The Sky at Night

British-born astronaut Piers Sellers talks to Patrick Moore about life orbiting Earth and the future of the manned space programme. Chris Lintott talks about the space station and previews NASA's forthcoming rescue mission to Hubble telescope.

In this special programme, Patrick Moore celebrates the tremendous success of the Martian rovers Spirit and Opportunity and also the fleet of spacecraft now circling the red planet that are sending back astounding images in unprecedented detail.Chris Lintott reports from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California about the new mission Phoenix, which goes to the polar regions of Mars later this year and Lucie Green visits the Mars Yard in Aberystwyth, where Europe's rover ExoMars is being put through its paces.

Step outside and shining down in the evening sky is the planet Saturn. Bright and star-like, a small telescope will reveal its fabulous rings and some of the mysterious moons, including Titan. Chris Lintott advises on how best to see the loveliest of planets, whilst Patrick Moore finds out the latest from the Cassini mission which is currently orbiting Saturn.

In an anniversary programme, Patrick Moore travels back in time to see the first recording of The Sky at Night which took place 50 years ago, and then forward to 2057.

Patrick Moore celebrates 50 years of The Sky at Night with friends of the programme including Terry Pratchett and Myleene Klass.

On our cosmic doorstep, a planet has been discovered which could be very similar to Earth. It's a discovery that has rocked the astronomical community. Sir Patrick Moore finds out more about this mysterious new world. Could it be a home from home?

Sir Patrick Moore examines the summer constellation Scorpius, and locates our nearest black hole.

Patrick Moore investigates Robonet, the robotic network of telescopes which spans the globe and links the cosmos directly to a laptop. In their world of permanent darkness these telescopes can react immediately to 'bangs in the night' - the exotic cosmic phenomena such as gamma ray bursts which are over in the blink of an astronomical eye.

Sir Patrick Moore uses magic to explain the mysteries of black holes and the wonders of the Universe.

Patrick Moore celebrates the 50th birthday of the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, created just in time to pick up the radar signal from the satellite Sputnik. It has been at the centre of radio astronomy ever since and has been responsible for the discovery of quasars, gravitational lenses and groundbreaking research into pulsars and cosmic explosions such as supernovae. Astronomer Bernard Lovell talks about how it came to be built, despite huge engineering and financial challenges.

In two billion years' time our own Milky Way will collide with another galaxy, Andromeda, which will rip apart the fabric of both galaxies, destroying stars and planets and sparking a shockwave of fiery rebirth. Patrick Moore anticipates this far-off event and explains the role that 'dark matter' will play in this cosmic collision. Dr Chris Lintott steps outside to look at Andromeda, easily visible in the night sky using binoculars.

In his garden, Patrick Moore is joined by Dr Brian May and Jon Culshaw to watch the cosmic firework display known as the Perseid meteor shower.

Dr Chris Lintott finds out how British technology is leading the way in satellite science, while Sir Patrick Moore investigates the threat from space debris that astronauts face in space.

Dr Chris Lintott travels to the Johnson Space Centre to talk to the Commander of Apollo 17, Eugene Cernan, about his memories of being the last man on the Moon in 1972. Patrick Moore looks at lunar samples brought back by the astronauts and talks to NASA scientists about what they discovered.

Patrick Moore presents a retrospective of five decades of The Sky ay Night, recalling the history of space exploration from the first Russian Sputnik, the major astronomical discoveries over half a century, and the people he has met, from Orville Wright to Neil Armstrong.