The Sky at Night Season 30 Episodes

Episode 1

Our Nearest Star

How much is known about the sun? We know that it is a huge nuclear furnace that sends out electrified particles, which affect the tails of comets and much else. Patrick gives the results of the latest research into our nearest star.

Episode 2

Voyager to Uranus

30 mins

Patrick Moore is joined by the leading NASA experts to give the latest news and pictures of what Voyager 2 has to tell us about this mysterious green world of Uranus.

Episode 3

Halley's Comet: The Encounter

News from the comet comes as the Giotto spacecraft plunges deep into the glowing dust and gases of its coma. Will Giotto be destroyed by that deadly hail, or will it win through, to send back the first pictures of the mysterious object.

Episode 4

The Spring Sky

In this programme Sir Patrick Moore looks at constellations in the spring sky and presents some new pictures of Uranus.

Episode 5

The Story of Saturn

When the planet Saturn was first examined telescopically in 1610, it was believed by Galileo to be a triple world. Patrick Moore shows what can be seen this month, while Saturn is best placed, with a small telescope.

Episode 6

Halley: The End of the Tale?

Two months ago the Giotto spacecraft passed through the head of Halley's Comet. It sent back the only close-range pictures ever taken of a nucleus, and more information about comets than we ever knew before.

Episode 7

The Summer Sky

This is a favourable time for planetary enthusiasts, as all the bright planets are on view. There are also brilliant southern stars, such as the Scorpion with its red leader Antares. Patrick Moore conducts a tour of the summer sky.

Episode 8

The Death of a Star

Centaurus A is a peculiar system, crossed by a dark dust-lane. In it an Australian amateur astronomer has found a supernova - a colossal stellar outburst involving the destruction of a star. Patrick talks about this remarkable object.

Episode 9

The Innermost Planet

Having travelled to a conference in the USA to summarize what information is known about the planet Mercury, Patrick Moore returns to explain what he has learned.

Episode 10

The Furthest Depths of the Universe

Astronomers in Australia have just announced the discovery of the most remote object known to science, a quasar. Patrick Moore talks to Professor Sir Francis Graham Smith , the Astronomer Royal, about this remarkable discovery.

Episode 11

The Autumn Sky

Autumn skies may be less brilliant than those of other seasons, but there is plenty of interest. Patrick discusses the main features, with special reference to binocular observations, and gives a timetable for the eclipse of the moon.

Episode 12

The Cosmic Lawn Sprinkler

The unique object known to astronomers at SS433 looks at first sight like a dim star, but has proved to be as bizarre as anything known. Patrick Moore talks about SS433 with Dr. David Clark , co-discoverer of its extraordinary nature.

Episode 13

The Galilean Moons

Jupiter's four large satellites are known as the Galileans. In this programme Patrick Moore talks about the Galileans, and what we have learned about them from the space-missions.