Wonders of the Universe (Blu-ray)

Who are we? Why are we here? Where do we come from? These are among the most enduring and profound questions we can ask, and it is an essential part of human nature to want to find the answers. We can trace our ancestry back hundreds of thousands of years to the dawn of humankind, but in reality our story extends much further back: it starts with the beginning of the universe.
Our universe began 13.7 billion years ago, and today it is filled with over 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars and a breathtaking array of wonders. In this groundbreaking new series, Professor B Cox tells the epic story of the universe and shows how its story is also our story.

The search for the secrets of everything
The universe is almost impossible to comprehend - 13.7 billion years old, 93 billion light years across and filled with over 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars. This series explains the vast phenomena of deep space by re-examining the familiar on Earth. Taking science away from telescopes and labs, Universal travels into the natural world and across the planet. These journeys are combined with spectacular images of space. Using stunning high definition CGI, this programme offers views of giant supernova, gamma ray bursts and recently discovered galaxies, and sheds light on the furthest reaches of the universe, just moments after its creation.

Light is the fastest thing in the universe and allows us to see back in time. In October 2009, a gamma ray burst was detected 13 billion light-years away, an event that occurred 630 million years after the Big Bang.

Most of the universe is made of hydrogen and helium. It is only at the centre of the imploding core of a star that heavier elements are forged - everything from carbon, iron, silicon, all the way up to uranium.