Known Universe Episode Rating Graph

Join a treasure hunt of cosmic proportions, with a diamond mine on Neptune?! Known Universe explores innovative ideas that could allow humans to harness raw materials in space. One concept includes using Kevlar ribbons to anchor astronauts to asteroids containing more metal than has been excavated in all of human history. And see how meteorites have created huge deposits of gold and other precious metals here on Earth.

The world didn't end on 5/21/11 as some feared, but someday it will, and not just on Earth, but for asteroids, comets, moons, planets, stars and everything in our Known Universe. To demonstrate this complex cycle of life and death, scientist David Kaplan watches the destruction of a 16-story building shattering the structure while creating new matter and debris. We'll also see how a wildfire compares to the ignition of a supernova deep in space, and step inside a black hole simulator.

More than 70 percent of Earth is covered in water, but we've only explored roughly 5 percent of it. We've roamed even less of our solar system. Now, armed with some of the latest advances in technology, we join scientists on a voyage into the unknown - from the far reaches of space to the extreme depths of our oceans - where new discoveries have experts questioning everything we know about the universe, and ultimately ourselves. An alternate name of the episode: To the Extremes

Earthquakes and volcanoes pose an unpredictable and deadly threat here on Earth, but they also occur far out in the universe. What can we learn from these interplanetary phenomena that may help us predict when Mother Nature will next unleash her fury? Scientists are looking to Io, a moon of Jupiter that is jam-packed with volcanoes, for insights. Then we'll travel deep under the Earth's crust to see the physical source of these catastrophic events. An alternate name of the episode: Time Bombs

This episode of Known Universe explores how a star becomes even more powerful in its violent supernova death, and how the most intense place in the universe may not be a star at all... but a black hole. We'll also delve into how these powerful stars affect the planets around them, from the utter devastation of their enormous amounts of energy, to the possibility of creating the ideal environment for life.

The collisions that created Earth and the moon; the people who work to stave off the apocalypse; violent impacts deep in the cosmos.

From the enormous universe in which we exist to tiny atoms that make up the building blocks of everything around us, size matters when it comes to understanding the cosmos.

Earth's weather is compared to that of other planets; cataclysmic space weather that could cripple life on Earth.

Are we alone? It's an age-old question that was relatively "taboo" in mainstream science until the mid-1990s, when astronomers found planets outside our solar system. Now, Known Universe joins the hunt for alien life as scientists search for planets with similar characteristics to Earth's. We'll take you on a journey to find planets that may support life and show you new space-based technologies that aid in the search for advanced alien civilizations.

Our ancestors' relationship with the heavens led to some of mankind's ancient discoveries and greatest creations. The ancient Greeks discovered Earth was round; the Polynesians used the sun and stars to navigate vast oceans in simple canoes; some think amazing structures like Stonehenge were designed to observe the sky. Now, Known Universe examines mankind's first observations of the cosmos to understand how they put us on the path to modern discovery. An alternate name of the episode: Star Gates