How the Universe Works

How the Universe Works is a documentary science television series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel in 2010. The first and third through eighth seasons were narrated by Mike Rowe.[1] The second season and episodes of the fifth and sixth seasons were narrated by Erik Todd Dellums.[2] The first season, broadcast from April 25 to May 24, 2010, was released on Blu-ray on February 28, 2012.[3] Since its second season, consisting of eight episodes broadcast between July 11 and August 29, 2012, the show has aired on the Science Channel.[4] The third season aired between July 9 and September 3, 2014.[5] The fourth season premiered on July 14, 2015, as part of the Science Channel's "Space Week," in honor of New Horizons′ flyby of Pluto that day; the season ran through September 1, 2015. The show′s fifth season aired from November 22, 2016, through February 7, 2017. The sixth season premiered on January 9, 2018 and ran through March 13, 2018. The seventh season premiered on January 8, 2019. On December 30, 2019, it was announced that the eighth season will premiere on January 2, 2020.[6]

How the Universe Works
Blu-ray disc cover
Also known as	HtUW
Genre	Documentary series
Narrated by	Mike Rowe (Seasons 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) Erik Todd Dellums (Seasons 2, 5 and 6)
Composer	Richard Blair-Oliphant
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	71 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Hannah James Stuart Carter
Producer	Stephen Marsh
Running time	43 minutes
Release
Original network	Discovery Channel (2010) Science Channel (2012–present)
Original release	April 25, 2010 – present
External links
Website

Episode list

Season 1 (2010)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"Big Bang"	Louise V. Say	April 25, 2010
This is the greatest story ever told, the creation of everything us. The program investigates how the Universe came into existence out of nothing, and how it grew from a minuscule point, smaller than an atomic particle, to the vast cosmos we see today.
2	"Black Holes"	Peter Chinn	May 2, 2010
Black holes,the most powerful destroyers in the Universe, the most mysterious phenomena in the heavens. For years they were only speculation, now modern astronomy is proving them frighteningly real and showing that they may well shape everything we see.
3	"Galaxies"	Louise V. Say	May 10, 2010
Galaxies, home to stars, planets and us, come in all shapes and sizes. Witnesses the evolution of galaxies; from clouds of cold gas floating in the voids of space 13 billion years ago, to the magnificent spirals that fill our night sky.
4	"Stars"	Peter Chinn	May 10, 2010
The story of how stars were made by the Universe and how stars then went on to engineer everything else in that very universe. They changed the Universe by spawning further generations of stars, then planets, and eventually the building blocks of life.
5	"Supernovas"	Shaun Trevisick	May 17, 2010
Stars are not eternal; they are dying in unimaginably large explosions called supernovas. Second only to the Big Bang, these explosions are where creation and destruction meet. Only now have we begun to understand how these wonders in our sky work.
6	"Planets"	Lorne Townend	May 17, 2010
There are just eight planets in our solar system, but there could be a hundred billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy alone. This show follows the journey of planets as they grow from grains of dust to the magnificently diverse worlds we see today.
7	"Solar Systems"	Lorne Townend	May 24, 2010
Is our solar system unique? Since the first discovery of a planet orbiting another star, some 280 alien solar systems have been identified. It's only by looking at solar systems far beyond our own, that we can understand how remarkable our universe is.
8	"Moons"	Shaun Trevisick	May 24, 2010
Moons come in every possible shape and size. Home to incredible natural phenomena like gigantic geysers and colossal volcanoes, moons also offer perhaps the best chance of finding alien life in the Universe — and they probably exist in the billions.

