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The Sky at Night Season 33 Episodes
Season 33 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 1989 - 1989
Episode 1
Mysteries of the Winter Sky
The winter sky is magnificent, with Orion dominant and Jupiter and Mars visible. Patrick Moore takes a look round the winter sky and discusses some curious mysteries.
Episode 2
Icebergs and Crouching Giants
How many galaxies are there? It now seems that there are many more than believed, some so dim they are barely visible, so that we are seeing only 'the tip of the iceberg'; others so compact, that they have been mistaken for stars.
Episode 3
Cosmic Lighthouses
Pulsars are among the most bizarre objects in the universe. Astronomers have been waiting to see whether the supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, seen in 1987, will produce a pulsar. Dr. Paul Murdin discusses with Patrick Moore.
Episode 4
Observing from La Silla
High in the Andes mountains of Chile lies one of the world's major observatories, La Silla, with its 15 telescopes. Conditions there are ideal, far better than anywhere in Europe. Patrick visits La Silla and talks to the astronomers there.
Episode 5
Exploring the Ultraviolet Sky
The IUE or International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite was launched in 1978. It had an estimated lifetime of three years, but it is still operating, and has revolutionised our whole understanding of the stars.
Episode 6
Telescopes for the 90s
New generation astronomical telescopes are entirely different from those of the past. Dr. Ron Maddison talks about this new revolution in telescope making.
Episode 7
The Curious Little World of Pluto
This autumn Pluto reaches its closest point to the sun, and Patrick Moore takes the opportunity to sum up what is known about this curious little world.
Episode 8
Eclipse of the Moon
The eclipse of the Moon, due on the early morning of 17 August, will be well seen from all over Britain. Patrick Moore talks about the eclipse, and H. J. P. Arnold explains how to take good photographs of it with an ordinary camera.
Episode 9
Observing from the Atacama
The Atacama Desert of Chile is an exceptionally good site for astronomers; three major observatories have been set up there. One (La Silla) was visited earlier this year. Patrick Moore visits the other two, Cerro Tololo and Las Campanas.
Episode 10
Neptune: Voyager's Last Planet
Voyager 2 has now passed Neptune, sending back remarkable new information about this distant planet. Patrick Moore and guests summarise what has been discovered.
Episode 11
The Making of an Astronomer
Do you want to become a professional astronomer? If so, you will need a proper qualification. One of the leading courses for would-be professional astronomers is at Birmingham University. Patrick Moore goes there to visit school staff.
Episode 12
The Bull in the Sky
Patrick talks about Taurus the Bull, one of the most interesting objects in the winter night sky. It contains one brilliant star, two beautiful star clusters and much else.
Episode 13
Voyager's Grand Tour
In 1977 Voyager 2, the most ambitious of all space-craft, was launched toward the outer planets. Patrick Moore sums up what Voyager has told us, and goes on a grand tour of the outer solar system.
