2008

The Earth is bombarded by extra terrestrial material every day, but what is this cosmic debris? Sir Patrick Moore investigates comet tails, meteorites and asteroids and discovers the terrible consequences of a cosmic collision with the Earth. Also, the latest stunning images from Mars Express.

Star-gazing documentary series. Mercury is a world of extremes and enigmas - the closest one to the Sun. The spacecraft Messenger, which has just reached it after a four year journey, now offers enthralling pictures of its hidden side, which has never been seen before. Sir Patrick Moore looks at the latest images from this exciting mission, while Dr Chris Lintott looks forward to the lunar eclipse this month.

With a new era of lunar exploration dawning as more probes are launched to try to unlock the Moon's darkest secrets, Patrick Moore finds out about British ambitions to get there. Dr Chris Lintott travels to NASA to hear about plans to blast a crater in the lunar surface and and meets the astronauts who may be the next men on the Moon

It's the start of a new solar cycle, and the spacecraft Ulysses faces retirement, but solar missions Stereo and SOHO are still revealing our nearest star in a new light.

Astronomy. Sir Patrick Moore celebrates the 666th edition of the programme by asking cosmologists exactly how much we know about the Universe.

As NASA, along with the European Space Agency, plan a return mission to either Jupiter or Saturn, two prominent astronomers discuss which planet we should return to. The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn are magnificent and mysterious worlds, surrounded by moons which still perplex the astronomers with their strange appearance and incredible diversity. Europa, Jupiter's moon, offers the best chance yet of finding life elsewhere in our solar system, while Saturn's moon Titan, with its complex organic chemical lakes and a shore line uncannily like Cornwall, is now believed to be like the primeval Earth.

The NASA mission Phoenix has been on Mars a month and already there are images of the frozen ice caps, never before seen from a spacecraft on the Martian surface. Dr Chris Lintott travels to Tucson, Arizona, from where the NASA Phoenix team are operating the lander. He finds out how the spacecraft is doing and reports on the latest discoveries from the red planet.

The Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona promises a revolutionary way to look at the night sky. The light from its two eight-and-a-half metre mirrors will produce images of unprecedented clarity and power, offering a glimpse beyond our solar system to the very beginning of time. Dr Chris Lintott visits Arizona to see the telescope first hand, while Sir Patrick Moore talks to the astronomers who will use it.

Sir Patrick Moore looks at the results of the Galaxy Zoo project, a website which sorts the galaxies of the Universe into spirals and ellipticals, which has been recorded by volunteers of the general public. Dr Chris Lintott talks to a Dutch schoolteacher who made a unique discovery whilst participating in the project.

Sir Patrick Moore hosts an autumn equinox party in his garden and talks to Dr John Mason about what to look for in the night sky at this time of year.

The world of astronomy. Gamma ray bursts are some of the largest explosions in the universe, and Sir Patrick Moore discovers how some of these monstrous events mark the spectacular deaths of the first stars. Also, Dr Chris Lintott visits the NASA Phoenix team fo find out the latest from the Mars Polar explorer.

Patrick Moore wonders if there is life beyond Earth, while Chris Lintott spends the night with the giant Keck Telescope and meets alien hunter Dr Jill Tarter from SETI.