The Sky at Night S28E06 · Cooking the Elements

Overview

Most astronomers believe that the universe began with a big bang, perhaps 15,000-million years ago, and that all the familiar elements have since been built up out of the original hydrogen by being 'cooked' inside stars which have long since exploded. Patrick Moore talks to Dr John Beckman of Queen Mary College about these early days of the universe, and how it has developed.

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Episodes

1. 1 1. The Winter Sky1984-01-08Winter is perhaps the best time for star-gazing; the nights are long and dark. Also the winter constellations, led by Orion the Hunter, are brilliant. Patrick Moore talks about the
2. 2 2. At the Castle Gate1984-02-05British astronomy has always been in the forefront of research. This is still true today, though the largest optical telescopes have been moved to sites with better climates, such
3. 3 3. Venus Unveiled1984-03-11For the past few months Venus has been a brilliant object in the morning sky. Though we cannot see through its dense, unbreathable atmosphere, space probes have sent back remarkabl
4. 4 4. The Secret Lives of the Stars1984-04-01The stars are suns; they have tremendously long lives, but they do not exist for ever. In this programme Patrick Moore and Heather Couper trace the stories of some typical stars wh
5. 5 5. New Life for Solar Max1984-04-29In February 1980 the Americans launched an important artificial satellite - Solar Max, designed to study the sun. After nine months it developed serious faults. Recently a daring r
6. 6 6. Cooking the Elements1984-05-20Most astronomers believe that the universe began with a big bang, perhaps 15,000-million years ago, and that all the familiar elements have since been built up out of the original
7. 7 7. A Night with the INT1984-06-10The Isaac Newton Telescope at the new observatory at La Palma, in the Canary Islands, is now ready for use. Patrick Moore has been there taking part in one of the first sets of obs
8. 8 8. Missions to Comets1984-07-15Interest is growing as Halley s Comet continues to draw in toward the sun. Already there have been trial runs in observing the much fainter Crommelin's Comet, and of course several
9. 9 9. The Orange World of Titan1984-08-19Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one of the most remarkable bodies in the solar system. With its dense orange clouds and its nitrogen atmosphere it may have a deep ocean made up of
10. 10 10. Shells Around the Stars1984-09-17Do other solar systems exist? Information from the infra-red astronomical satellite, IRAS, indicates that they may well do so. Many stars - some of them similar to our sun - have b
11. 11 11. Once Upon a Time1984-10-14What is only 100 years old? What were the French finally forced to accept? And why do King Charles II, Sir Isaac Newton, Captain Cook, Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovel, the Great We
12. 12 12. Reflection Nebulae1984-11-18There is a tremendous amount of material spread thinly between the stars. If a star happens to pass into a cloud of denser gas and dust, it will illuminate it to produce a reflecti
13. 13 13. Forgotten Constellations1984-12-09Most people can recognise the major constellations such as Orion the celestial hunter, Hercules, Perseus, the Great Bear and others. But more constellations have been proposed from