The planet Mars is brilliantly visible in the sky at the moment. It has always been regarded as the one planet beyond earth upon which life might exist, and in 1976 we could find out at last.
Everyone has heard of the Pole Star - but how many people can find it, or know its importance? From his observatory at Selsey, Patrick Moore talks about this huge, remote sun which has served to guide navigators for so many centuries.
What is a Black Hole? Nobody can yet be sure; it may be the final state of a very massive star which has collapsed, surrounding itself with a ' forbidden zone' from which not even light can escape. Patrick investigates this mystery.
The rings, easily visible with a small telescope, are now better displayed than they will be for some years to come. Patrick talks about Saturn and describes what the spacecraft Pioneer 11 may tell us when it by-passes the planet in 1979.
With the naked eye one can see 12 million, million, million miles. Patrick Moore talks about these tremendous stretches of space and time in relation to our present efforts to explore the Solar System.
Both Vikings have not only landed successfully but have sent back information which is as exciting as it is unexpected. Now that the first results have been studied, we are able to give a realistic picture of Mars.
Patrick Moore and Dr. Percy Seymour, of the National Maritime Museum explain the modern role of the Greenwich refractor, which is still the largest telescope of its kind in the British Isles.
In 1963 astronomers identified Quasars - remote and luminous star-like objects. Patrick talks to Dr. Simon Mitton, of Cambridge University, about these strange objects which may well lie very close to the edge of the observable universe.
This winter Venus is a brilliant object in the evening sky. Patrick Moore talks about this strange planet, and describes the latest studies which confirm that Venus has a heavily cratered surface.