BBC Radio 4 Extra

Cosmic Quest

Cosmic Quest: Episode 28: A Plethora of Planets

Factual: History

Factual: Science & Nature

Episode 28

Episode 28: A Plethora of Planets

A Plethora of Planets

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Cosmic Quest, A Plethora of Planets

How the use of infrared telescopes increased our understanding of distant planets.

Astronomer Heather Couper considers how the use of infrared telescopes increased our understanding of distant planets. From July 2008.

Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.

For centuries, people have been speculating on the origin of the Earth and other planets. As long ago as 1755 the philosopher Imanuel Kant suggested that our solar system may have been born from a rotating cloud or nebula of gas and dust. But it was not until an infrared telescope was sent into space in 1983 that astronomers began to gather images of such dusty discs around other young stars.

In 1955 Eugene Shoemaker showed that a crater in Arizona was blasted out by the impact of a large rock from space. He went on to show that most of the craters on the moon resulted from similar impacts, early in the history of the solar system. The dawn of the space age is enabling us to begin to explore the rocks in our cosmic backyard and speculate about worlds beyond.

Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy

Astronomer Heather Couper charts the history of our growing understanding of the universe and progress of astronomy.

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Cosmic Quest

Episode 28: A Plethora of Planets

Genres

Series

BBC Radio 4 Extra

About BBC Radio 4 Extra