Sky At Night May 2008

The Sky At Night is the longest running television programme in the UK, as well as being the longest running astronomy program in the world.

In its 50+ years on air (666 editions to date), host Patrick Moore has covered and continues to cover all aspects of astronomy of interest to the amateur astronomer.

He has only missed presenting one edition of the program in all that time, when he came down with a severe case of food poisoning a few years ago.

Sky at Night, May 2008: We Just Don`t Know

Sir Patrick Moore celebrates the 666th edition of the programme, discussing some of the big, still unanswered questions with a panel of experts.

Previous Sky at Night Programs:

2008

Current Program

August 2008: Double Vision
The Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona promises a revolutionary way to look at the night sky. The light from its two eight-and-a-half metre mirrors will produce images of unprecedented clarity and power, offering a glimpse beyond our solar system to the very beginning of time. Dr Chris Lintott visits Arizona to see the telescope first hand, while Sir Patrick Moore talks to the astronomers who will use it.

July 2008: Rise of the Phoenix
Patrick Moore has an update on the NASA spacecraft Phoenix's mission to Mars. After a month on the planet's surface it has sent back unique images of the frozen ice caps. Chris Lintott travels to Tucson, Arizona, from where the NASA Phoenix team are operating the lander. He finds out how the spacecraft is doing and reports on the latest discoveries from the red planet.

June 2008: Battle of the Giants
Sir Patrick Moore finds out more about our two largest gas giants - Jupiter and Saturn. Dr Chris Lintott has the latest news from the Phoenix probe on Mars.

May 2008: We Just Don't Know
Sir Patrick Moore celebrates the 666th edition of the programme, discussing some of the big, still unanswered questions with a panel of experts.

April 2008: The Sun Revealed
It's the start of a new solar cycle, and the spacecraft Ulysses faces retirement, but solar missions Stereo and SOHO are still revealing our nearest star in a new light.

March 2008: Return to the Moon
With a new era of lunar exploration dawning as more probes are launched to try to unlock the Moon's darkest secrets, Patrick Moore finds out about British ambitions to get there. Dr Chris Lintott travels to NASA to hear about plans to blast a crater in the lunar surface and and meets the astronauts who may be the next men on the Moon.

February 2008: Messenger to Mercury
Mercury is a world of extremes and enigmas - the closest one to the Sun. The spacecraft Messenger, which has just reached it after a four year journey, now offers enthralling pictures of its hidden side, which has never been seen before. Sir Patrick Moore looks at the latest images from this exciting mission, while Dr Chris Lintott looks forward to the lunar eclipse this month.

January 2008: Cosmic Debris
Patrick Moore investigates comet tails, meteorites and asteroids and discovers the terrible consequences of a cosmic collision with the Earth.

2007

December 2007: Last Man on the Moon
On the 14th of December 1972, Captain Eugene Cernan left the moon to return to Earth. He had no idea that, 35 years later, he would still be the last man to have left his footprints on the lunar surface. Dr Chris Lintott travels to the Johnson Space Centre to talk to the Commander of Apollo 17 about his memories of being on the moon.

December 2007 Special: Sputnik's Children
Dr Chris Lintott finds out how British technology is leading the way in satellite science, while Sir Patrick Moore investigates the threat from space debris that astronauts face in space.

November 2007: The Grand Collision
Sir Patrick Moore looks ahead 2 billion years when the Milky Way will collide with Andromeda, destroying stars and planets but also creating new ones.

November 2007 Special: Meteor Mania
Patrick Moore is joined by Dr Brian May and Jon Culshaw to watch the cosmic firework display known as the Perseid meteor shower.

October 2007: Jodrell Bank
Sir Patrick Moore celebrates the 50th birthday of the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, created just in time to pick up the radar signal from the satellite Sputnik. It has been at the centre of radio astronomy ever since and has been responsible for the discovery of quasars, gravitational lenses and groundbreaking research into pulsars and cosmic explosions such as supernovae. Astronomer Bernard Lovell talks about how it came to be built, despite huge engineering and financial challenges.

September 2007: Black Holes and Black Magic
Sir Patrick Moore uses magic to explain the mysteries of black holes and the wonders of the Universe.

August 2007: Robonet
The sun never rises for astronomers using Robonet, the robotic network of telescopes which spans the globe and links the cosmos directly to a laptop. These telescopes can react immediately to exotic cosmic phenomena such as gamma ray bursts, which are over in the blink of an astronomical eye. Patrick Moore takes a look at this new technological dawn for astronomy.

July 2007: A Sting in the Tail
Patrick Moore reveals how to identify the summer constellation Scorpius, one of the oldest constellations, located near the centre of the milky way.

June 2007: Home from Home
Patrick Moore finds out more about a mysterious new Earth-like planet on our cosmic doorstep that has rocked the astronomical community.

May 2007: Birthday Party
Patrick Moore hosts a party in his garden to celebrate 50 years of the Sky at Night.

April 2007: Time Lord
In an anniversary programme, Patrick Moore travels back in time to see the first recording of The Sky at Night which took place 50 years ago this month. He talks to his earlier self about astronomy back in 1957, and discusses how things have changed in half a century. He then time travels to 2057 where the 'virtual' Patrick, saved in the BBC computer, is now celebrating 100 years of making The Sky at Night and talks to Dr Brian May about the discovery of life on Mars.

March 2007: Stunning Saturn
Dr Chris Lintott advises on how best to see the loveliest of planets, whilst Sir Patrick Moore finds out the latest from the Cassini mission which is currently orbiting Saturn.

February 2007: Martian Adventures
In this special extended programme, Chris Lintott goes to the USA to investigate studies of Mars carried out by NASA, whilst Patrick Moore looks into European exploration of the Red Planet.

January 2007: Astronaut
Piers Sellers talks to Patrick Moore about life orbiting the Earth and the future of the manned space programme. Patrick also previews NASA's forthcoming rescue mission to the Hubble space telescope.