Bbc The Story of Science (2010

Four-part series about the history of mathematics, presented by Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy.

Ancient civilisations thought comets were Gods. They believed them to be bringers of life or harbingers of doom - these strange, magical, mysterious things that moved through the sky, fiery streaks of light that tore across the heavens.

Series in which Professor Marcus du Sautoy explores why we are driven to measure and quantify the world around us and why we have reduced the universe to just a handful of fundamental units of measurement. From the first cave paintings of Cro-Magnon man to today's atomic clocks, he shows how our human desire for ever greater precision has changed the course of history and society.

The attempt to send and land astronauts on Mars risks billions of dollars and the lives of those brave enough to attempt it. Is the possible benefit really worth the risk? And is it really achievable?

All good travel guides need a map, and the team unveil the most detailed 3D map of the Milky Way ever produced. A map that reveals that there may be 50 per cent more stars in the galaxy than we previously thought. American astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson gives us a guided tour of the strangest stars we have ever observed, and we discover that the Milky Way may already be colliding with our neighbouring galaxy, Andromeda.

90 million miles away from us is the power that shapes our world - the Sun. We see it shine in the sky above us, but beyond our sight something dramatic is happening - the Sun is going into overdrive. It's more active now that it's been for a decade, sending eruptions of super-heated plasma and vast waves of radiation towards our planet. With the potential to disrupt our lives in dramatic ways.

The team travel to the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands where they take control of some of the world's largest telescopes to view the most spectacular sights in the night sky.

Family and friends contribute to a celebration of Richard Feynman, one of the most inspiring and influential scientists of the 20th century. Feynman, who died 25 years ago, helped design the atomic bomb, won a Nobel Prize for Physics and solved the mystery of the Challenger shuttle catastrophe.

This staggeringly visual feast of a documentary Brings cutting-edge findings of modern astronomy to life with state-of-the-art animation, informed by supercomputer simulations of cosmic events. Marvel at the formation of a super-massive black hole 350 million lightyears away; admire the stunning beauty of the Orion nebula; and discover what the stars tell us about our place in the stretch of time and space.

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." These words spoken by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 changed the lives of twelve men who became known as "Moonwalkers." The Wonder of it All focuses on the rarely told human side of the men behind the Apollo missions through thoughtful and candid accounts from seven Moonwalkers. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt intimately reflect on the training, the tragedies, the camaraderie and the effect their space travel has had on their families.