Strip the Cosmos - Season 1

First aired: 11/12/2014 6 episodes

Episodes

1. Secrets of the Black Hole

Aired: 11/12/2014

Black holes are nature's ultimate abyss, capable of swallowing up a star the size of our Sun in seconds. There are millions of them out there, too dark to see, but gobbling up everything that gets too close. More frightening still, there is one at the center of the Milky Way - our galactic home. But is there more to a black hole than just darkness? This film looks at these menaces in a new light, to discover that they are not only destroyers - they are vital anchors for the planets and stars in galaxies like our own. Stunning CGI animation strips away the event ...

2. Inside the Sun

Aired: 11/19/2014

The Sun is a nuclear inferno, its surface raging with violent eruptions. Huge plasma storms eject electromagnetic debris across the solar system, with up to 20 threatening Earth every day. Dark spots on the surface indicate that an eruption is brewing, but once we've seen them, the race is on - a giant solar storm could be heading straight for Earth. The US Air Force shows us how they keep the skies safe by warning astronauts and rerouting pilots to avoid blasts of radiation. But where does all the Sun's power come from? This film delves inside this gas goliath to ...

3. Killer Asteroids

Aired: 11/26/2014

Asteroids are constantly threatening Earth, with thousands lurking too close to our planet for comfort. We travel to Arizona to meet the team who spend every night scanning the heavens for asteroids that could threaten earth, and reveal how scientists test an intense laser beam they hope could one day deflect an asteroid away from Earth. But is there more to these deadly space rocks than the next Armageddon? At NASA we see astronauts train in weightless conditions for the first manned mission to an asteroid, and discover how asteroids could become cosmic gas stations ...

4. Expedition Mars

Aired: 12/3/2014

Mars has been a tough training ground, with half the missions sent there ending in failure. Swirling dust storms, deadly radiation, and arctic temperatures await the first, pioneering, astronauts. Despite the dangers, space agencies around the world race to launch the first human mission. So why explore this seemingly cold, barren wasteland? Mars was once a lot like earth. This film visits ancient riverbeds, polar ice caps, and giant volcanic regions, to find out what went wrong for this alien planet. Stunning CGI animation will sweep up Martian dust storms, dive

5. Alien Worlds

Aired: 12/10/2014

Alien worlds are out there. Astronomers now think almost every star has planets orbiting around it, creating billions of different environments in deep space. Weird bacteria exist in the most extreme places on Earth, there's no reason why life shouldn't thrive elsewhere. How will we find life elsewhere in the universe? Diving into the deepest depths of our galaxy in search of the places life could be hiding. Stunning CGI animation cracks open frozen moons blasting ice into space, reveals hidden oceans, and unveils the bizarre worlds where mountains are made of ...

6. Hunting a Comet

Aired: 12/17/2014

Comets appear from nowhere and then blaze across the sky in a magnificent display of cosmic fireworks before disappearing into the darkness. This film reveals our extraordinary relationship with comets, exploring how these icy dirt balls may actually hold the key to all life on Earth. Stunning CGI animation tears open the comet to reveal the secrets locked inside its nucleus. We travel back in time to witness the early earth and the storm of meteor impacts that could have brought the water to its oceans. While they may pose a threat to life on earth, Comets could also...