Wonders of the Solar System

The Sun is just one of hundreds of billion stars forming our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way is just one of hundreds of billion galaxies in the universe. And compared to the vastness of space the Sun, and the planets surrounding it, may seem of little importance.

Yet this seemingly insignificant spot in the depth of universe is full of wonders: Saturn’s rings of ice and rock, methane lakes on Titan, deep oceans under the icy crust of Europa, and storms on Jupiter lasting for several centuries. But what makes the Solar System so special is that it has managed to create something quite extraordinary: life – the greatest wonder of all.

Brian Cox, Professor of Physics at the University of Manchester, presents the secrets and wonders of the Solar System in astonishing simplicity and breathtaking imagery. In five episodes this BBC production shows our planetary neighbourhood in magnificent detail and reveals to us that it can be incredibly cruel, alarmingly hostile, choking hot and freezing cold, and yet again quite familiar and homelike.

DVD and blu-ray available: Wonders of the Solar System, BBC, 2010.