Episode guide
The Sky at Night: 1989
13 episodes · premiered Jan 15, 1989
TMDB has no overview for this season.
- Episode 1: Mysteries of the Winter Sky Jan 15, 1989 The winter sky is magnificent, with Orion dominant; this year there are also two of the brilliant planets, Jupiter and Mars. But there are puzzles to solve, too. For example, why was…
- Episode 2: Icebergs and Crouching Giants Feb 12, 1989 How many star systems or galaxies are there? It now seems that there are many more than has been believed - some of them so dim that they are barely visible, so that we are seeing only…
- Episode 3: Cosmic Lighthouse Mar 12, 1989 Pulsars are among the most bizarre objects in the universe. They are very small, amazingly dense and spinning round rapidly. Astronomers have been waiting to see whether the supernova in…
- Episode 4: Observing from La Silla Apr 9, 1989 High in the Andes mountains of Chile lies one of the world's major observatories, La Silla, with its 15 telescopes. Conditions there are ideal - far better than anywhere in Europe. In this…
- Episode 5: Exploring the Ultraviolet Sky May 13, 1989 The IUE or International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite was launched in 1978. It had an estimated lifespan of three years, but it is still operating and has revolutionised our whole…
- Episode 6: Telescopes for the 90s Jun 4, 1989 New generation astronomical telescopes are entirely different from those of the past. They have different types of mountings; their main mirrors are made in a new way, and in some cases…
- Episode 7: The Curious Little World of Pluto Jul 2, 1989 Pluto is the smallest of the planets, and also one of the most puzzling. It is so far from the sun that it takes almost 248 years to complete one orbit; it is made up of a mixture of rock…
- Episode 8: Eclipse of the Moon Jul 30, 1989 The eclipse of the Moon, due on the early morning of 17 August, will be well seen from all over Britain (clouds permitting). It is a fascinating spectacle; slowly the Earth's shadow creeps…
- Episode 9: Observing from the Atacama Aug 20, 1989 The Atacama Desert of Chile is an exceptionally good site for astronomers; three major observatories have been set up there. One (La Silla) was the subject of a Sky at Night programme…
- Episode 10: Neptune - Voyager's Last Planet Sep 10, 1989 Voyager 2, launched in 1977, has already passed by the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, all of which have provided plenty of surprises. Voyager has now passed Neptune, sending…
- Episode 11: The Making of an Astronomer Oct 15, 1989 Do you want to become a professional astronomer? If so, you will need a proper qualification. One of the leading courses for would-be professional astronomers is at Birmingham University…
- Episode 12: The Bull in the Sky Nov 12, 1989 Patrick Moore talks about Taurus the Bull, one of the most interesting objects in the winter night sky. It contains one brilliant star, two beautiful star clusters (one of which, the…
- Episode 13: Voyager's Grand Tour Dec 10, 1989 In 1977 Voyager 2, the most ambitious of all space-craft, was launched toward the outer planets. Since then it has surveyed Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in turn, and has sent back…