Inside God's Observatory

Jun 11, 2017 on BBC FOUR at 10:00 PM

Summary

This edition comes from the heart of one of the most influential - and surprising - organisations in the history of astronomy. Maggie and Chris have been granted rare access to the Vatican and its little-known observatory, the Specola Vaticana, perc... (more)hed on a hilltop 30km outside Rome. -- There they explore its rich history and contemporary cutting-edge science, going inside the Vatican walls to visit the Tower of the Winds, a secret antique sundial that revolutionised the length of the year; the remains of a nest of telescopes atop an old medieval church where the science of spectroscopy was born; and the modern labs, manned by priest scientists who study a range of contemporary astronomical problems, from meteorites to binary stars to the birth of the universe itself.

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60th Anniversary Special
Season 2017 Episode 3

Apr 23, 2017

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Into the Dark Zone
Season 2017 Episode 5

Jul 09, 2017