Brian Cox reveals how the beauty and order in earth’s cosmic backyard was formed from nothing more than a chaotic cloud of gas. Chasing tornados in Oklahoma, he explains how the same physics that creates these spinning storms shaped the young solar system. Out of this celestial maelstrom emerged the jewel in the crown, Brian’s second wonder – the magnficent rings of Saturn.

On an ice-choked lagoon in Iceland, he sees the nearest thing on Earth to Saturn’s rings, and using the latest scientific imagery and breathtaking graphics, he explains how the intricate patterns round Saturn are shaped by the cluster of more than 60 moons surrounding the planet.

Black holes are one of the most destructive forces in the universe, capable of tearing a planet apart and swallowing an entire star. Yet scientists now believe they could hold the key to answering the ultimate question – what was there before the Big Bang?

The problem is researching them is practically impossible. Black holes, by definition, are invisible and there’s no scientific theory able to explain them. Despite these obstacles, the programme meets the astronomers attempting to image a black hole for the very first time and the theoretical physicists getting ever closer to unlocking their mysteries. It’s a story that takes us into the heart of a black hole and to the very edge of what we think we know about the universe.

The search for extra-terrestrial life has been going for 50 years – but there’s been a recent breakthrough. Astronomers have discovered a new planet called Gliese 581 c. It is the most Earth-like planet ever found. It orbits a star and may have habitats capable of supporting life. NASA hopes to find 50 more Earth-like planets by the end of the decade, all of which increases the chance that alien life has begun elsewhere.

Approximately 5 billion years old and just under 333,000 times the mass of Earth, discover the enchanting story of the Sun, the heart of our solar system and the driving force of life on Earth. The Sun is by far the brightest object in the sky. It’s so bright that during the day its light drowns out virtually everything else in space. Life on Earth is totally dependent on the the energy it receives from the Sun.

This energy is produced when hydrogen atoms inside the Sun fuse to form helium. The Sun consumes four million tons of hydrogen every second. Even so, it’s so vast that our star has enough fuel to keep it shining for another five billion years. The Sun’s energy output is estimated to be 386 billion, billion megawatts. So in 15 minutes our Sun radiates as much energy as mankind consumes in all forms, during an entire year.

There’s something strange happening in the universe – something that should, theoretically, be impossible. It is as if large areas of the universe are being hoovered up by a vast and unseen celestial vacuum cleaner.

The chance discovery of what is ominously being referred to as ‘dark flow’ not only has implications for the destinies of vast numbers of galaxies – it also means that a large number of scientists may need to rethink their understanding of the universe.

There was a time, not so long ago, when science seemed to understand how the universe worked. Everything – us, the Earth, the stars and even exotic-sounding supernovae – were made of atoms which were all created at the time of the Big Bang. In between the atoms was nothing, a void: quite literally, ’space’.

But recently things have started to unravel. There is, it seems, a lot more to the universe than meets the eye. According to the best estimates, we only really know what about 4% of it is made of. But if only 4% is made of atoms, what about the rest?

After a pair of near-disastrous incidents with the Space Shuttle, all eyes were on NASA in early 2004 when their latest project edged into the spotlight – a pair of roving space probes, Spirit and Opportunity, were set to land on Mars and send back pictures and data on the planet’s landscape.

Despite technical glitches and other unexpected difficulties, the rovers proved to be a huge success, running for much longer than their expected lifetime, and sending back crucial data that suggested the presence of water on Mars – and with it, the possibility of life.

In June 2000, astronomers made an amazing discovery that could potentially solve one of cosmology’s most fundamental problems – how and why galaxies are formed. Incredibly, the answer involves some of the weirdest, most destructive and terrifying objects in the universe – supermassive black holes.

Scientists are starting to believe that the destructive forces they generate actually help trigger the formation of galaxies and consequently are at the heart of the creation of stars, planets and, ultimately, life itself.

We take a voyage from Earth to the edge of the Universe using a single, unbroken shot. Building on images taken from the Hubble telescope, this documentary explores the science and history behind the distant celestial bodies in the solar system before departing for the outermost reaches of the universe on a grand tour of the cosmos, to explore newborn stars, distant planets, black holes and beyond.

A documentary looking at various forms of energy emitted throughout the universe, from the immense jets ejected by black holes, to the nuclear fury of trillions of stars; and how the universe maintains this energy in a system of perfect equilibrium where none can ever be added or taken away.

As a result, there are enormous amounts of energy being continuously transferred – electric, thermal, kinetic and magnetic energy are just a few that keep our universe balanced, and create violent cosmic events and stunning stellar displays.