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All Episodes

Star Diary — 374 episodes

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Title
1

The Harvest Moon and the autumn equinox

2

Discovery beneath the surface of Mars

3

August 2026 solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower

4

How do you weigh a planet that hasn’t formed yet?

5

Mercury and Saturn return!

6

How to build a planet-hunting spacecraft

7

Summer stargazing

8

How spaceflight hammers the human body

9

May's 'blue Moon’ – what we'll really see

10

Strange signals from the galactic centre

11

The Evening Star is back

12

Exploring the radio Universe

13

Spring stargazing is here

14

Revealing the secrets of Mercury

15

Jupiter dominates the night sky in February 2026

16

Listening to black holes colliding

17

New Year, new stargazing – January 2026

18

3D-mapping an alien world

19

Christmas stargazing 2025

20

Have scientists solved Webb’s ‘impossible’ black holes?

21

See the Moon and planets under truly dark skies

22

Can a planet have a planet?

23

See gas giants Jupiter and Saturn at their best

24

Can YOU help astronomers find exploding stars?

25

See the blood Moon rise

26

How the Rubin Observatory will study the Universe

27

See Venus and Jupiter’s close approach

28

Will our Galaxy collide with its neighbour?

29

Saturn and Venus are morning jewels

30

The birth of the Universe

31

Venus is a Morning Star and Mars meets the Lion's heart

32

Earth, aliens and astronomy

33

The Flower Moon rises in full bloom

34

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower lights up the sky

35

Mars passes through the Beehive

36

Venus reaches its greatest brightness near the Moon (21 to 27 April)

37

Strange signals from the 'Eye of God'

38

Two sparkling diamonds glisten in the night sky (14 to 20 April)

39

An asteroid passes through a Hamburger (Galaxy) (7 to 13 April 2025)

40

The Moon blots out the Pleiades (31 March to 6 April 2025)

41

Partial solar eclipse visible across the UK (24 to 30 March 2025)

42

Searching for life on alien planets

43

The Moon passes the heart of the Scorpion (17 to 23 March 2025)

44

Can you see the Blood Moon? (10 to 16 March 2025)

45

Mars meets up with the Moon (3 to 9 March 2025)

46

Mercury returns to the evening skies (24 February to 2 March 2025)

47

Catch Saturn before it leaves our skies (17 to 23 February 2025)

48

Webb uses space-bending gravity trick to discover distant stars

49

The Full Moon shines next to bright star, Regulus (10 to 16 February 2025)

50

Jupiter lies close to the Moon (3 to 9 February 2025)

51

The planets continue their parade across the sky (27 January to 2 February 2025)

52

Jupiter’s shadow transit runs late (20 to 26 January 2025)

53

First zoomed-in image of a star beyond our galaxy

54

The Full moon meets with Mars (13 to 19 December 2025)

55

Mars makes its closest approach to Earth since 2022 (6 to 12 January 2025)

56

Quadrantid meteor shower is gifted a moonless night (30 December to 5 January)

57

A Cosmic Christmas Tree (23 to 29 December 2024)

58

How did life emerge on Earth?

59

Mars disappears behind the Moon (16 to 22 December 2022)

60

Geminids meteor shower reaches its peak (9 to 15 December 2024)

61

Jupiter makes its closest approach to Earth (2 to 8 December 2024)

62

Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mars all shine brightly (25 November to 1 December 2024)

63

Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak (18 to 24 November 2024)

64

The mission to make solar eclipses

65

Catch the last supermoon of the year, the Beaver Moon (11 to 17 November 2024)

66

Firework galaxies light up the sky (4 to 10 November 2024)

67

Aurora special Ep 4: Photographing the aurora

68

Marvel at the Milky Way (28 October to 3 November 2024)

69

Catch Tsuchinshan-ATLAS before it fades from view (21-27 October 2024)

70

Aurora special Ep 3: The Solar Cycle

71

Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth (14 to 20 October 2024)

72

Keeping an eye on Comet Tsuchinshan (7 to 13 October 2024)

73

Aurora special Ep 2: The science of the aurora

74

Star Diary: Saturn the planet, or Saturn the nebula? (30 September to 6 October 2024)

75

Star Diary: Catch sight of Saturn’s moon Titan (23 to 29 September 2024)

76

Star Diary: A supermoon eclipse (16 to 22 September 2024)

77

Aurora special Ep 1: How to hunt the aurora

78

Star Diary: Spotting faces in the Moon (9 to 15 September 2024)

79

Star Diary: See a starry waterfall in the night sky (2 to 8 September 2024)

80

Star Diary: Mars, Jupiter and the Moon partner up in the night sky (26 August to 1 September 2024)

