Spellbinding series on the stars

OUTER SPACE: Liz Bonnin, with Dr Adam Steltzner at Nasas Mars testing ground at the jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, as shown in the BBC Knowledge documentary Stargazing. Picture: �BBC Knowledge

SINCE early civilisation, astronomy has been a subject of great fascination, with Thales of Miletus and Aristotle, from the BC era, revered for their contributions.

But much has changed since – especially with advancing technology, the advent of modern-day gadgets and more groundbreaking theories.

And while books, films and documentaries abound, new offerings on outer space continue to surface, like BBC Knowledge’s Stargazing.

This incisive documentary, led of the Solar System) and presented by Dara O Briain (Dara O Briain’s Science Club), Liz Bonnin (Bang Goes the Theory), renowned astronomer Mark Thompson and celebrity guest presenters like Brian May, is in three parts: Mars, The Big Bang, and Earth, which is the final instalment airing this Friday.

The first episode looked at the history of Mars, why it is red, why there is no water and why it does not have an atmosphere, while episode two shed light on the supernovae and the dying stars and explored different ways the universe might end.

In the final instalment, viewers will learn more about Earth’s positioning in the universe, tracking down the asteroids that pose a threat to us as well as the plans to extract mineral wealth from those on which the space agency plans to land.

On the immense interest in Stargazing, Bonnin says: “It feeds our inherent curiosity about the universe. It’s difficult not to be awestruck by the sheer wonders out there, no matter what your level of knowledge is.

“So when you dedicate three programmes to shedding new light on the mysteries of outer space, and feature the groundbreaking scientists whose life work it is to explore the universe, it seems to be a winning formula for firing up the imagination of newcomers to astronomy and answering the questions of more seasoned enthusiasts.”

Of her time spent at Nasa, Bonnin said: “It was a real privilege to meet the people who have the imagination and skill to land a rover the size of a car on Mars and design telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope – Hubble’s successor. I’ll also be meeting the scientists who are studying supernovae and nebulae in more detail, with the latest technologies at their fingertips, allowing us to improve our understanding of the cycles of star death and star birth, how our own solar system came to be and how in the end we are made of star stuff.”

Sharing her thoughts on life on other planets, Bonnin said: “It is just a matter of time until life on other planets is discovered. Where and in what form remains to be seen, but certainly the Mars Curiosity Mission is allowing us to get a step closer by trying to establish if habitable environments might have existed there in the past, and this could possibly serve to set up future life-seeking missions on Mars. But we may well find the evidence of life further afield first. We look at that possibility on Saturn’s moons in one of the programmes – it really is an exciting time for astrobiologists.”

Being privy to certain information isn’t without any learning curves.

Bonnin says: “Nasa is making new discoveries and moving forward with future plans at such a fast rate that everything I learnt was fascinating. But I was particularly interested in where we stand with our understanding of the formation of the first stars that formed.

“Hubble has given us an improved deep-field view of the early galaxies and identified the farthest galaxy to date. But the data from the image reveals that these are still not the first galaxies because they have a reasonable amount of heavy elements. There must have been stars before these.

“Hubble has reached the absolute outer limits of viewing capabilities and so another, stronger space telescope is being built to fit the job. It’s called the James Webb Space Telescope and I was lucky enough to be invited to the Goddard Space Flight Centre to check out the latest stage of its construction for the programme.”

Astronomy may be an alien subject to some, but Stargazing has viewers spellbound.

• Stargazing, BBC Knowledge (DStv Channel 184), Friday, 9pm.