The Search for Life
Patrick Moore discusses the possibility of life on other planets with Professor Monica Gardy and Professor Simon Conway Morris. Chris Lintott spends a night meteor-watching.
The search for life elsewhere in our Universe has long been the Holy Grail for astronomers. Planets around distant stars have recently been discovered and we now realise that solar systems like our own could be widespread. So is life on Earth unique? With missions to Mars, Saturn's moon Titan and Jupiter's moon Europa, we could be nearing an answer. No definitive traces of life have been found elsewhere, but astronomers are probing ever deeper on our nearest planetary neighbours and across our Universe for the signitures of life. Patrick Moore discusses the issue with Professor Monica Gardy and Professor Simon Conway Morris.Chris Lintott spends a night meteor-watching with Dr John Mason, Martin Mobberly and Martin Andrews. Every year the Earth passes through dusty tail remnants of the comet Swift-Tuttle. These enter Earth's atmosphere-forming meteor showers called the perseids, this year they are at their maximum in mid-August.
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What is a meteor?
Duration: 03:34
Broadcasts
- Sat 6 Aug 2005 19:00
- Sun 7 Aug 2005 02:50
- Tue 9 Aug 2005 20:30
- Wed 10 Aug 2005 00:55
- Fri 12 Aug 2005 01:55
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