From the BAFTA Best
Factual Series of 1971 a classic and visually exciting study of a supernova 'death star'.
The Crab Nebula
'The history of the Crab more closely resembles a tale of mystery and imagination than a sober scientific recital.'
When a leading physicist said this in 1961 even he could not have forecast the next ten years' twists and turns in the plot of this vintage detective story.
On a world-wide stage a series of astonishing discoveries about a single object in the sky reflect the whole of modern astronomy. The investigation begins in 1054 when Chinese astronomers recorded the cataclysmic destruction of a star the remains of which are now the Crab. It ends with a question: is this the death that makes all life possible? Narrator Paul Vaughan
A revealing insight into the work of the men and women who study the skies (DAILY TELEGRAPH) Fascinating (OBSERVER) Editor PETER GOODCHILD Written and produced by ALEC NISBETT