Wonders of the Solar System

BBC Two Northern Ireland (Analogue)

Professor Brian Cox paints a breathtaking picture of the wonders of the solar system.

In this spellbinding series Professor Brian Cox visits the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the solar system.

Wonders of the Solar System: Original Series: Episode 1: Empire of the Sun

Episode 1

Episode 1: Empire of the Sun

Original Series

Empire of the Sun

BBC Two - Wonders of the Solar System, Original Series, Empire of the Sun

Professor Brian Cox explores the sun - the powerhouse of our solar system.

Professor Brian Cox describes how the laws of nature have carved natural wonders across the solar system. He explores the powerhouse of them all, the sun.

Professor Brian Cox visits some of the most stunning locations on earth to describe how the laws of nature have carved natural wonders across the solar system. 

In this first episode Brian explores the powerhouse of them all, the sun. In India he witnesses a total solar eclipse - when the link to the light and heat that sustains us is cut off for a few precious minutes.

But heat and light are not the only power of the sun over the solar system. In Norway, Brian watches the battle between the sun's wind and earth, as the night sky glows with the northern lights. 

Beyond earth, the solar wind continues, creating dazzling aurora on other planets. Brian makes contact with Voyager, a probe that has been travelling since its launch 30 years ago. Now 14 billion kilometres away, Voyager has just detected the solar wind is beginning to peter out. But even here we haven't reached the end of the sun's rule.

Brian explains how its greatest power, gravity, reaches out for hundreds of billions of kilometres, where the lightest gravitational touch encircles our solar system in a mysterious cloud of comets.

Wonders of the Solar System: Original Series

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

The Brain: A Secret History

The Brain: A Secret History: Episode 3: Broken Brains

Episode 3

Episode 3: Broken Brains

Broken Brains

BBC Four - The Brain: A Secret History, Broken Brains

A look at how experiments on abnormal brains can reveal the workings of the normal brain.

Michael Mosley ends his look at the history of experimental psychology by exploring how experiments on abnormal brains can reveal the workings of the normal brain.

Dr Michael Mosley concludes his series exploring the brutal history of experimental psychology by looking at how experiments on abnormal brains have revealed the workings of the normal brain.

He meets remarkable individuals like Karen, who suffered from a rare condition - alien hand syndrome - which meant that one of her hands constantly attacked her. And Julia, who seems to have recovered from her stroke - until experiments reveal she is unable to recall the name of any object. 

Michael explores the case of an amnesiac known for years only by his initials, HM, who became the most studied individual in the history of psychology and whose extraordinary case opened a window on how our memory works. He visits the centre which has been set up to map HM's brain down to the level of a neuron. But are the functions of our brain really as fixed as we think? Michael tries out a device which aims to make us see using our tongue.

BBC Four

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

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.

Series in which Michael Mosley examines science's last great frontier - the human mind.

Michael Mosley embarks on three journeys to understand science's last great frontier - the human mind - as he traces the history of the attempts to understand and manipulate the brain.

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

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