Episode guide
The Sky at Night: 1980
13 episodes · premiered Jan 10, 1980
TMDB has no overview for this season.
- Episode 1: Mapping the Sky Jan 10, 1980 How many people know the meaning of terms such as ' right ascension' and ' declination '? And what exactly is the celestial sphere? Mapping the sky presents problems different from those…
- Episode 2: Saturn: The Disappearing Rings Feb 7, 1980 Saturn is generally regarded as the most beautiful object in the sky, but this year it has an unusual appearance. For the first time since 1966 the rings are edgewise-on to the Earth, and…
- Episode 3: The Man Who Discovered a Planet Mar 20, 1980 Exactly 50 years ago, in 1930, the planet Pluto was discovered by a young research student named Clyde Tombaugh. Since that time Pluto has set puzzle after puzzle. It is smaller than…
- Episode 4: The Multiple Mirror Telescope Apr 17, 1980 On the summit of Mount Hopkins, in Arizona, is the world's most revolutionary observatory, containing the multiple mirror telescope. Instead of one great mirror, there are six all working…
- Episode 5: Journey to the Centre of the Galaxy May 13, 1980 What lies at the centre of our galaxy? Are there masses of brilliant stars, or is there something even more significant, such as a Black Hole which is swallowing up any stars which move…
- Episode 6: Kitt Peak Observatory: the Solar Telescope Jun 10, 1980 The Solar Telescope ' Kitt Peak, in Arizona, is America's national observatory. One of its most important instruments is the ingeniously-designed telescope used for studying the sun…
- Episode 7: Quasars Jul 10, 1980 What are the quasars, which may be close to the edge of the universe as seen from Earth? Are they made up of exploding stars, or are they the centres of galaxies in which great outbursts…
- Episode 8: The Mapping of Venus Aug 6, 1980 In December 1978 America's Pioneer Venus I reached its target. Since then it has been orbiting Venus, and mapping the planet's surface by means of radar. Venus is not the kind of world it…
- Episode 9: Meteor Crater Sep 4, 1980 In Northern Arizona there is a vast hole in the desert, almost a mile across and 600 feet deep, known as Meteor Crater. It was blasted out in prehistoric times by a huge iron meteorite…
- Episode 10: Autumn Equinox Oct 1, 1980 Patrick Moore , with the aid of a sundial at his Selsey home, explains why equinoxes occur, and shows how the seasons of the year vary, due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. Other planets…
- Episode 11: The Scintars Oct 28, 1980 In the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, there is a faint star known rather unromantically as SS433. Lately, however, it has proved to be very unusual. Probably the result of a…
- Episode 12: Voyager I Reaches Saturn Nov 20, 1980 After a journey of over three years, Voyager 1 has reached Saturn-800 million miles from Earth. Last year the spacecraft bypassed Jupiter and sent back the most spectacular images ever…
- Episode 13: The Quadrantids Dec 7, 1980 Meteors or shooting stars are familiar objects in the night sky. Several times during the year showers of meteors occur. One of them, known as the Quadrantid shower, will be at its maximum…