Season 2 (2012)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"Volcanoes - The Furnaces of Life"	Alex Hearle	July 11, 2012
Scientists are discovering volcanoes on worlds we once thought dead. From our nearest planetary neighbor to tiny moons billions of miles away, today we are discovering volcanoes on alien worlds. Are these worlds where, tomorrow, we might find life?
2	"Megastorms - The Winds of Creation"	Alex Hearle	July 18, 2012
On Earth, violent and destructive storms create new opportunities for life. In our quest to discover if we are alone in the universe, we shouldn't just look for worlds, we should look for weather. Find chaotic weather and maybe we will find alien life.
3	"Exoplanets - Planets from Hell"	Kate Dart	July 25, 2012
Over the last 20 years we have discovered an extraordinary zoo of planetary nightmares outside our own solar system, all of them truly wild worlds, a collection of monsters. Now we must face the question: Is every planet out there a planet from hell?
4	"Megaflares - Cosmic Firestorms"	Kate Dart	August 1, 2012
The Universe is a magnetic minefield. The Sun spits out flares capable of battering life on Earth. But out there in space lie the true magnetic monsters. As we uncover dangerous megaflares in the cosmos, the question is, will we end up in the firing line?
5	"Extreme Orbits - Clockwork and Creation"	Adam Warner	August 8, 2012
The only reason life on Earth is possible is because of our stable orbit around the Sun. Elsewhere in the Universe, orbits are chaotic, violent, and destructive. On the largest scale, orbits are a creative force and construct the fabric of the Universe.
6	"Comets - Frozen Wanderers"	Adam Warner	August 15, 2012
We follow the odyssey of a comet as it sails through space, watching every move as it evolves from a chunk of ice and rock into an active nucleus engulfed in a gaseous haze. What we learn is a revelation; comets are even more mysterious than we imagined.
7	"Asteroids - Worlds That Never Were"	George Harris	August 22, 2012
From icy worlds with more fresh water than Earth to flying mountains of pure metal, asteroids shaped our past and promise much for the future. Could these enigmatic space rocks hold the key to how life in the Universe arises and is extinguished?
8	"Birth of the Earth"	George Harris	August 29, 2012
The Earth was formed by a series of cosmic cataclysms including the most powerful blast in the Universe. Yet amid the turmoil our world was born. Could the same chain of events have created other earths elsewhere, inhabited by creatures like us?

Season 3 (2014)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"Journey from the Center of the Sun"	FTC	July 9, 2014
How does light escape from the sun? We take a journey from the center of the sun, following the path of light. We witness its fiery birth from in the core, its 430,000-mile (690,000 km) battle against gravity and magnetism, and its escape from the solar surface.
2	"The End of the Universe"	Mark Bridge	July 16, 2014
How and when will the Universe end? Gravity and dark matter are poised to annihilate the Universe in a Big Crunch. Expansion and dark energy may tear it apart. Or, a phase transition could kill us tomorrow in a cosmic death bubble.
3	"Jupiter: Destroyer or Savior?"	Mark Bridge	July 23, 2014
Beneath Jupiter's swirling clouds lie our solar system's deepest secrets, from its violent youth, through the birth of life, to the death of the sun. Now, scientists are unlocking these secrets and discovering that every living thing exists thanks to Jupiter.
4	"First Second of the Big Bang"	Mark Bridge	July 30, 2014
The first second of the Universe, the creation of everything when space, time, matter, and energy burst into existence. It is the most important second in history, which seals the Universe's fate and defines everything that comes after - including us.
5	"Is Saturn Alive?"	Mark Bridge	August 6, 2014
Saturn's secrets are out. The ferocious weather, the evolving ring system, and the discovery of active geology on Saturn's moons has rewritten the textbooks. Scientists are looking for life on Saturn's moons and they may have found it on Titan.
6	"Weapons of Mass Extinction"	Mark Bridge	August 13, 2014
An overview of historical mass extinctions and what is in store for the future.
7	"Did a Black Hole Build the Milky Way?"	Mark Bridge	August 20, 2014
What built the Milky Way? New research might now have the answer, revealing an unlikely hero. At the heart of our galaxy sits a supermassive black hole, one of the most destructive objects in the Universe. Could it be our creator?
8	"Our Voyage to the Stars"	Mark Bridge	August 27, 2014
One day, a cosmic disaster will make life on Earth impossible. To survive, we must find a new home amongst the stars. Scientists are already developing new propulsion systems to take us to these distant worlds.
9	"The Search for a Second Earth"	Mark Bridge	September 3, 2014
Is there another Earth out there with liquid oceans, rocky continents, and life like us? Astronomers seek the answer with spectroscopy, direct imaging, and telescopes. They hope to find evidence of atmospheres, magnetospheres, and signs of life.

