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The Universe Season 6 Episodes
Season 6 Episode Guide
7 Episodes 2011 - 2011
Episode 1
Catastrophes that Changed the Planets
Tue, Oct 25, 201145 mins
The planets of our solar system have experienced epic catastrophes throughout their long history, both raining down from outside and bubbling up from within. We'll voyage back in time to investigate the violent events that profoundly shaped the planets, including earth itself. We'll witness stunning revelations about what transformed Mars into a barren, hostile desert...The disaster that changed Venus from temperate to hellish...The impact that blew away Mercury's mantle, turning it into a planetary core...A colossal disturbance that rearranged the orbits of the gas giants...Titanic impacts on Jupiter...And how a lost moon may finally explain Saturn's rings.
Episode 2
Nemesis: The Sun's Evil Twin
Tue, Nov 1, 201145 mins
The theory of a Nemesis star that orbits the sun and causes catastrophic events every 26 million years is explored.
Episode 3
How the Solar System was Made
Tue, Nov 8, 201145 mins
At 4.6 billion years old, the Solar System is our solid, secure home in the Universe. But how did it come to be? In this episode we trace the system's birth from a thin cloud of dust and gas. Shocked by a nearby supernova, the pull of gravity and natural rotation spun it into a flat disc from which the Sun and planets coalesced. It all happened in the space of 700 million years, during which the planets jockeyed for position, dodging the brutal bombardment of deadly asteroids and setting into the neat, stable system that we now realize might be a rarity in the universe.
Episode 4
Crash Landing on Mars
Tue, Nov 22, 201145 mins
What might happen if the first manned mission to Mars crashes hundreds of miles from the rocket that would take them back home? Could they survive the crash, and travel across the brutal Martian surface to their home ship? We'll show what the astronauts would have to do to survive dust storms and space radiation, while extracting vital resources like water from the Martian soil itself. It's a dramatic vision of the very near future, where survival can depend on pre-industrial technology and human ingenuity.
Episode 5
Worst Days on Planet Earth
Tue, Nov 29, 201144 mins
Earth may seem like the most hospitable planet in the solar system. But look again. Startling new discoveries reveal the blue planet has been plagued by more chaos and destruction than scientists once imagined. Stand on the Earth billions of years ago as a primitive planet slams into it. Shiver as our entire globe is frozen over like a gigantic snowball. Feel the heat as mammoth volcanoes scorch the landscape and darken the sky. From a cosmic gamma ray burst frying away the ozone layer to an Everest-size asteroid slamming into the ocean, we'll reveal new information about how these unparalleled events drove life to the brink of total extinction. Out of this continuous devastation, how has our planet--and life--got to where it is today? Are the worst days behind us--or lurking in the distant future?
Episode 6
UFO: The Real Deal
Tue, Dec 13, 201145 mins
The enterprising alien who wants to visit Earth faces a number of daunting challenges. This program examines the advanced technologies he would need with an emphasis on concepts for interstellar travel humans are exploring.
Episode 7
God and the Universe
Tue, Dec 20, 201145 mins
"The Universe" explores where the universe came from and whether a creator had a hand in making it. As scientists learn more about the universe our ideas about exactly what God made (the earth, the universe, the multi-verse even nothing but empty space) have come into question. But we always seems to be left with something new that a creator had to make to get things going.
