Universe Unplugged

The host of a science show (Felicia Day) bids the viewers goodbye. Includes closing credits of the complete Astrophysics Variety Hour.

Rachel Bloom performs an original song about discovering planets around distant stars, what astronomers call "exoplanets." In the process, she educates a skeptical drone about how humans can find these distant planets without actually seeing any of the planets themselves.

The host of a science show (Felicia Day) recaps some of the key science explained in the Astrophysics Variety Hour, including what exoplanets are and how astronomers can discover them.

A charming astronomer explains to a party full of drones how it's occasionally possible--but difficult--to photograph a planet around another star, and how it might become more common in the future.

The ghost of Sir Isaac Newton is haunting his great great great grand-niece, Dr. Ivonne! In this sitcom spoof, Newton is trying to catch up on all the science he missed over the past several hundred years, and is particularly curious about the discovery of planets orbiting other stars . Ivonne explains several common techniques of exoplanet discovery including the Radial Velocity technique (detecting a "wobble" in a star), Transit Photometry (measuring tiny dips in a star's brightness as a planet passes), and Gravitational Lensing (a warping of a distant star's light by a foreground planet's gravity field). He even learns that there are planets that don't orbit stars, but rather exist floating in the dark spaces between stars!

A charming astronomer explains to a party full of drones the naming convention behind some of the complex-looking names given to recently discovered exoplanets.

The host of a science show (Felicia Day) explains how astronomers can discover and map planetary systems around distant stars--including determining the number of planets, their positions, and their orbit speeds—without actually seeing any of the planets themselves! Also includes an explanation of why it's so difficult to see planets around most distant stars.

In an animated short set in the future, bees discover technology left behind by space-going humans, and use it to build their own tiny spaceships to explore the galaxy! While being pursued by scheming spiders, the bees learn how Hollywood gets asteroid fields wrong.

Being a “scientist” is less about what degree someone has, and more about the methods that they use to make their discoveries! Multiple scientist clones walk through the process in this retro-styled clip.

The host of a science show (Felicia Day) explains to a floating Drone-bot the details of how the Earth and everything on it, including people, came from leftover cosmic material after the Sun was formed.

Two news anchors discuss a distant planet named WASP-69b, which evidence suggests is having its atmosphere blasted off into space by its host star.

Want to visit a distant planet outside of our Solar System? Well...you actually can't! They're too far away. But here's the next best thing: a fictional advertisement describing some of the wildest and strangest planets astronomers have detected to date.

A trio of hapless contestants attempt to compete on an astronomy quiz show, and learn what people—along with planets, the Sun, and all other stars—are made of.

The host of a science show (Felicia Day) explains some of the science behind exoplanets to a floating Drone-bot and a holographic viewer. Explanations include how star systems formed, what the Earth was made from, and the variety of exoplanets that have been detected in our galaxy.

The unannotated version of this visualization showcases the multiwavelength emissions and three-dimensional structures surrounding Eta Carinae, one of the most massive and eruptive stars in our galaxy.

This six-minute visual exploration of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field showcases its four-dimensional nature across both space and time.

This visualization explores the Orion Nebula using both visible and infrared light as we fly through its structures.

This visualization explores the Orion Nebula as seen in visible-light observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.

This visualization explores the Orion Nebula as seen in infrared-light observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

This 3D visualization features the Crab Nebula, the glowing remains of a supernova explosion witnessed by Chinese astronomers nearly 1,000 years ago.

This new episode follows explorers Cas Anvar & Cara Gee (“The Expanse”) into a planetary danger zone in their quest for another Earth. Can their computer (Parry Shen of “General Hospital”) save them from a nasty fate?

Space explorers Cas Anvar & Cara Gee ("The Expanse") are searching for a new hospitable world, aided by their computer with a Rod Serling complex (Parry Shen of "General Hospital").

Part 4 of a discussion between astronomers about the video Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox. What is the likelihood we may discover an exoplanet that could sustain human life? And are scientists searching for non-human life on other worlds? Find out more about the science behind the search for a habitable exoplanet in the episode The Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox.

Part 3 of a discussion between astronomers about the video Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox. How do we learn so much about what exoplanet are like? Can astronomers today actually detect water on these distant worlds? Find out more about the science behind the search for a habitable exoplanet in the episode The Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox.

Part 2 of a discussion between astronomers about the video Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox. How is real scientific data used to help visualize exoplanets? What decisions do visual artists have to make when depicting an exoplanet? How do exoplanet researchers feel about exoplanet art? Find out more about the science behind the search for a habitable exoplanet in the episode The Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox

Part 1 of a discussion between astronomers about the video Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox. How can an exoplanet be at the right temperature but still not have liquid water? If we want to find an exoplanet that could host life like us, why does it matter what that planet is made of? Find out more about the science behind the search for a habitable exoplanet in the episode The Habitable Zone: Goldilocks Paradox.

Where do stars come from? A science expert (Jerrika Hinton) explains by hooking her hapless assistant (Wil Wheaton) up to a Thought Visualizer, a machine that allows anyone to see his thoughts. With Ed Wasser.

Why do some stars end their lives in a supernova explosion? And how does that lead to forming planets and life like us? A science expert (Jerrika Hinton) explains by hooking her hapless assistant (Wil Wheaton) up to a Thought Visualizer, a machine that allows anyone to see his thoughts. With Ed Wasser.

Are microwaves really just a form of light? What exactly is the electromagnetic spectrum? While our eyes can't see most of this spectrum, except for visible light, we have developed technologies such as giant radio dishes, infrared cameras, x-ray scanners, and ultraviolet satellites to peak into the "invisible" world around us.