How the Universe Works

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  • With more than 80 moons, Saturn could rank among the most dynamic planetary system in Sol's neighborhood; with its giant underground oceans and protective magnetic fields, experts explore how Saturn's moons offer new insight into the Solar System.
  • Mars is infested with robots, orbiting the planet and roaming the Martian surface on a mission to uncover its secrets; now, Perseverance joins this dedicated group of machines to uncover if there is, or was ever, life on the Red Planet.
  • The collision of two supermassive black holes is the most violent event that can occur in the universe; experts explore where a black hole's energy originates and what really happens when the two most powerful objects in the cosmos clash.
  • In a fictional scenario set in 2029, an asteroid hurtling towards Earth at 40,000 mph will reduce New York to ashes; examining the hypothetical, experts weigh in to determine what could happen, and how it might be stopped.
  • Exploring new discoveries that rewrite the history of the solar system, revealing a complex and violent story that begins with the birth of the sun from the debris of a massive galactic collision to its eventual fate as a lone zombie star.

Record to Watch Later

29 episodes will be broadcast over the next two weeks

    Secret Lives of Neutrinos
    Mission to a Comet
    Gravitational Waves Revealed
    War of the Galaxies
    Birth of the Monster Black Holes
    Secrets of the Sun
    Aliens of the Microcosmos
    Mystery of Alien Worlds
    Curse of the White Dwarf
    The Next Supernova
  • Secret Lives of Neutrinos

    Neutrinos are the most mysterious particles in the universe, and they power some of the most explosive events in the cosmos; new discoveries reveal how these ghosts pass through objects undetected and why they could be the reason humans exist.
    Upcoming
  • Mission to a Comet

    The Rosetta mission is a groundbreaking expedition to land on a comet for the very first time; special access reveals what this cutting-edge journey discovers and how these mysterious objects help create life on Earth.
    Upcoming
  • Gravitational Waves Revealed

    Gravitational waves are helping scientists explore the cosmos in revolutionary, new ways, and the discoveries they make are revealing the universe's greatest mysteries.
    Upcoming
  • War of the Galaxies

    Galaxies are locked in continual combat across the universe, and the Milky Way will face its biggest opponent ever, the Andromeda Galaxy, in a titanic and deadly struggle that could create a new and unrecognizable super galaxy.
    Upcoming
  • Birth of the Monster Black Holes

    New discoveries reveal an astonishing supermassive black hole that was born during the earliest days of the cosmos, and finding out how this giant grew so large so quickly may help to explain the very formation of the universe itself.
    Upcoming
  • Secrets of the Sun

    A brand-new NASA mission to the sun reveals cutting-edge discoveries about Earth's star; as the Parker Solar Probe dives through the sun's atmosphere, its findings challenge everything known about this strange place.
    Upcoming
How the Universe Works

More about How the Universe Works

"How the Universe Works" is the ultimate cosmos operator's manual, a revealing look at the inner workings of outer space. Computer imagery allows viewers to explore black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, dark energy, and all of the other forces that produce what exists and what people see.

Starring

Erik Dellums, Phil Plait, Michelle Thaller, Richard Lintern, Mike Rowe

8 Free Episodes

No sign-up required

  • Scientists discover volcanoes on alien worlds and wonder whether life exists there.
  • Examining chaotic weather to help determine whether we are alone in the universe.
  • Discovering an extraordinary zoo of planetary nightmares outside our own planet.
  • Could the earth be in the line of fire from the dangerous megaflares from the sun?

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