All upcoming Astronomy & Space programs

On July 29, 1878, a total solar eclipse swept the American West, inspiring a race to the Rockies to unlock scientific mysteries. Author and science journalist David Baron shares the story of three eclipse chasers—asteroid hunter James Craig Watson, trailblazing astronomer Maria Mitchell, and young Thomas Edison—to illustrate this saga of ambition, discovery, and a nation’s quest for scientific glory during the Gilded Age.

From ancient times to the present scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline as mathematics, which appears to have been a product of human thought, could so perfectly explain the natural world. In a fascinating presentation, astrophysicist Mario Livio explores why mathematics is a powerful lens through which to examine the cosmos.

Many of the most significant areas of mathematics have emerged from questions about extremes: the shortest path between two points on a curved surface, the fewest colors needed for a map, the fastest fall, or the shortest proof. To illuminate how mathematicians drive knowledge forward by reaching for the edges, author and mathematician Ian Stewart explores stories of superlative problems—their history, the struggles to solve them, and the uses of some of the results.

The reasons behind why the daytime sky is blue, what causes a rainbow, and the creation of a halo around the moon or sun all involve how sunlight interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere. J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, introduces you to the score of atmospheric phenomena that you can see in a daytime sky, from sun pillars at dawn to the Belt of Venus at dusk.