The Sky at Night S54E02 · The Spirit of Mars

Overview

Mars is the brightest thing in the sky and is at its closest to Earth for the next four years. With NASA announcing that its Martian rover Spirit is to rove no more on the red planet, there is an interview with Prof Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, about the attempts to get it out of the sand dune which ensnared it in May 2009 and the agonising decision to stop the rescue.

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Episodes

1. 1 1. Twinkle Twinkle2010-01-04January provides the perfect opportunity to observe stars, planets and galaxies. Sir Patrick Moore takes us on a tour of the winter sky, looking at twinkling 'variable stars' with
2. 2 2. The Spirit of Mars2010-02-09Mars is the brightest thing in the sky and is at its closest to Earth for the next four years. With NASA announcing that its Martian rover Spirit is to rove no more on the red plan
3. 3 3. Life2010-03-08Half a century ago, scientists were speculating about the possibility of planets outside our solar system. Since then over 400 such extra-solar planets have been discovered. Is the
4. 4 4. The Sun in Splendour2010-04-07We can never see our nearest star at night, only by day. Looking at it directly will blind us - because our nearest star is the Sun. Sir Patrick Moore is joined by the Astronomer R
5. 5 5. Ring World2010-05-04Saturn is one of the largest planets and the beautiful system of rings surrounding it makes it the most distinctive in the solar system. But how were the rings formed and what effe
6. 6 6. Star Birth2010-06-06The many star-forming areas of our galaxy are obscured by interstellar dust, but Herschel, a new space telescope, can see these areas in infrared light. Sir Patrick Moore is joined
7. 7 7. The Universe from Atlantis2010-07-05The Space Shuttle Atlantis has returned from its final flight to the International Space Station. With the shuttle fleet soon to be decommissioned, Sir Patrick Moore and Dr Chris L
8. 8 8. Monster Star2010-08-02The team look at the discovery of the brightest and most massive star to date.
9. 9 9. Events on Jupiter2010-09-07In July 2009 a large object crashed into Jupiter, and in May 2010 one of the most prominent features of the planet, the southern equatorial belt, disappeared. But where did it go?
10. 10 10. Light Echoes2010-10-05Light echoes are reflections of light from distant objects in space. But what do they look like and how can they best be seen? Sir Patrick Moore and his guests Professor Mike Bode
11. 11 11. Ghostly Travellers2010-11-08Comets are strange and exotic objects, the remnants from dead stars and the birth pangs of our solar system. Only a handful of these ghostly, celestial objects have been seen at cl
12. 12 12. The Great Bear2010-12-07Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is a rich source of galaxies, double and variable stars and the Hubble Deep Field, through which we are able to look back 10 billion years in time. Sir