Author(s): Nicolas Cheetham

General

Using a wealth of high-resolution images collected by a fleet of telescopes, satellites and inter-planetary probes, "Universe" embarks on a voyage to the edge of the cosmos. After a fly past of our planetary neighbours we reach the edge of the solar system - a mere 15 light hours away - and emerge into interstellar space and head 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.