Using a wealth of high-resolution images collected by
a fleet of telescopes, satellites and inter-planetary
probes, Cosmos Close-up embarks on a voyage across the
universe, pausing only to zoom in on the most
spectacular planets, stars, galaxies and nebulae. After
a fly past of our planetary neighbours we reach the edge
of the solar system - a mere 15 light hours away -
emerging into interstellar space and heading for the
heart of our galaxy. The rhythms of stellar life unfold
before our eyes: dark clouds of dust and gas blaze with
clusters newly smelted stars, dying stars bloom and fade
as planetary nebulae, or tear themselves apart as
supernovae. Navigating through thick swarms of stars, we
reach the galactic core, a gravitational maelstrom of
exotic stars in the thrall of a supermassive black hole.
Hundreds of thousands of light years must be covered to
reach the Milky Way's companions, the Large and Small
Magellanic Clouds, and millions more devoured before we
cross true intergalactic space. Out here we watch the
hidden lives of galaxies: we see them locked in
gravitational combat, tearing each other apart or
swallowing their companions whole.Now billions of light
years from Earth, we can discern the large-scale
structure of the universe: massive conglomerations of
galaxies gather like grains of dust on a veil of
cobwebs, warping space with their tremendous gravity.
Having crossed an almost unimaginable 13.4 billion light
years, we encounter a wall of radiation. Here our voyage
into the cosmos must finally end, for we have reached
the very edge of the visible universe: what stands
before us is the afterglow of the Big Bang
itself. |
|