Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Chris Lintott visit the Van Gogh Immersive Experience to seek inspiration in one of the world’s most famous works of art, Starry Night. How can we mitigate the effects of light pollution so that the beauty of the night sky captured by Van Gogh might be preserved in the real world for future generations?\n\nImages and data from satellites have made it easy for us to visualise the extent of the growing effects of light pollution around the world, but speaking with Professor Kevin Gaston from the University of Exeter, Chris discovers that our current estimates show that global light pollution could be much worse than past data suggests. Without satellites capable of analysing the light emitted from the now-popular bluer LED lighting, he estimates that the true levels of light pollution could be around 200% more than was previously thought. Kevin and Chris discuss how light pollution is not just a problem for astronomers but can have devastating effects on animal behaviour and human health.\n\nPete Lawrence visits one of the few places in the UK where you might still be able to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way. In Moore’s Reserve, named after Sir Patrick Moore, Pete meets up with Dark Skies Officer and South Down National Park ranger Dan Oakley, whose public outreach and passion for astronomy helped to get Dark Sky Reserve status for the area. Together they talk about the way towns and cities might change to help create more dark sky areas for the public to enjoy. \n\nIn contrast, atop Television Centre in London - one of the country’s brightest cities – Chris joins the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers under a bright city night sky. The group demonstrate some tips and tricks to show us that, no matter where you are, you can still view and image some spectacular night sky objects. \n\nAnd finally, Maggie looks at the latest risk to clear views of the night sky, mega-constellations and how satellite streaks that were once a novelty and easy to avoid are now becoming a nuisance to researchers and astronomers in many disciplines. Speaking to Tim Stevenson from the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, they discuss how mega-constellations disrupt radio telescopes that rely on a particular waveband to help their research of everything from galaxy formations and the chemical markers of life in the universe.
Source: BBC 4
Ancestral Skies
This month, The Sky at Night teams up with BBC Ideas to discover the secrets of archaeology and astronomy and to reflect on our ancestral skies. \n\nThroughout history and acros ...
14-11-2024
BBC 4
Question Time Special
Get ready for The Sky at Night’s annual Question Time Special, where viewers get the opportunity to ask the questions they have always wanted answered about our universe.\ ...
08-10-2024
BBC 4
2075: Our Place In Space
The Sky at Night is embarking on a journey into the future as we explore how space will revolutionise life on Earth over the next 50 years. As humanity's reach extends into the ...
11-09-2024
BBC 4
Nicky, Nasa And The Next Frontier
In this Sky at Night special, the team talk to Dr Nicola Fox, NASA’s head of science, whose life began in the UK.\n\nPresenter Chris Lintott chats to Nicky about her early ...
15-08-2024
BBC 4
Webb Telescope: The Story So Far
In July 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope released its first images. They were visually stunning, and it was clear they provided more detail of stars, galaxies and planets th ...
11-07-2024
BBC 4
Cosmic Ghosts
This month, The Sky at Night has a spooky twist. Across the universe, there are hidden objects that we can’t see, but astronomers and scientists still believe they’r ...
13-06-2024
BBC 4
Hiding In Starlight
Total solar eclipses, like the one seen last month in North America, allow us to see details of the Sun that can’t be seen at any other time. So, this month, The Sky at Ni ...
16-05-2024
BBC 4
Space Rock Return
The Sky at Night is back for a brand new series, and this month it is delving into Nasa’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which last year brought back a sample from the near-Earth ast ...
11-04-2024
BBC 4
The Sky At Night Meets The Infinite Monkey Cage
In this special episode to mark the end of another season of The Sky at Night, we team up with Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage to talk all things amateur astronomy. Joi ...
16-11-2023
BBC 4
Impacts
The team looks at the cosmic impacts which have shaped the universe around us, from asteroids crashing into the surface of the moon to galaxies colliding with each other.
15-06-2014
BBC 4
Webb Telescope: The Story So Far
In July 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope released its first images. They were visually stunning, and it was clear they provided more detail of stars, galaxies and planets th ...
11-07-2024
BBC 4
Telescope On A Plane!
Telescope on a Plane!\n\nIn this special programme, the Sky at Night takes to the air on board the largest airborne observatory in the world – a specially modified jumbo j ...
09-12-2018
BBC 4
The Uk Space Race
The Sky at Night team investigates the incredible science and engineering helping the UK to blast into space. We are now one of the biggest satellite building nations in the wor ...
15-06-2023
BBC 4
Will An Asteroid Destroy Earth?
The Sky at Night team explores the threat of an asteroid impact on earth. Around 2,300 asteroids have been identified as ‘potentially hazardous’, and it’s tho ...
18-05-2023
BBC 4
The Hunt For Et
Are we alone? Geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford seeks to define what life is and Maggie Aderin-Pocock explores our chances of finding it in the universe.
14-09-2014
BBC 4
Death Star
One evening in early September 1859, a spectacular blood-red aurora borealis appeared across America. Earlier that same day, in a leafy garden in the UK, a gentleman astronomer ...
16-08-2018
BBC 4