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The Sky at Night had an episode air on Monday, September 14, 2026 at 10:00pm. Series 2026, Episode 6 titled "Engineering the Universe" was broadcast on BBC Four.
Chris Lintott and the team explore the extraordinary engineering, both on Earth and millions of kilometres above it in space, that is transforming modern astronomy and revealing parts of the cosmos once thought forever beyond our reach.George Dransfield travels to Marseille to investigate KM3NeT, one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever constructed. Covering more than a cubic kilometre of the Mediterranean Sea, this vast underwater observatory is searching for neutrinos, elusive 'ghost particles' that pass through planets, stars and even our own bodies almost entirely unnoticed. By detecting these cosmic messengers, astronomers hope to uncover the origins of some of the most violent and energetic events in the universe, from exploding stars to the environments around supermassive black holes.The programme also explores gravitational-wave astronomy and the remarkable international network of detectors capable of measuring distortions in space-time smaller than an atom. These instruments have opened an entirely new way of observing the cosmos, allowing scientists to detect collisions between black holes and neutron stars across the universe.In Cambridge, Chris visits a team attempting to tackle one of cosmology's biggest mysteries using a tabletop experiment. By cooling atoms to almost absolute zero and manipulating them with ultra-precise lasers, researchers are building a laboratory system that could one day probe some of the quantum physics thought to have shaped the universe in its earliest moments.Finally, Maggie Aderin explores Nasa's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a new observatory designed to search for distant worlds beyond our solar system. Its revolutionary coronagraph will suppress the overwhelming glare of distant stars, potentially allowing astronomers to directly image planets orbiting them and paving the way for future missions that could search Earth-like worlds for signs of life.From particle detectors deep beneath the Mediterranean to ultra-cold quantum experiments and next-generation space telescopes, this programme reveals how human ingenuity is creating entirely new ways to explore the cosmos and uncover its deepest secrets.
Programme Information
Channel: BBC Four
Status: Running
Genre(s): Mystery, Nature, History
Runtime: 30 minutes
Rating: 7.8/10
Official Site: The Sky at Night
Main Cast
Patrick Moore as Patrick Moore
Chris Lintott as Dr. Chris Lintott
Pete Lawrence as Pete Lawrence
Maggie Aderin-Pocock as Maggie Aderin Pocock
Paul Abel as Paul Abel
Chris North as Dr. Chris North
Lucie Green as Lucie Green
George Dransfield as George Dransfield
Episode Details
Series: 2026
Episode: 6
Episode Title: Engineering the Universe
Air Date: Monday, September 14, 2026
Air Time: 10:00pm
Runtime: 30 minutes
Previous Episode
S2026E5: Big Black Holes and Little Red Dots
Aired: Monday, August 10, 2026
Professor Brian Cox joins the team to explore the mind-bending mysteries of black holes discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope's most exciting new observations.
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