81

Star Diary: The Super Blue Moon rises (19 to 25 August 2024)

82

Star Diary: The Perseids meteor shower peaks (12 to 18 August 2024)

83

A history of flying saucers

84

Star Diary: Saturn rises high in the sky (5 to 11 August 2024)

85

New Horizons at the edge of the Solar System

86

Star Diary: Saturn’s moon casts its shadow across the planet (29 July to 4 August 2024)

87

Star Diary: Taurus the Bull gains another eye (22 to 28 July 2024)

88

Star Diary: Mars passes the Pleiades (15 to 21 July 2024)

89

Star Diary: Can you find Barry Manilow in the Moon? (8 to 14 July 2024)

90

Star Diary: Jupiter’s moons form a triangle (1 to 7 July 2024)

91

Star Diary: When will ‘new’ star, T Coronae Borealis appear? (24 to 30 June 2024)

92

Star Diary: The Moon and Ceres take a tour through the Teapot (17 to 23 June 2024)

93

How black holes changed everything

94

Star Diary: See the Lake of Death on the Moon (10 to 16 June 2024)

95

Star Diary: Two comets streak across the sky (3 to 9 June 2024)

96

Star Diary: Nightshining clouds return to the twilight sky (27 May - 2 June 2024)

97

The rock that fell to Earth

98

Star Diary: Have you ever seen a hamburger in the sky? (20 to 26 May 2024)

99

Star Diary: The Milky Way puts on a show (13 to 19 May 2024)

100

Star Diary: See the crescent Moon pass the Pleiades (6 to 12 May 2024)

101

Star Diary: The Moon lies in The Teapot (29 April to 5 May 2024)

102

Star Diary: The Lyrid Meteor shower reaches its peak (22 to 28 April 2024)

103

Water found around a distant star

104

Star Diary: Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks reaches its brightest (15 to 21 April 2024)

105

Star Diary: The Great American Eclipse arrives (8 to 14 April)

106

Star Diary: Comet shine during the new Moon (1 to 7 April)

107

Star Diary: The Comet and the Coathanger (25 to 31 March)

108

Why do people believe in UFOs?

109

Star Diary 18 to 24 March 2024

110

Star Diary 11 to 17 March 2024

111

Star Diary 4 to 10 March 2024

112

Star Diary 26 February to 3 March 2024

113

Star Diary 19 to 25 February 2024

114

How x-rays unlock the secrets of the Universe

115

Star Diary 12 to 18 February 2024

116

Star Diary 5 to 11 February 2024

117

Star Diary 29 January to 4 February 2024

118

Star Diary 22 to 28 January 2024

119

How Asteroid Bennu could unlock the secrets of the Solar System

120

Star Diary 15 to 21 January 2024

121

Star Diary 8 to 14 January 2024

122

Star Diary 1 to 7 January 2024

123

Star Diary, 25 to 31 December 2023

124

Star Diary, 18 to 24 December 2023

125

Star Diary, 11 to 17 December 2023

126

Star Diary, 4 to 10 December 2023

127

Moonshot success, with astronaut Mike Massimino

128

Star Diary, 27 November to 3 December 2023

129

Star Diary, 20 to 26 November 2023

130

Star Diary, 13 to 19 November 2023

131

Star Diary, 6 to 12 November 2023

132

Star Diary, 30 October to 5 November 2023

133

Star Diary, 23 to 29 October 2023

134

Interview: The Search for Alien Life

135

Star Diary, 16 to 22 October 2023

136

How can we see the heat of the Big Bang?

137

Star Diary, 9 to 15 October 2023

138

Star Diary, 2 to 8 October 2023

139

Star Diary, 25 September to 1 October 2023

140

Star Diary: 18 to 24 September 2023

141

Exploring a magnetic Solar System

142

Star Diary, 11 to 17 September 2023

143

Star Diary, 4 to 10 September 2023

144

Star Dairy, 28 August to 3 September , 2023

145

Star Dairy, 21 to 27 August, 2023

146

Star Diary, 14 to 20 August

147

Star Diary, 7 to 13 August

148

Star Diary, 31 July to 6 August

149

Hunting down strange signals with humans and machines.

