Cosmic Vistas (2009-2014) - Season 4 Episodes and Ratings

Throughout history, our nightly view of the universe has fueled our collective imagination. When it comes to the Big Bang, not even the most creative work of imagination can rival what science has revealed about the birth of the universe.

This episode traces our view of the Milky Way, from the mythology of ancient sky watchers to the efforts of scientists to map it from the inside out.

Mercury is one Earth's closest neighbors, but for centuries it eluded astronomer's best efforts to learn its secrets. But that has changed thanks to missions like Mariner and most recently, Messenger.

Cosmic rays can tell us much about the universe. They are not simply another form of light, but carriers of information about powerful and unseen processes at work thousands or even millions of light years away.

The Fermi Paradox asks the ultimate question: Given a few reasonable assumptions about the chance of life arising elsewhere in the universe and the distance between the stars, why has an alien civilization not presented itself?

This episode takes a look at Landsat 8, the advanced planetary explorer with a 900 million dollar price tag. It is designed to peer across multiple wavelengths to reveal complex and ever-changing details that are undetectable by the human eye.