BBC The Sky at Night (2012)

Amateur astronomers are scanning the night skies looking for asteroids, comets and supernovae, and making vital discoveries in our quest for knowledge. Meanwhile space missions produce millions of images, but who is to say which ones are truly unusual and interesting? It is a job that computers struggle with, but one in which humans excel. This, more than ever, is the age of the amateur astronomer, and Sir Patrick Moore explains how everybody can play a part whilst also enjoying the beautiful cosmos.

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Space telescopes such as Herschel and Spitzer are peering at the dusty, dark cosmos and with their infrared eyes they can see the cold parts of the sky where stars are being born. Sir Patrick Moore discusses why the infrared is full of hidden delights, whilst Dr Chris North talks to Dr Amy Mainzer about NASA's infrared WISE telescope.

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As Mars returns to the night skies, Sir Patrick Moore discusses its four faces. Dr Chris Lintott travels to Nantes in France to a world gathering of planetary scientists to find out about Curiosity - the NASA mission which will soon leave for the red planet, in search of signs of life.

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We now know there are other solar systems far away in space, but are they like ours and is there life on these strange worlds? Sir Patrick Moore goes on the quest for little green men.

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