The Sky at Night: 1973
Season 17 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of The Sky at Night Season 16.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 17 Progress Shield
1973 - an Exciting Year!
Jan 8, 1973
Patrick Moore looks forward to a year of spectacular astronomical events: the launching of the Sky-lab earth-orbiting laboratory in May; the longest eclipse of the century in June;
Practical Work in the Observatory
Feb 7, 1973
From his Selsey observatory, Patrick Moore illustrates what amateur astronomers can achieve, and shows the planet Saturn.
Sirius - The Brightest Star
Mar 19, 1973
Patrick Moore talks about Sirius the Dog-Star, the brightest star in the sky and one of the nearest to us, and about its white dwarf companion Sirius B. (Patrick Moore's new opera
The Eclipse of the Century
Apr 2, 1973
The longest solar eclipse of the century, lasting over seven minutes, will take place in Africa on 30 June. Patrick Moore talks about some of the exciting experiments which will b
How Big are the Planets?
Apr 30, 1973
Patrick Moore discusses with Gordon Taylor and Dr David Allen new ways of measuring objects in our solar system.
The Colours of the Stars
Jun 4, 1973
Ancient astronomers described Sirius the Dog-Star as red: but what colour is it today? A few weeks ago, Patrick Moore asked viewers to tell him what colour they see Sirius, and no
The African Eclipse
Jul 11, 1973
British observers back from the longest solar eclipse of the century tell Patrick Moore about the results of their experiments. These astronomers went to see totality from widely d
Navigational Astronomy
Aug 1, 1973
Until the invention of modern techniques like radar and satellite-guidance, a ship at sea could only find her position by sun and stars. On board ship, Patrick Moore and Cmdr Henry
Venus - A Cratered World
Aug 22, 1973
Venus has always been a mysterious planet - shrouded in its dense, fiercely hot atmosphere, in which life as we know it could never exist. Astronomers have just announced a startli
The Moon Illusion
Sep 18, 1973
How big do you see the full moon? Near the horizon, it appears larger than when it is high in the sky - but this is not due to magnification by the earth's atmosphere. Patrick Moor
The Volcanoes of Mars
Oct 17, 1973
Patrick Moore visits the volcanic crater at Mount Teide in Tenerife, and discusses with Dr Ron Maddison the characteristics of Martian volcanoes, compared with those on the earth a
When Mercury Crosses the Sun
Nov 7, 1973
On the morning of 10 November the planet Mercury will pass in transit across the face of the Sun. Patrick Moore tells observers what they can expect to see, and he looks forward to
Pioneer to Jupiter
Dec 12, 1973
This month for the first time a space probe passes close to one of the giants of the solar system - the planet Jupiter. The American craft Pioneer 10 has penetrated further into th