Heads Up - Seven Ages of Starlight

[Treeden]

Tonight 9pm - 10:30pm BBC4

This has been on before but I thought I’d post a quick heads up because I found it very interesting, informative and entertaining and anyone who hasn’t seen it might enjoy it too.

Rob

From the tv guide:

Leading scientists including solar physicist Dr Helen Mason and astronomer Dr Francisco Diego explain the story of the stars, revealing how they have transformed man's understanding of the universe and helped to shape life on Earth. The programme reveals the part the celestial bodies have played in the evolution of the cosmos, from so-called red giants awaiting to explode to supernovae and black holes. Narrated by Rupert Graves.

A Star is born. Stars are born in the vast clouds of dust and gas that lurk in deep space – some of the coldest, darkest places there are. It’s a process that can take millions of years, but every day, somewhere, a new star lights up. Just how this happens is a chain of events studied by Professor Serena Viti.

Adulthood. This is the prime of a star’s life, and the phase that our own Sun is in – just like 90% of all the other stars in the sky. While from Earth the Sun looks like a perfect golden orb, the scientists who know it better, like Dr Helen Mason, have uncovered it isn’t nearly as serene as it seems.

Red Giants. Dr Robin Catchpole has tracked the development of some of the largest, most bloated stars in the Universe: red giants. Stars so puffed up they’re almost coming apart at the seams. Their story reveals the fate of our own Sun, and of planet Earth itself.

White Dwarfs. When white dwarfs were first discovered their incredible density baffled astronomers. A whole new form of physics – quantum mechanics – had to be invented before scientists could even begin to make sense of them. Professor John Ellis describes them as retired stars, cluttering up the Universe.

Supernovae. Professor Alex Filippenko is a Supernova Hunter. As stars live their lives over millions or billions of years we don’t see them change. The exception is if a star goes supernova – these rare explosions can brighten dramatically over the course of just one night. They’re the deaths of the most massive stars, but they also hold the key to the composition of the Universe.

Neutron stars. The first evidence for neutron stars was a strange repetitive signal from outer space – one so unexpected that the team that picked it up even considered aliens as its source. The sender turned out to be the equivalent of a cosmic lighthouse: a type of neutron star called a pulsar. Professor Douglas Leonard specialises in studying these stellar tombstones, and the most ones mysterious of all... black holes.

Black holes. Scientists believe black holes to be the ultimate end to a star. It is complete destruction by gravity. It is to some extent a theory, but Professor Douglas Leonard thinks he’s seen the creation of one of these mysterious objects in space. Some scientists even suspect that black holes could hold a key to understanding the creation of the Universe itself.

[JB80]

It's about time we upgraded satellite dishs I think.

I really miss the BBC and can't watch all these heads up.

[Watchman]

set to record, cheers for the heads up

[JamesF]

Includes a nice demo of the Herzsprung-Russell diagram by Francisco Diego. It's not the best programme I've ever seen, but worth a watch.

James

[Treeden]

It's about time we upgraded satellite dishs I think.

I really miss the BBC and can't watch all these heads up.

Sorry you won't be able to watch it Jarrod, but you can also find it on You Tube so all is not lost.

[madsarmy]

Thanks for the heads up.

I deleted it by mistake about three weeks ago. I nearly went into a mad rage when I realised what I'd just done. I can calm down now

[simmo39]

Thanks for heads up. Just got in and got it on record.