The Sky at Night

Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott look back at some of the biggest stories featured on the programme in 2020, with the help of special guests who have chosen their favourite moments. From the launch of Solar Orbiter to the discovery of phosphine on Venus, the team relive the astronomy highlights of a highly unusual year.

In February 2021, orbiters from China and the UAE settled into their positions above Mars, and Nasa’s Perseverance rover touched down on its surface. Maggie Aderin-Pocock reviews the astonishing footage the rover has already sent back, and talks with its legendary chief designer Adam Seltzer about the challenges of missions to the red planet.

The Gaia space telescope is not just helping scientists create the ultimate star map of the Milky Way. It is also showing our galaxy's past and how it will change in the future.

The Sky at Night team visit the companies spearheading the boom in Britain's space industry, a sector with an annual income of £16.4bn and which employs over 45,000 people.

Chris and Maggie dive into the archives to discover how the hunt for extra-terrestrial life in the universe has been reported by the BBC over six decades.

Juno, Nasa's mission to Jupiter, is still gathering data on the gas giant, a decade after it was launched.

A special ‘Question Time’ edition of the programme. Planetary scientist Carly Howett and cosmologist Hiranya Peiris join the team to answer questions from viewers covering all things astronomical

Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012) began presenting The Sky at Night in April 1957. Airing a new episode every month, the show continues to explore our solar system and beyond. It is the longest running science show on TV. Many famous people have appeared on The Sky at Night, among them: Harlow Shapley, Carl Sagan and Jocelyn Bell-Burnell. Many astronauts have also appeared, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Recordings of most of the early episodes no longer exist.

Chris and Maggie look back at some of the stories they have covered in 2021 in the Sky at Night’s big review of the year.