Season 4 (2015)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"How the Universe Built Your Car"	Mark Bridge	July 14, 2015
Beneath the hood of your car lies the history of the Universe. The iron in your chassis, the gold in your stereo, and the copper in your electronics all owe their existence to violent cosmic events that took place billions of years ago.
2	"Earth, Venus's Evil Twin"	Mark Bridge	July 21, 2015
There is a hellish planet in our solar system, covered in thick dense clouds and roasted by colossal temperatures. Incredibly this is a vision of Earth's future. To understand how our world will be destroyed we need to look at Earth's evil twin, Venus.
3	"Monster Black Hole"	Mark Bridge	July 28, 2015
Black holes are the least understood places in the universe, where the rules of physics collapse. We go inside the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way.
4	"Edge of the Solar System"	Mark Bridge	August 4, 2015
Giant magnetic bubbles millions of miles wide, bizarre invisible matter, and a death star tearing through bands of icy comets, flinging them into violent orbits. All this and more could be inside our cosmic backyard, and effecting our lives on Earth.
5	"Dawn of Life"	Mark Bridge	August 11, 2015
We are on the verge of unconvering how life on Earth came to be. Our origin is a hotly contested scientific debate. Did we come from strange volcanic hatcheries deep under the sea? Or did life on Earth come from another planet?
6	"Secret History of the Moon"	Mark Bridge	August 18, 2015
Our Moon is stranger than you think, and we reveal its incredible secrets. Can we thank the Moon for life on Earth? What explains the mysterious tunnels beneath its surface? Is a lunar base the key to humanity's future in space?
7	"The First Oceans"	Mark Bridge	August 25, 2015
For years, scientists suspected that the oceans came from molecules delivered to Earth from distant stars by asteroids, but a new discovery suggests that their true origins may be more exotic.
8	"Forces of Mass Construction"	Mark Bridge	September 1, 2015
There is a mysterious force you cannot see or touch, but it affects everything in the universe. Magnetism has shaped our cosmos, and without it, Creation would simply disintegrate. We follow scientists trying to understand how this strange force works.

Season 5 (2016–17)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"Most Amazing Discoveries"	TBA	November 22, 2016
From the furthest reaches of space to our own cosmic backyard, we count down the discoveries that changed everything we know about our universe.
2	"Mystery of Planet 9"	TBA	November 29, 2016
Scientists have discovered a mysterious ninth planet on the very edge of our solar system. Ten times the size of Earth, this strange world could have moons with extraterrestrial life.
3	"Black Holes: The Secret Origin"	TBA	December 6, 2016
The question in every galaxy and super anomaly in students' and viewers' minds is: "How do black holes grow so massive?" For every possible solution, there exists a different cause. The study continues.
4	"Secret History of Pluto"	TBA	January 3, 2017
Astronomers discovered a host of other icy objects orbiting around Pluto. Renewed interest was piqued, especially after the New Horizons probe took some high-resolution photos of Pluto in 2015.
5	"Stars That Kill"	TBA	January 10, 2017
The universe is home to real-life Death Stars that could destroy planet Earth. The latest science reveals the terrifying secrets of NASA's six deadliest: vampire stars, supernovas that can vaporize a planet, and unpredictable stars gone rogue.
6	"The Universe's Deadliest"	TBA	January 17, 2017
The ultimate guide to the worst places in the universe. There is Betelgeuse in its death throes, which could become a supernova and the possibly a death star. Chuck the crash test dummy will be sent on travels to other deadly events.
7	"Life and Death on the Red Planet"	TBA	January 24, 2017
Life on Mars went through a series of life-impacting events, and the first impact may have seeded life on Earth via debris from Mars..
8	"The Dark Matter Enigma"	TBA	January 31, 2017
Dark matter is the biggest mystery of the cosmos. Scientists know that it has been vital to the universe since its birth, and new discoveries reveal that it could create black holes, cause mass extinctions, and might even have helped to shape life on Earth. Might there be a dark matter universe that may account for all the events that aren't really definable?
9	"Strangest Alien Worlds"	TBA	February 7, 2017
Discoveries of new planets have revealed countless worlds much stranger than Earth. Some of these strange worlds don't have stars, others are made out of diamonds. Will we ever find a planet like Earth, or are these distant worlds all stranger than fiction?