150

Star Diary, 24 to 30 July

151

Interview: Spaceflight entrepreneur Mishaal Ashemimry

152

Star Diary, 17 to 23 July

153

Star Diary, 10 to 16 July, 2023

154

Detecting spacetime ripples of supermassive black holes

155

Star Diary, 3rd to 9th of July, 2023

156

Star Diary, 26 June to 2 July, 2023

157

Star Diary, 19 to 25 June, 2023

158

The search for Earth 2.0

159

Star Diary, 11 to 18 June, 2023

160

Star Diary, 5 to 11 June, 2023

161

Star Diary, 29 May to 4 June, 2023

162

Star Diary, 22 to 28 May, 2023

163

Interview: Space Shuttle astronaut Kathy Sullivan

164

Star Diary, 15 to 23 May, 2023

165

Star Diary, 8 to 14 May, 2023

166

Star Diary, 1 to 7 May, 2023

167

Star Diary, 24 to 30 April 2023

168

Interview: Comet Madness

169

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 17 to 23 April

170

Humans Of Space: Peter Visscher

171

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 10 to 16 April

172

Interview: From pop star to Star City with Lance Bass

173

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 3 to 9 April

174

Humans Of Space: Aaron Yung

175

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 27 March to 2 April

176

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 20 to 26 March

177

Black holes and bending spacetime

178

Humans Of Space: Nicole Stott

179

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 13 to 19 March, 2023

180

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, 6th March to 12th March 2023

181

Humans Of Space: Jeff Hoffman

182

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, 27 February to 5 March 2023

183

Observing the 850-year-old aftermath of colliding stars

184

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, 20 to 26 February 2023

185

Humans Of Space: James L. Green

186

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, 13 to 19 February 2023

187

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 6 to 12 February 2023

188

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 30 January to 5 February 2023

189

Interview: Is interstellar travel possible?

190

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 23 to 29 January 2023

191

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 16 to 22 January 2023

192

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 9 to 15 January 2023

193

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 2 to 8 January, 2023

194

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 26 Dec '22 to 1 Jan '23

195

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 19 to 25 September 2022

196

What would happen if we made contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence?

197

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 12 to 18 December 2022

198

Interview: Apollo 17 student ambassador Dermot Gethings

199

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 5 to 11 December 2022

200

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 28 November to 4 December 2022

201

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 21 to 27 November 2022

202

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 14 to 20 November 2022

203

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 7 to 13 November 2022

204

Amazing cosmic facts

205

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 31 October to 6 November2022

206

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 24 to 30 October 2022

207

Piecing together the history of the Universe

208

Webb Telescope and the secrets of the Solar System

209

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 17 to 23 October 2022

210

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 10 to 16 October 2022

211

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 3 to 9 October 2022

212

Interview: A Brief History of Black Holes

213

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 26 September to 2 October 2022

214

Interview: NASA's plan to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid

215

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 19 to 25 September 2022

216

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 12 to 18 September 2022

217

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 5 to 11 September, 2022

218

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 29 August to 4 September

219

Interview: How JWST observes the Universe

220

Interview: How JWST will observe exoplanets

221

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 22 to 28 August 2022

222

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 15 to 21 August 2022

223

Interview: Observing the Solar System in x-ray

224

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 8 to 14 August

225

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 1st to 7th August

226

Bluedot 2022 | Why study asteroids?

227

Bluedot 2022 | A new era for human spaceflight?

228

Bluedot 2022 | What is space weather?

229

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 25 to 31 July

230

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 18 to 24 July

231

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 11 to 17 July 2022

232

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 4 to 10 July

233

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 27 June to 3 July

234

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence

235

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 20 to 26 June

236

Space Women: Maggie Aderin-Pocock

237

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 13 to 19 June

238

Star Diary: What's in the night sky from 6 to 12 June

239

Star Diary: What's in the night sky from 30 May to 5 June

240

What is dark energy?

241

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 23 to 29 May 2022

242

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 16 to 22 May 2022

243

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 9 to 15 May 2022

244

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 2 to 8 May 2022

245

Hubble, James Webb and life beyond Earth

246

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 25 April to 1 May 2022

247

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 18 to 24 April 2022

248

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 11 to 17 April 2022

249

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 4 to 10 April 2022

250

What happens if someone dies in space?

