NOVA
Season 39 Episode 19 - Secrets of the Sun
It contains 99.9 percent of all the matter in our solar system and sheds hot plasma at nearly a million miles an hour. The temperature at its core is a staggering 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. It convulses, it blazes, it sings. You know it as the sun. Scientists know it as one of the most amazing physics laboratories in the universe. Now, with the help of new spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes, scientists are seeing the sun as they never have before and even recreating what happens at its very center in labs here on Earth. Their work will help us understand aspects of the sun that have puzzled scientists for decades. But more critically, it may help us predict and track solar storms that have the power to zap our power grid, shut down telecommunications, and ground global air travel for days, weeks, or even longer. Such storms have happened before—but never in the modern era of satellite communication. "Secrets of the Sun" reveals a bright new dawn in our understanding of our nearest star—one that might help keep our planet from going dark.
Episodes in Season 39
Engineering Ground Zero
55 min
Surviving the Tsunami
55 min
Finding Life Beyond Earth: Are We Alone?
55 min
Iceman Murder Mystery
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: What is Space?
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Universe or Multiverse?
55 min
Deadliest Volcanoes
55 min
Bombing Hitler's Dams
55 min
3D Spies of WWII
55 min
Mystery of a Masterpiece
55 min
Ice Age Death Trap
55 min
Separating Twins
55 min
Cracking Your Genetic Code
55 min
Hunting the Elements
55 min
Deadliest Tornadoes
55 min
Why Ships Sink
55 min
Secrets of the Sun
55 min
