BBC Sky at Night - UK (2021-08)

PICK OF THE MONTH

OnlineExplore the BBC archive

Relive the drama of past space missions and discover a wealth of space science interviews

The short, summer nights are a good

time to trawl through space programmes

in the BBC archive. Stretching back over

decades, there are classic moments

aplenty, from James Burke’s live reaction

to Apollo 13’s safe return, to a vintage Sky

at Night episode where Sir Patrick Moore

met Pluto’s discoverer Clyde Tombaugh.

Horizon gives us 1966’s ‘Man in Space’ on

the everyday life of NASA’s astronauts, a

1981-era ‘Race to Ruin’ on space weaponry,

and an interview with cosmonaut

Valentina Tereshkova. A 1969 Panorama

looks at Moon mission costs, while a 1987

To m o r r o w ’ s Wo r l d covers the ‘Race to

Mars’. bbc.co.uk/archive/collections

Þ Dip into the BBC vaults and discover landmark broadcasts from the Space Race and beyond

August 2021 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 23

WHAT’S ON

We pick the best live and virtual astronomy events and resources this month

DOCUMENTARY

Online The Edge of All We Know

An exhilarating documentary following

the physicists working with Stephen

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hole information paradox, and the Event

Horizon Telescope team as they race to

image a black hole (located at the centre

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TALKS

Live Dark Sky site tour

OM Dark Sky Park, Omagh, during August

Travel through the Universe with your

own star guide, experience space in

virtual reality and ponder the mysterious

connections between the sky and the

area’s ancient stone circles. Tickets are £5

(adults) and £3.50 (children). Pre-booking

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Live One Day on Mars

Royal Observatory Greenwich, during August

Enjoy a thrilling full-dome planetarium

show touring the dunes and canyons of

the Red Planet. Adult tickets are £10 and

children are £5. To book, call 020 8312

6608, or visitZZZUPJFRXNZKDWVRQ

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Online Red quasars

15 August, 7pm

Sunderland Astronomy Society (SAS)

hosts this Zoom talk on red quasars and

their important role in galaxy evolution,

with Victoria Fawcett of Durham

University. To join, email a request to

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COURSE

Online An Introduction

to Astronomy

Starts 15 August

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from Liverpool John Moores University

is for non-experts and covers the history

of modern astronomy, the origins of

our Solar System, the life cycles of our

stars and the different structures of

the galaxies.

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information on this and other short

courses at ZZZDVWURQRP\DFXN

CRAFT

Online Make your own Webb

With the James Webb Space Telescope

soon to launch (it’s currently forecast

for October 2021), this European Space

Agency (ESA) project involves making your

own spacecraft from household items

such as Lego, food, painting or sewing.

You can then share your creation via

#WebbAtHome on Twitter or Instagram,

with ESA goodies going to the best

entries. More information and entry

details are available on the ESA website:

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