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The Sky at Night

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Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Iconic series exploring space science and the incredible universe all around us.

Look up! Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Chris Lintott present the iconic, inspirational look at cutting-edge space science and the incredible universe all around us.

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Chris Lintott

Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Michael Lachmann

Jonathan Renouf

The Sky at Night: Mercury: The Problem Child of the Solar System

08/05/2016

Mercury: The Problem Child of the Solar System

BBC Four - The Sky at Night, Mercury: The Problem Child of the Solar System

To mark a transit of Mercury, an attempt to explain the planet's many mysteries.

To mark a transit of Mercury, an attempt to explain its mysteries. Surface temperatures exceed 450 degrees, yet it has patches of ice.

May 9 2016 sees one of the astronomical highlights of the year - a transit of Mercury across the sun, the best opportunity to observe this phenomenon until 2049. 

To mark the event, the Sky at Night attempts to explain the many mysteries of Mercury - a planet so bizarre that it is sometimes described as the 'problem child' of the solar system. Surface temperatures exceed 450 degrees but it also has patches of ice, its day is twice as long as its year, and it is a planet that appears to be shrinking.

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BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

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