The Sky at Night: 1980
Season 24 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 23.
- 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 24 Progress Shield
Mapping the Sky
Jan 10, 1980
How many people know the meaning of terms such as ' right ascension' and ' declination '? And what exactly is the celestial sphere? Mapping the sky presents problems different from
Saturn: The Disappearing Rings
Feb 7, 1980
Saturn is generally regarded as the most beautiful object in the sky, but this year it has an unusual appearance. For the first time since 1966 the rings are edgewise-on to the Ea
The Man Who Discovered a Planet
Mar 20, 1980
Exactly 50 years ago, in 1930, the planet Pluto was discovered by a young research student named Clyde Tombaugh. Since that time Pluto has set puzzle after puzzle. It is smaller th
The Multiple Mirror Telescope
Apr 17, 1980
On the summit of Mount Hopkins, in Arizona, is the world's most revolutionary observatory, containing the multiple mirror telescope. Instead of one great mirror, there are six all
Journey to the Centre of the Galaxy
May 13, 1980
What lies at the centre of our galaxy? Are there masses of brilliant stars, or is there something even more significant, such as a Black Hole which is swallowing up any stars which
Kitt Peak Observatory: the Solar Telescope
Jun 10, 1980
The Solar Telescope ' Kitt Peak, in Arizona, is America's national observatory. One of its most important instruments is the ingeniously-designed telescope used for studying the su
Quasars
Jul 10, 1980
What are the quasars, which may be close to the edge of the universe as seen from Earth? Are they made up of exploding stars, or are they the centres of galaxies in which great out
The Mapping of Venus
Aug 6, 1980
In December 1978 America's Pioneer Venus I reached its target. Since then it has been orbiting Venus, and mapping the planet's surface by means of radar. Venus is not the kind of w
Meteor Crater
Sep 4, 1980
In Northern Arizona there is a vast hole in the desert, almost a mile across and 600 feet deep, known as Meteor Crater. It was blasted out in prehistoric times by a huge iron meteo
Autumn Equinox
Oct 1, 1980
Patrick Moore , with the aid of a sundial at his Selsey home, explains why equinoxes occur, and shows how the seasons of the year vary, due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. Other p
The Scintars
Oct 28, 1980
In the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, there is a faint star known rather unromantically as SS433. Lately, however, it has proved to be very unusual. Probably the result of a t
Voyager I Reaches Saturn
Nov 20, 1980
After a journey of over three years, Voyager 1 has reached Saturn-800 million miles from Earth. Last year the spacecraft bypassed Jupiter and sent back the most spectacular images
The Quadrantids
Dec 7, 1980
Meteors or shooting stars are familiar objects in the night sky. Several times during the year showers of meteors occur. One of them, known as the Quadrantid shower, will be at its