What's On UEN-TV

Much of the cosmos cannot be seen through optical telescopes. But it can be detected in wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging from gamma-rays, through x-rays and ultra-violet to infra-red and radio. They reveal cauldrons of starbirth, exploding stars, neutron stars and black holes. Most exciting are Gamma-ray Bursters - cosmic flashes as bright as a million trillion Suns. In this program, we learn more about visible light (7 colors and gradations) and infra-red light (outside the scope of human visibility) along with extraordinary images of atmospheric and galactic events.

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This programming explores theories of the Universe exploding from an infinitesimal speck to create matter, radiation, time and space. In the first trillion-trillion-trillionth of a second, the cosmos grew a hundred million times to less than the size of an atom. Then, in another instant, the Universe was the size of a galaxy. Now, billions of years later and strung along vast filaments, our Universe has some 50-billion galaxies that continue to expand as stars within them are born, live and die. In the second half of this program, the creation and disappearance of black holes is explored. These occur when a massive star dies. As the star's outer layers cascade into space, the core collapses to beyond the visible and becomes a voracious gravitational trap from which nothing, not even light, escapes.

How far is a star or a galaxy? Scaling and measuring the cosmos is a complex problem. Scientists are integrating mathematical applications and scientific technology to create standards. Distances are so vast they are described in light years - the distance light travels in a year. Nearby stars are measured by trigonometry - the technique of parallax. Farther out, astronomers use so-called "standard candles", the 'Type Ia supernovae' is the standard candle basis. Beyond that the electromagnetic "redshift" of galaxies reveals their distances.

This program discusses the concept of the expanding Universe. Calculations by astrophysicists show that the cosmos seems to be speeding up. The 50-billion galaxies thought to comprise our Universe are rapidly moving farther apart. As our Sun's energy diminishes, scientists are working to understand the nature of space called "mysterious dark energy and dark matter" - believed to comprise 96 percent of the Universe. With each discovery made by astronomers and astrophysicists, we find there is so much more to learn.

Since its discovery in 1930, astronomers have been debating the status of the tiny world at the farthest reaches of our solar system-Pluto. In this program, students are given a firsthand look at the scientific process that initially classified Pluto as a planet and then reclassified it in 2006 as a Dwarf Planet. Not all scientists are in agreement with this definition and the future may bring further reclassification. Students will learn the scientific process of categorizing a planet and about this tiny world at the farthest reaches of our solar system.

Comets have been causing fear in the minds of humans for millennia. Now new spacecraft are giving us insights into their composition and behavior. Comets allow us to study what the solar system was like in its formative period. They orbit the Sun in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. This program teaches students about comets and helps students understand why comets cause both fear and fascination.

The Very Large Array, or VLA, telescope was built by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to investigate radio waves from a variety of astronomical objects. This enormous array includes 27 antennas that look into deep space to see quasars, pulsars, remnants of supernova, gamma ray bursts, radio-emitting stars, the sun and planets, black holes, and the hydrogen gas that constitutes a large portion of the Milky Way galaxy. This program takes a look at how the telescope works and some of the magnificent images it produces.

Once again, America is leading the world in a bold new adventure to ensure the expansion of knowledge, economic growth, as well as a better understanding of life and how the universe functions. Deep space exploration will open new worlds of learning and technological advancement that will lead to new discoveries in medicine, technology, engineering and physics. This exciting program explores NASA's capability to take humanity farther into the solar system than we have ever gone before and will look at the science behind this fantastic journey.