Alien Planets: Cosmic Nightmares

By looking closely at the common icicle physicist Stephen Morris reveals how science can be a powerful lens through which to view the mystery & beauty of everyday phenomena. Photographer Don Komarechka captures the amazing patterns of ice-bubbles.

Ever wonder what the world might look like if you could see beyond the visible light spectrum? Cameras can capture UV & infrared light to see up to the cosmos and down into our own macro universe revealing the world as you have never seen it before.

Normally considered unattractive & a nuisance, Don't Blink reveals the wondrous side of the mosquito & the role it plays in the web of life. Featuring biologist Fiona Hunter, entomologist Curtis Russell and photography by cinematographer Mark Ellam.

In a winter storm it's difficult to appreciate snow. Through the lens of photographer Don Komarechka's snowflake images, the world becomes a more beautiful place. Non-linear physicist Stephen W. Morris unravels how a snowflake is formed.

For centuries humans have been looking to the skies, dreaming of flight. Director Su Rynard takes us behind the scenes to capture the images of birds in flight. Also featuring biologist Kenneth C Welch Jr., and biologist Christopher G Guglielmo.

Scientists are discovering volcanoes on worlds we once thought dead. From our nearest planetary neighbour to tiny moons billions of miles away, today we are discovering volcanoes on alien worlds. Are these worlds where, tomorrow, we might find life?

From icy worlds with more fresh water than Earth to flying mountains of pure metal, asteroids shaped our past and promise much for the future. Could these enigmatic space rocks hold the key to how life in the Universe arises and is extinguished?

Neutron stars are strange and violent phenomena that defy the laws of physics, and new discoveries reveal that these bizarre nightmares are far more deadly than we ever thought, with the power to destroy planets and even other stars.

Supernovas are the violent death of giant stars, and new discoveries reveal that these cataclysmic events create the elements that are essential to all life in the universe.

Interstellar space is the space between the universe's stars and new discoveries reveal that it's not empty and unremarkable as previously thought, but filled with weird objects and strange phenomena that might hold the darkest secrets of our cosmos.

Black holes aren't the violent monsters we think they are, and new discoveries reveal that they might have been essential to creating stars, giving light, and building the universe itself.

Nebulas are the strange structures of cosmic gas and dust where stars are born and die, and new discoveries reveal the secrets of these mysterious places.

New discoveries are causing astronomers to question if the Big Bang really happened, and using the latest science, they investigate if it wasn't just the start of our universe but many mysterious multiverses.

Dark matter and dark energy are locked in an epic battle for control of the cosmos, and the winner will determine the fate of the universe. New discoveries might reveal which force will emerge victorious.

The latest discoveries suggest that we might be on the verge of discovering life beyond our planet, and scientists are investigating if earth's life began elsewhere in the universe, and whether we need to evolve to know for sure.

New discoveries have revealed thousands of exoplanets beyond our solar system. Some resemble earth enough that one could be a new home for humanity. Even with cutting-edge technology, finding the perfect one is the scientific challenge of the age.