surrounded by a highly luminous disc from which planets may be in the process of formation. Patrick shows where to look for Cygnus, and describes objects on view there.
Episode 9
Patrick Moore discusses the Voyager projects with Dr. Garry Hunt of University College London, who has been involved in the planning of the missions.
Episode 10
How many people in Britain have seen the Southern Cross? It never rises over Europe, but it is familiar to those who live in the Southern Hemisphere. The stars of the south are indeed of special interest, and Patrick talks about them.
Episode 11
Astronomy is still one of the few sciences in which the amateur can play a useful part. Paul Doherty, who specialises in planetary observations, is an amateur astronomer who has built his own observatory and 16-inch reflecting telescope.
Episode 12
Patrick Moore talks about the reflecting powers of the planets and what they can tell us with Dr. Peter Cattermole of Sheffield University.
Episode 13
Patrick talks to Arthur C. Clarke, sci-fi writer, who describes himself as an armchair astronaut, and The Sky at Night welcomes the return of Michael Bentine, best known as a humorist, but who is also a serious and dedicated scientist.