Home The Sky at Night Season 21 Episode 12

Why Do the Planets Shine?

The Sky at Night · Season 21 · Episode 12
All the bright planets are now visible in the early morning sky. Some of them seem to outshine the stars, and yet they have no light of their own. They shine only by reflecting the light of the sun. The different ways in which they reflect the sunlight tell us a great deal about the planets themselves. Patrick Moore talks about the reflecting powers of the planets and what they can tell us with Dr Peter Cattermole of Sheffield University.

Episode Details

Air date, runtime, timezone, and episode position.

Season
21
Episode
12
Air Date
23/Nov/1977
Air Time
22:00
Runtime

Overview

Episode summary.

All the bright planets are now visible in the early morning sky. Some of them seem to outshine the stars, and yet they have no light of their own. They shine only by reflecting the light of the sun. The different ways in which they reflect the sunlight tell us a great deal about the planets themselves. Patrick Moore talks about the reflecting powers of the planets and what they can tell us with Dr Peter Cattermole of Sheffield University.

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