The Sky at Night S23E01 · Venus Explored

Overview

In December, six American and two Russian space-craft reached Venus. With its dense atmosphere, its searing hot surface and its clouds of deadly sulphuric acid, this strange planet is overwhelmingly hostile; but it is of tremendous interest. Patrick Moore and Dr Garry Hunt talk about the findings of the space-ships, and discuss what will happen next in the exploration of Venus.

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Episodes

1. 1 1. Venus Explored1979-01-10In December, six American and two Russian space-craft reached Venus. With its dense atmosphere, its searing hot surface and its clouds of deadly sulphuric acid, this strange planet
2. 2 2. The Man who Mapped the Nebulae1979-02-05All astronomers know of the catalogue of star-clusters and nebulae compiled 200 years ago by Charles Messier ; and ' hunting the M objects' is a favourite amateur pastime. Tonight
3. 3 3. Is Life on Earth Unique?1979-03-08Most scientists believe that intelligent life is common in the Universe. But the creation of life requires special conditions, which could be much less frequent than is usually tho
4. 4 4. The Space Between the Stars1979-04-04Is space empty? Astronomers used to think so, but it is now known that there is a tremendous amount of material spread between the stars. Even complex molecules are found there. Th
5. 5 5. Voyager to Jupiter1979-05-02When Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter in March of this year, it sent back results which surprised even the space-planners. The famous Red Spot was shown as a huge whirling storm, while
6. 6 6. Looking at the Weather from Space1979-05-30'Is it going to rain today?' 'Will it be a sunny weekend? ' The British are famous for discussing the weather. Its vagaries are part of our lives, and we all watch the forecasts.
7. 7 7. X-Rays from Space1979-06-27On 2 June the new all-British satellite, Ariel 6, was put into orbit more than 600 km above the earth's surface. Like its highly successful predecessor, Ariel 5, one of its main ta
8. 8 8. Voyager 2 Reaches Jupiter1979-07-24Voyager 2, the latest Jupiter probe, made its rendezvous with the Giant Planet on 9 July. Following the outstanding success of its predecessor, Voyager 1, the results were expected
9. 9 9. The Zodiac1979-08-21Aries, the ram ... Taurus, the bull ... Gemini, the twins ... These are three of the constellations of the Zodiac, the belt stretching round the sky in which the Sun, the Moon and
10. 10 10. Pioneer to Saturn1979-09-19The American probe Pioneer II. which by-passed the planet Jupiter in 1974, made the closest approach to Saturn on 1 September 1979. after a journey which has taken it right across
11. 11 11. Observing the Sun1979-10-18From the country, the skies are dark and the stars shine out brilliantly, but city-dwellers can never see the stars well. Fortunately the Sun can be studied telescopically, and at
12. 12 12. The Message of Starlight1979-11-22Not all stars are alike: some are red, some yellow and some white. These different colours show their different temperatures, and by using spectroscopes it is possible to find out
13. 13 13. UFOs - fact or fantasy?1979-12-11Patrick Moore and Michael Bentine discuss UFOs - fact or fantasy? What are the unidentified flying objects which have been so much in the news in recent years? Are they spacecraft