Season 6 (2018)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date	US Viewers (thousands)
1	"Are Black Holes Real?"	TBA	January 9, 2018	375[7]
New discoveries are challenging everything we know about black holes -- astronomers are beginning to question if they even exist. The latest science tries to explain how they work & what they look like, despite the fact we've never actually seen one.
2	"Twin Suns: The Alien Mysteries"	TBA	January 16, 2018	385[8]
Planets that orbit two suns instead of one might be deadly hell worlds, but new discoveries reveal that sci-fi star systems with binary stars might be optimal places for alien life.
3	"Dark History of the Solar System"	TBA	January 23, 2018	347[9]
New discoveries reveal that Earth and the planets were formed from the destruction of strange alien worlds.
4	"Death of the Milky Way"	TBA	January 30, 2018	341[10]
The Milky Way is dying, and experts are investigating what's killing it.
5	"Uranus & Neptune: Rise of the Ice Giants"	Mark Bridge	February 6, 2018	378[11]
Uranus and Neptune are mysterious, icy worlds at the edge of our solar system, and new discoveries reveal that these strange planets might have helped start life on Earth.
6	"Secret History of Mercury"	TBA	February 13, 2018	346[12]
Mercury is a deadly world, facing attacks from the Sun, comets, and other planets, and even though it's the smallest planet in our solar system, it has a dangerous secret that might one day threaten life on Earth.
7	"The Quasar Enigma"	TBA	February 20, 2018	371[13]
Quasars are the brightest and most powerful objects in our universe, and though they have shaped the cosmos, they might ultimately destroy everything that exists.
8	"Strange Lives of Dwarf Planets"	TBA	February 27, 2018	302[14]
Our solar system is home to hundreds of strange, tiny worlds called dwarf planets, and new discoveries reveal the secrets of these mysterious places.
9	"War on Asteroids"	TBA	March 6, 2018	333[15]
Scientists are using cutting-edge technology to stop an asteroid apocalypse, and for the first time, mankind is closer than ever to keeping Earth safe from these killer space rocks.
10	"Mystery of Spacetime"	TBA	March 13, 2018	395[16]
Spacetime is the secret structure that controls our universe, and this strange four-dimensional substance controls time, light, and energy. It will also determine how our universe will end.

Season 7 (2019)

Episode #	Title	Directed by	Original air date	US Viewers (thousands)
1	"Nightmares of Neutron Stars"	TBA	January 8, 2019	394[17]
Neutron stars are strange and violent phenomena that defy the laws of physics, and new discoveries reveal that these bizarre nightmares are far more deadly than we ever thought, with the power to destroy planets and even other stars.
2	"When Supernovas Strike"	TBA	January 15, 2019	252[18]
Supernovas are the violent death of giant stars, and reveal that these cataclysmic events created the elements that are essential to all life in the universe.
3	"The Interstellar Mysteries"	TBA	January 22, 2019	N/A
Interstellar space is the space between the universe's stars and new discoveries reveal that it's not empty and unremarkable as previously thought, but filled with weird objects and strange phenomena that might hold the darkest secrets of our cosmos.
4	"How Black Holes Made Us"	TBA	January 29, 2019	326[19]
Black holes aren't the violent monsters we think they are, and new discoveries reveal that they might have been essential to creating stars, giving light, and building the universe itself.
5	"Secret Worlds of Nebulas"	TBA	February 5, 2019	N/A
Nebulas are the strange structures of cosmic gas and dust where stars are born and die, and new discoveries reveal the secrets of these mysterious objects.
6	"Did the Big Bang Really Happen?"	TBA	February 12, 2019	270[20]
New discoveries are causing astronomers to question if the Big Bang really happened, and using the latest science, they investigate if it wasn't just the start of our universe but many mysterious multiverses.
7	"Battle of the Dark Universe"	TBA	February 19, 2019	222[21]
Dark matter and dark energy are locked in an epic battle for control of the cosmos, and the winner will determine the fate of the universe. New discoveries might reveal which force will emerge victorious.
8	"Hunt for Alien Life"	TBA	February 26, 2019	246[22]
The latest discoveries suggest that we might be on the verge of discovering life beyond our planet. Scientists are investigating if Earth's life began elsewhere in the universe and whether we need to evolve to know for sure.
9	"Finding the New Earth"	TBA	March 5, 2019	264[23]
New discoveries have revealed thousands of exoplanets beyond our solar system. Some resemble Earth enough that one could be a new home for humanity. Even with cutting-edge technology, finding the perfect one is the scientific challenge of the age.
10	"Cassini's Final Secrets"	TBA	March 12, 2019	303[24]
For twenty years, NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed the strange secrets of Saturn until it vaporized in Saturn's atmosphere. But today its legacy lives on, as newly analyzed data from the probe helps scientists make additional discoveries.