251

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, 28 March to 3 April 2022

252

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, March 2022

253

Interview: The science of exploding stars

254

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, February 2022

255

Astronomy events of the 21st Century

256

Interview: Astrobiologist Nicol Caplin

257

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, January 2022

258

Launch of the James Webb Space Telescope

259

Interview: Astronaut Nicole Stott

260

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, December 2021

261

Deflecting asteroids with NASA's DART mission

262

Interview: How to see the Northern Lights

263

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, November 2021

264

Interview: Astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi

265

Remembering Rosetta

266

Interview: Natalie Starkey talks space volcanoes

267

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, October 2021

268

Interview: UK astronaut Tim Peake

269

Perseverance: 200 sols on Mars

270

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, September 2021

271

Interview: The largest radio telescope in the world

272

Telescopes that changed astronomy

273

Star Diary: What’s in the night sky, August 2021

274

Interview: How to make a Universe from scratch

275

Jupiter Special: a celebration of the gas giant

276

Interview: Cosmic Collisions

277

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, July 2021

278

Apollo 15's 50th anniversary

279

Interview: solar weather expert, Mathew Owens

280

Interview: Emily Lakdawalla talks Mars exploration

281

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, June 2021

282

20 years of NASA's WMAP mission

283

Interview: How to photograph a black hole

284

Interview: Andy Weir, author of The Martian

285

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, May 2021

286

Interview: Genetic engineering for spaceflight

287

The Disordered Cosmos

288

How the Great Debate changed astronomy forever

289

Interview: Light pollution from satellites

290

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, April 2021

291

Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space

292

Interview: How to photograph an exoplanet

293

How Uranus's rings were discovered

294

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, March 2021

295

Interview: How SPHEREx will track the history of the Universe

296

OSIRIS-Rex and the Asteroid belt

297

Interview: The Emirates Mars Mission with Hessa Al Matroushi

298

Star Diary: What's in the night sky, February 2021

299

2021: A new year for astronomy and spaceflight

300

Interview: Kellie Gerardi on the future of spaceflight

301

2020's spaceflight and astronomy highlights

302

Interview: NASA astronaut Terry Virts

303

A history of Palomar Observatory

304

What next for New Horizons?

305

Is there life beyond Earth?

306

What's a black hole? Interview with astrophysicist Janna Levin

307

Interview: NASA astronaut Jeff Williams

308

20 years of the International Space Station

309

Interview: Getting The Right Stuff right

310

Interview: Stuart Clark on the history of astronomy

311

ASTHROS: the stratospheric balloon observatory

312

Galaxies

313

Interview: Life on Venus?

314

Interview: Libby Jackson on the history of human spaceflight

315

The life and death of stars

316

Trident: a new mission to explore Neptune's moon Triton

317

The End of Everything: interview with US cosmologist Katie Mack

318

The edge of the Solar System

319

Cluster Special: marking 20 years of the European solar mission

320

Deflecting asteroids with DART and Hera

321

CHEOPS: Interview with exoplanet scientist Kate Isaak

322

Venus special: farewell to the evening star

323

WFIRST: a new era for exoplanet hunting

324

Hubble at 30: how the space telescope changed astronomy forever

325

Apollo 13 special: interview with Mission Control's Jerry Woodfill

326

Apollo 13 special: how astronauts and Mission Control averted disaster

327

Day Eight – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

328

Day Seven – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

329

Day Six – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

330

Day Five – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

331

Day Four – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

332

Day Three – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

333

Day Two – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

334

Day One – Back Garden Astronomy Week: The Moon

335

Trailer: Back Garden Astronomy Week special series

336

Europe in space: the next decade

337

The story of the BBC’s Horizon programme

338

Pluto at 90: how Clyde Tombaugh discovered a new world

339

The biggest stories of 2019 and top tips for stargazing beginners

340

The biggest space missions launching in 2020

341

A look at UCL Observatory's new 80cm Perren telescope

342

Planetarium special

343

Apollo 12, volcanic moons and cannibal galaxies

344

Jim Al-Khalili, OSIRIS REx, IIAPY 2019, tardigrades on the Moon

345

Chasing comets, Indian lunar ambitions, Juno at Jupiter

346

Bluedot Festival 2019 special

347

Apollo 11: 50th anniversary special

348

Talking moonwalkers with Andrew Smith

349

Touring the Solar System

350

Black holes, asteroid bombs and the solar cycle

351

Kielder Observatory Special

352

Light pollution, Mars rovers and Jupiter's storms

353

Planet 9 in doubt, a beautiful Beehive and an aurora adventure

354

New Horizons and event horizons

355

Lunar eclipses, 2019’s space missions and green stars

356

2018 in review and scientific observations of Mars

357

Ice on the Moon, Apollo 7 and advice for new astronomers

358

NASA's Dawn mission, Holst’s Planets and water on Mars

359

Bluedot Festival 2018 special

360

Meteor showers and space rocks that fall to Earth

361

The Sun, a danger to life on Earth?

362

The mission to map the Milky Way

363

Sifting through Mars's sediment with a planetary geologist

364

Bowie, Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

365

Christmas Special: Tales from 2017

366

International Astronomy Show 2017 Special

367

Radio Astronomy Shorts - Episode 1: Dava Sobel

368

Radio Astronomy: Bluedot Festival 2017 Special

369

Episode 6: The 2016 retrospective

370

Episode 5: So long, Schiaparelli

371

Episode 4: Farewell Rosetta

372

Radio Astronomy, Episode 3: Juno at Jupiter

373

Episode 2: Einstein’s Vindication

374

Episode 1: Astronaut Driving lessons