The Universe: Season 6

From DocuWiki

[edit] General Information

Science Documentary hosted by Erik Thompson, published by History Channel in 2011 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

The Universe: Season 6 SEASON 6 of the pioneering series THE UNIVERSE takes viewers further than ever, to the extreme edges of our solar system where chaos and catastrophe bring epic drama to the planets - including some of the most horrifying days on Earth. Through stunning CGI, witness the birth pangs of the solar system, shocked into existence by a nearby supernova, and enduring over 700 million years of brutal bombardment by deadly asteroids; colossal cataclysms that shaped the planets and transformed their climates forever; and startling new scientific discoveries revealing a hellish history of continuous devastation on Earth. And travel to the system's very fringes to explore the possibility that the Sun has an evil twin, a monstrous star known as Nemesis suspected of causing every mass extinction in Earth's history. In signature cutting-edge style, THE UNIVERSE features astounding NASA footage and the opinions of leading astrophysicists to probe even more deeply into the billion-years-old story of the world beyond Earth.

[edit] Catastrophes that Changed the Planets

The planets of our solar system have experienced epic catastrophes throughout their long history, both raining down from outside and bubbling up from within. We'll voyage back in time to investigate the violent events that profoundly shaped the planets, including earth itself. We'll witness stunning revelations about what transformed Mars into a barren, hostile desert.

[edit] Nemesis the Suns Evil Twin

Could there be a monstrous, undiscovered star orbiting our own Sun? Could it be scattering killer comets throughout our Solar System like clockwork every 26 million years? New scientific surveys are probing the edges of our Solar System--a realm populated by giant worlds and mysterious planetoid--hunting for Nemesis, the Sun's purported evil twin.

[edit] How the Solar System was Made

At 4.6 billion years old, the Solar System is our solid, secure home in the Universe. But how did it come to be? In this episode we trace the system's birth from a thin cloud of dust and gas. Shocked by a nearby supernova, the pull of gravity and natural rotation spun it into a flat disc from which the Sun and planets coalesced.

[edit] Crash Landing on Mars

What might happen if the first manned mission to Mars crashes hundreds of miles from the rocket that would take them back home? Could they survive the crash, and travel across the brutal Martian surface to their home ship? We'll show what the astronauts would have to do to survive dust storms and space radiation, while extracting vital resources like water from the Martian soil itself.

[edit] Worst Days on Planet Earth

Earth may seem like the most hospitable planet in the solar system. But look again. Startling new discoveries reveal the blue planet has been plagued by more chaos and destruction than scientists once imagined. Stand on the Earth billions of years ago as a primitive planet slams into it. Shiver as our entire globe is frozen over like a gigantic snowball. Feel the heat as mammoth volcanoes scorch the landscape and darken the sky. From a cosmic gamma ray burst frying away the ozone layer to an Everest-size asteroid slamming into the ocean, we'll reveal new information...

[edit] God and the Universe

Since the dawn of civilization, humans have wondered who or what created the universe. Religion offers a spiritual answer, but do the latest discoveries in physics show evidence of a transcendent intelligence, or simply that the laws of physics by themselves could have led to the universe in which we live? This episode embarks on a mind-bending scientific search for God, asking physicists and theologians if the seemingly miraculous way the universe has been calibrated to support life is evidence of a creator...whether string theory will eventually be able to rule out the existence of God...why Stephen Hawking says the universe could have been created spontaneously...and how an advanced civilization in another universe could have conceivably created our own.

[edit] UFO the Real Deal

Many argue that flying saucers and other extra-terrestrial space ships continuously visit the earth. If that were true, what kinds of technologies would such alien spacecraft require? And do eyewitness reports of UFO sightings jibe with modern theories of how interstellar travel might be possible? Authors, astronomers and theoretical physicists weigh in with the blueprints for inertia-canceling devices, nuclear-powered craft, antimatter propulsion systems and even warp drives. Based on Einstein's theories and countless scientific studies, we'll find out how these visitors might bridge the vast distances between the stars. And if they could survive such hazardous journeys, are they flesh and blood or intelligent machines?

[edit] How Big How Far How Fast

Push the limits of your imagination as astronomers attempt to grasp the mind-boggling extremes of size, distance and speed within our universe by bringing them down to earth. In this episode, our cast uses awesome analogies to bring the biggest objects, farthest distances and fastest speeds down to earth. To truly understand the scale of the cosmos, we jump behind the wheel of monster trucks, scale the Golden Gate Bridge, and race across the desert in a rocket-powered car.

[edit] Our Place in the Milky Way

An exploration of Earth's cosmic neighbourhood. Looking beyond the borders of our solar system, what's nearby in our galaxy? How do the other objects in our local area influence life on Earth? And, how did Earth's place in the galaxy make it the perfect place for the development of advanced life?

[edit] Alien Sounds

What does the Universe sound like? From the sweep of a pulsar, to the deafening roar of our boiling sun this episode explores the undiscovered soundscapes of the solar system, the galaxy, and the entire cosmos. And, is it true that in space nobody can hear you scream?!? Our scientists reveal that there are places in the Universe that prove this sci-fi statement wrong.

[edit] Deep Freeze

There really are ice worlds like Hoth from Star Wars. In this episode, we explore icy planets and moons, discover the role of cold in the Universe, and learn about the importance of ice to the development of habitable worlds.

[edit] Microscopic Universe

“Shrinking down billions of times, into the realm of atoms and sub-atomic particles, takes us into a strange unexplored world.”
From outer space we travel to inner space for an intriguing look at the very small. Most of this episode deals with quantum physics and the potential applications in computer science. Image a particle that can be many places at the same time and communicate changes instantly across vast distances, even to the other side of the Universe. That’s what we’re exploring in this episode.

[edit] Ride the Comet

“Chart a daring course with comets, the cosmic time travellers of the skies.”
The episode gives us a pretty good primer on what comets are and how they behave. Much of the episode has us following a fictional future spacecraft that follows the long journey of a comet as it goes around the sun. Of course, these guys won’t resist showing us some of the devastation that comet collisions with Earth might bring, or have brought.

[edit] When Space Changed History

“A maverick group of scientists is on a quest to defy mainstream science and prove that human history was rocked with catastrophic moments when space changed history.” This group of folks believe that comet strikes have happened many times on Earth. The episode particularly focuses on some Biblical events these guys believe were the result of these comet strikes. The Noah flood is one of the prominent examples explored here. This stuff is pretty controversial and highly interpretive.