Original Series

Understanding the Solar System

Planet Earth is a stunning planet, with spell-binding natural wonders and the only life known in the Solar System. But it doesn't exist in magnificent isolation. The Space Age has brought new worlds of wonder into view. Dramatic images sent back by a fleet of probes, orbiters and landers have proved these worlds to be more spectacular than we ever imagined.

Physicist Professor Brian Cox ventures to some of the most extreme locations on Earth – including the tallest mountain, the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and the world’s driest desert - to paint a dazzling picture of a Solar System we are only now beginning to understand.

Biography: Professor Brian Cox

Brian’s love of the Solar System started young. When he was just 1 year old, he’s told, he was captivated by live TV images of the first lunar landing. That love developed into a passion for science and a career in particle physics.

Now Brian is a Professor and Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, as well as researcher on one of the most ambitious experiments on Earth, the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Brian lives in London with his wife Gia, her son from a previous relationship and their new baby, whose middle name "Eagle" is testament Brian’s enduring relationship with space. Eagle was the first craft to land on the Moon.

Explore the Solar System

Watch video clips from classic BBC television programmes about the Solar System. The videos cover topics including the planets, moons and astronauts from series such as The Planets, The Sky at Night and Horizon.

CBBC Space Hoppers

Interplanetary adventure featuring physicist Professor Brian Cox, made in conjunction with Wonders of the Solar System.

In space hoppers, intrepid travellers Dan and Steve team up with Brian to investigate worlds beyond out planet and to find out exactly what you need to do to take a holiday in outer space and do a bit of space hopping.

Track the stars with the OU's 'virtual planisphere'