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.
Wednesday, May 6
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, May 6
Asteroid: Countdown to Catastrophe
Season 11 • Episode 4
Examining a hypothetical asteroid impact, experts weigh in to determine how to avert tragedy.
Thursday, May 7
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, May 7
Voyager's Ultimate Mission
Season 10 • Episode 8
How the extended operation of two Voyager spacecraft transformed into the ultimate mission.
Thursday, May 7
Curse of the Cosmic Rays
Season 10 • Episode 2
Cosmic rays capable of destroying human DNA are hurtling through outer space like subatomic bullets.
Friday, May 8
Asteroid Apocalypse: The New Threat
Season 8 • Episode 1
If a massive asteroid collides with Earth, it could end life on the planet as one knows it.
Monday, May 11
Hunt for Alien Life
Season 7 • Episode 8
Latest discoveries suggest life beyond this planet; investigating if earth's life began elsewhere.
Monday, May 11
Cassini's Final Secrets
Season 7 • Episode 10
Fresh data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft helps scientists make brand-new discoveries about Saturn.
Tuesday, May 12
Secret World of Nebulas
Season 7 • Episode 5
New discoveries reveal the secrets of nebulas, where stars are born and die.
Tuesday, May 12
Are Black Holes Real?
Season 6 • Episode 1
Cosmologists say there are black holes throughout the Universe, but they've never seen one.
Tuesday, May 12
Twin Suns: The Alien Mysteries
Season 6 • Episode 2
Star systems with binary stars, once relegated to science-fiction, may actually exist.
Tuesday, May 12
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, May 13
Battle of the Dark Universe
Season 7 • Episode 7
New discoveries about dark matter and dark energy, which are locked in an epic battle.
Wednesday, May 13
How Black Holes Made Us
Season 7 • Episode 4
New discoveries reveal that black holes might have been essential to building the universe itself.
Thursday, May 14
Strange Lives of Dwarf Planets
Season 6 • Episode 8
New discoveries reveal the secrets of hundreds of strange, tiny worlds called dwarf planets.
Thursday, May 14
Finding the New Earth
Season 7 • Episode 9
Some exoplanets resemble earth enough that one could be a new home for humanity.
Friday, May 15
The Interstellar Mysteries
Season 7 • Episode 3
Interstellar space is not empty and unremarkable as previously thought.
Friday, May 15
Did the Big Bang Really Happen?
Season 7 • Episode 6
New discoveries cause astronomers to question if the Big Bang really happened.
Monday, May 18
Secrets of Time Travel
Season 8 • Episode 5
Time travel may be more possible now than ever imagined; experts are closer to discovering how.
Monday, May 18
War on Asteroids
Season 6 • Episode 9
Mankind comes closer to keeping Earth safe from killer space rocks.
Monday, May 18
Secret History of Mercury
Season 6 • Episode 6
Mercury has a dangerous secret that may one day threaten life on Earth.
Tuesday, May 19
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.
Tuesday, May 19
Mystery of Spacetime
Season 6 • Episode 10
Spacetime is the secret structure that controls our universe, time, light, and energy.
Tuesday, May 19
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.
Wednesday, May 20
The Quasar Engima
Season 6 • Episode 7
Quasars are the most powerful objects in the universe and ultimately destroy everything that exists.
Wednesday, May 20
Solar System Special
Season 11 • Episode 5
Exploring discoveries that rewrite the history of the solar system, including the birth of the sun.
Thursday, May 21
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.
Thursday, May 21
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.
Friday, May 22
Birth of the Monster Black Holes
Season 9 • Episode 9
New discoveries reveal a supermassive black hole from the earliest days of the cosmos.
Friday, May 22
Secrets of the Sun
Season 9 • Episode 3
Cutting-edge discoveries about the sun challenge everything known about its atmosphere.
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