Season 8 (2020)

Episode #	Title	Original air date	US Viewers (thousands)
1	"Asteroid Apocalypse — The New Threat"	January 2, 2020	290[25]
If a massive asteroid collides with Earth, it could end life on our planet as we know it. New discoveries reveal just how close we are to the apocalypse and what it would take for the world's leading space agencies to stop it.
2	"NASA's Journey to Mars"	January 9, 2020	314[26]
NASA is on a mission to send humans to Mars within just 15 years, but to reach this next frontier of space exploration, experts must discover new technology and cutting-edge science that protects astronauts from the red planet's deadliest killers.
3	"Hunt for Alien Evidence"	January 16, 2020	299[27]
The discovery of extraterrestrial life might face an impossible challenge—the physics of the universe itself. With cutting-edge technology, experts might be on the verge of a groundbreaking find—and the evidence could already be in hand.
4	"Death of the Last Stars"	January 23, 2020	315[28]
Our universe's stars are dying off faster than new ones are born, and using the latest technology, experts investigate the secrets of the last stars of the cosmos and what this stellar apocalypse means for life on Earth.
5	"Secrets Of Time Travel"	January 30, 2020	276[29]
Time travel might be more possible than we ever imagined, and today, cutting-edge technology and the latest research into black holes and wormholes is helping experts get steps closer to discovering how to travel through time.
6	"When NASA met Jupiter"	February 6, 2020	283[30]
NASA's Juno spacecraft is part of a cutting-edge mission to explore the mysteries of Jupiter. As this mighty probe is pummeled with deadly radiation, it gathers new data that could change everything we know about the solar system's biggest planet.
7	"Edge of the Universe"	February 13, 2020	296[31]
We don't yet know where the edge of the universe is or what happens there; but thanks to cutting-edge technology and new discoveries, experts might finally reveal the secrets of the phenomena that can be found in deepest reaches of the cosmos.
8	"Monsters of the Milky way"	February 20, 2020	281[32]
The center of the Milky Way is home to strange and deadly phenomena that we don't yet understand, but using the latest science, experts are revealing how the supermassive black hole our galaxy's core shapes life on Earth.
9	"Earth's Death Orbit"	February 27, 2020	314[33]
Earth's journey through the universe is a perilous one, and new discoveries reveal that our planet is heading toward a mysterious area of the cosmos that could eject us out of the Milky Way and into oblivion.

See also

• Alien Planet
• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
• Extreme Universe
• Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking
• Space's Deepest Secrets
• Through the Wormhole
• The Universe

References

1. "How the Universe Works Videos". Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
2. How the Universe Works at IMDb
3. "How the Universe Works Blu-ray". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
4. "How the Universe Works Season 2". The Science Channel. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
5. "How the Universe Works listings on TheFutonCritic". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
6. "Science Channel Blasts Off Into 2020 with New Season of "How the Universe Works" Premiering Thursday, January 2 at 9PM". The Futon Critic. December 30, 2019.
7. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.9.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
8. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.16.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
9. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.23.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
10. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.30.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
11. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 2.6.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
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13. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 2.20.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
14. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 2.27.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
15. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 3.06.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
16. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 3.13.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
17. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.8.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 8, 2019.
18. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.15.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 15, 2019.
19. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 1.29.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 29, 2019.
20. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 2.12.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 12, 2019.
21. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 2.19.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 19, 2019.
22. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 2.26.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 26, 2019.
23. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 3.5.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Mar 5, 2019.
24. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals: 3.12.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Mar 12, 2019.
25. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 1.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 2, 2020.
26. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 1.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 9, 2020.
27. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 1.16.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 16, 2020.
28. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 1.23.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 23, 2020.
29. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 1.30.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Jan 30, 2020.
30. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 2.6.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 6, 2020.
31. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 2.13.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 13, 2020.
32. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 2.20.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 20, 2020.
33. Mitch Metcalf. "Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals: 2.27.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved Feb 27, 2020.

External links

• How the Universe Works at IMDb