How the Universe Works
TVPG
Science
Documentary
Delves into the inner workings of outer space, exploring everything from black holes and galaxies to stars and planets.
Cast & Crew
Upcoming TV Airings
The airings below are based on a generic national schedule. Times and dates can vary by TV provider.
Thursday, April 9
Hunt for Alien Life
Season 7 • Episode 8
Latest discoveries suggest life beyond this planet; investigating if earth's life began elsewhere.
Thursday, April 9
Secret World of Nebulas
Season 7 • Episode 5
New discoveries reveal the secrets of nebulas, where stars are born and die.
Friday, April 10
Curse of the White Dwarf
Season 9 • Episode 5
New research suggests that white dwarfs may be the key to understanding the universe itself.
Friday, April 10
The Next Supernova
Season 9 • Episode 7
A supernova hasn't occurred in 400 years, and the search is on to locate which star may be next.
Friday, April 10
How to Build a Planet
Season 8 •
Exploring the limits of human knowledge and explaining the science behind the rules of the universe.
Friday, April 10
Earth's Death Orbit
Season 8 • Episode 9
Earth's journey is a perilous one and a new discovery reveals that the planet could be in danger.
Monday, April 13
Are Black Holes Real?
Season 6 • Episode 1
Cosmologists say there are black holes throughout the Universe, but they've never seen one.
Monday, April 13
Strange Lives of Dwarf Planets
Season 6 • Episode 8
New discoveries reveal the secrets of hundreds of strange, tiny worlds called dwarf planets.
Tuesday, April 14
Twin Suns: The Alien Mysteries
Season 6 • Episode 2
Star systems with binary stars, once relegated to science-fiction, may actually exist.
Tuesday, April 14
Uranus & Neptune: Rise of the Ice Giants
Season 6 • Episode 5
Uranus and Neptune are mysterious, icy worlds at the edge of the solar system.
Wednesday, April 15
The Quasar Engima
Season 6 • Episode 7
Quasars are the most powerful objects in the universe and ultimately destroy everything that exists.
Wednesday, April 15
Death of the Milky Way
Season 6 • Episode 4
Experts utilize the latest science and discoveries to find the cause of the Milky Way's slow death.
Thursday, April 16
War on Asteroids
Season 6 • Episode 9
Mankind comes closer to keeping Earth safe from killer space rocks.
Thursday, April 16
Secret History of Mercury
Season 6 • Episode 6
Mercury has a dangerous secret that may one day threaten life on Earth.
Friday, April 17
Dark History of the Solar System
Season 6 • Episode 3
The Earth and the planets were formed from the destruction of alien worlds that came before us.
Friday, April 17
Mystery of Spacetime
Season 6 • Episode 10
Spacetime is the secret structure that controls our universe, time, light, and energy.
Monday, April 20
War of the Galaxies
Season 9 • Episode 6
The Milky Way will face the Andromeda Galaxy in a struggle that could create a new super galaxy.
Monday, April 20
Mission to a Comet
Season 9 • Episode 2
The Rosetta mission is a groundbreaking expedition to land on a comet for the very first time.
Tuesday, April 21
Birth of the Monster Black Holes
Season 9 • Episode 9
New discoveries reveal a supermassive black hole from the earliest days of the cosmos.
Tuesday, April 21
Secrets of the Sun
Season 9 • Episode 3
Cutting-edge discoveries about the sun challenge everything known about its atmosphere.
Wednesday, April 22
Hunt for the Universe's Origin
Season 1 • Episode 8
Determining the age of the universe continues to be an elusive endeavor for scientists.
Wednesday, April 22
Voyager's Ultimate Mission
Season 10 • Episode 8
How the extended operation of two Voyager spacecraft transformed into the ultimate mission.
Wednesday, April 22
Asteroid: Countdown to Catastrophe
Season 11 • Episode 4
Examining a hypothetical asteroid impact, experts weigh in to determine how to avert tragedy.
Wednesday, April 22
Finding the New Earth
Season 7 • Episode 9
Some exoplanets resemble earth enough that one could be a new home for humanity.
Wednesday, April 22
Dark History of Earth
Season 10 • Episode 6
Earth's history is marked by one cosmic disaster after another, forging the path of human evolution.
Thursday, April 23
Aliens of the Microcosmos
Season 9 • Episode 4
New discoveries reveal how bacteria, viruses and other alien micro-organisms built life on Earth.
Thursday, April 23
Mystery of Alien Worlds
Season 9 • Episode 11
Experts use cutting-edge astronomy to investigate mysterious alien worlds.
Friday, April 24
Journey to a Black Hole
Season 9 • Episode 1
The mystery of the M87 supermassive black hole and how it controls the entire galaxy.
Friday, April 24
Edge of the Universe
Season 8 • Episode 7
New technology may be able to explain where the edge of the universe is or what happens there.
Friday, April 24
Death of the Last Stars
Season 8 • Episode 4
The universe's stars are dying off faster than new ones are born.
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