Stars: A Matter of Life and Death
The Sky at Night team explore the life and death of stars, including the dimming of Betelgeuse and the drawings that pre-date the telescope but which can predict solar activity.
The Sky at Night team explore the life and death of stars. Chris Lintott investigates the strange dimming of Betelgeuse, which caused some speculation that it might be about to explode into a supernova. And Maggie Aderin-Pocock reports on the recent discovery of the biggest and brightest supernova ever observed.
Lucie Green discovers how historical drawings that pre-date the invention of the telescope are helping us to predict solar activity, and Pete attempts to photograph our very own star, the Sun.
The team also pay tribute to pioneering astronomer Margaret Burbidge, who died on 5 April 2020 at the age of 100, whose work led to the understanding that we are all made of stardust.
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Clips
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Spotting Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE in July and August
Duration: 07:08
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Venus' Ring of Fire
Duration: 02:16
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Noctilucent Clouds
Duration: 01:12
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Starguide: July 2020
Duration: 04:57
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:00Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Beecham
At The Castle Gate From Pelleas and Melisande (The Sky At Night) (1955)
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Chris Lintott |
| Presenter | Maggie Aderin-Pocock |
| Presenter | Pete Lawrence |
| Presenter | Lucie Green |
| Executive Producer | Steve Crabtree |
| Series Producer | Toby Macdonald |
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