Cosmic Vistas - Episode Guide

As technology has advanced, we have been able to peer into ever more distant reaches of space. From the first telescopes to high-tech satellites, these machines have been our windows to other worlds.

Without the Sun's warmth and light, life as we know it would not exist. It is the powerhouse of our planet and provides the energy we need to survive.

The arid shores of other planets tell the stories of their past. What did they look like, and could they have ever supported life?

Although we have put man on the moon, our silent partner still holds many mysteries. What haven't we seen? What haven't we discovered?

Deserts and Dunes, Cliffs and Canyons. Although Mars is certainly an alien wasteland, it is a planet with terrestrial formations remarkably similar to those found on Earth.

Landing a spacecraft on Mars is no easy task given our limited knowledge of the planet. The difference between success and failure can rely on the most minute detail.

Gravity is one of the most basic and powerful forces shaping our universe. Discover its nature within our own solar system, from the smallest moons to the largest planets.

For centuries, it was thought that Saturn was the most distant planet in our Solar System. With the evolution of the telescope, we discovered the rest of our planets, both elusive and mysterious.

There are hundreds of moons in our solar system. Could one of them be a hidden haven that harbors alien life forms?

In the far depths of space, out of reach of the Sun's warmth, water can only exist in a super solid state. Some small moons, in fact, are made entirely of ice. What stories do these Icy Gems have to tell about our solar system?

Scientist long thought that our solar system consisted of the sun, the planets, and their moons. We soon found that we are far from alone, often coming into contact with asteroids, comets, and other debris.

The diversity, complexity, and downright beauty of our own solar system is astounding. Could such beauty exist in other parts of the universe as well? Thanks to modern science, we now have the capability to see for ourselves.

Discover the most powerful telescopes on the planet as they search for the mysteries of the universe.

Our understanding of the cosmos is limited by the amount of time we have to see it. Fortunately, computer simulations can help us see how galaxies interact over millions of years, and even how dark matter structures the universe.

The human eye can only see visible light, a small spectrum of electromagnetic waves. Today, we have instruments that let us perceive all wavelengths.

Before we can reach space, we must first be able to see it. Hundreds of years ago, the simple telescope was used to give us a seemingly closer vantage. Today, we use the awe-inspiring, and super powerful, Hubble Space Telescope.

The Northern Lights are more than just beautiful; they tell us about the make up of our planet, our sun, and may even be a signpost for the possibility of life on other planets.

The Atacama desert is a perfect place for watching the night sky. With still winds and only a handful of cloudy nights each year, it allows scientists to get the absolute most out of their tools.

Saturn is the second largest planet and has an astonishing 60 moons in its orbit. Thanks to the Cassini mission, it's also one of the most studied and most photographed planets in our neighborhood.

With the Dawn missions exploration of the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, asteroids are a hot topic. See what these incredible missions have uncovered.

They key ingredient to life in the universe is water. Until recently we thought Earth was the only place in the solar system to have any water at all. Now that probes are peering around nearby worlds we are finding that is just not the case.

Gravity has long been a force that has intrigued scientists. Now, for the first time scientists are probing to detect gravity waves in space as well as mapping the gravity patterns of the moon.

Mars sparks our curiosity like no other planet because it is so reachable. Despite having landed there, most of the information we gather is still done by instruments in the planet's orbit.

For more than 25 years the shuttle was our ticket to space, and our laboratory in orbit. Uncover the legacy of this amazing machine, and see what lies ahead.

This episode traces our evolving view of the Milky Way, from the mythology of ancient sky watchers to the efforts of scientists to map it from the inside out.