Space and Astronomy: The Best Science Videos on Planets, Stars, and the Universe
Our full guides to Astronomy and Space Exploration cover the science behind everything in these videos.
Our Solar System, Up Close
We have machines at almost every major world in the solar system right now, sending back images we could only dream of a generation ago. These two films are built almost entirely from that real data.
Truly Stunning Io Images and Groundbreaking Jupiter Science from Juno
NASA's Juno probe has spent years diving repeatedly past Jupiter, and this film gathers its sharpest views of the volcanic moon Io alongside what the mission has learned about the giant planet itself. It is a perfect example of why real probe imagery beats any animation.
Read next: Space Exploration Explained.
James Webb's New Images of Neptune Have Left Scientists Confused
The James Webb Space Telescope turned toward Neptune and returned views that genuinely surprised researchers, including its faint rings in sharp detail. A great look at how a powerful new instrument can make even a well-studied planet feel new again.
Read next: Astronomy Explained.
Stars, Supernovae, and the Extremes
Stars are the engines of the universe, and they get far stranger than the steady yellow Sun we are used to. These films cover the upper limits of how big a star can get and the violent moment when one dies.
Is This the Largest Star in the Universe?
A tour of the contenders for the biggest known star, and why "biggest" is harder to pin down than it sounds. If you have never really grasped how small our Sun is on the cosmic scale, this fixes that in about twenty minutes.
Read next: Astronomy Explained.
We've Never Seen a Supernova Explode Until Now
For most of history we have only ever seen the aftermath of a supernova, never the explosion as it happened. This covers a rare case where astronomers caught a star in the act, and what that snapshot revealed about how massive stars die.
Read next: Astronomy Explained.
Visitors and Far-Off Worlds
Beyond our own neighborhood lie objects passing through from other star systems and planets so strange they stretch the definition of the word. Two films to end on the genuinely alien.
Everything We Know About 3I/ATLAS, the New 'Oumuamua
3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object ever caught passing through our solar system, a piece of another star system on a one-way trip. This is a clear, current rundown of what we have actually measured versus what is hype.
Read next: Space Exploration Explained.
The Most Bizarre Exoplanets We've Ever Found
A long, satisfying tour of the strangest planets found beyond our Sun, from worlds where it may rain glass sideways to planets orbiting the corpses of dead stars. The best single primer on just how varied the galaxy turns out to be.
Read next: Astronomy Explained.