Channel logo

NOVA: The Planets

Season 1
From the rocky inner worlds to the gas giants, every planet of our solar system has a fascinating story. Their extreme features give us clues to how the solar system formed—and what hope there may be for life on other worlds.
IMDb 9.019745 episodesALL
Free trial of PBS Documentaries

Prime membership required

Terms apply

Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - Inner Worlds
    March 2, 1974
    53min
    TV-PG
    The rocky planets were born of similar material around the same time. Yet only one of them supports life. Were Earth's neighbors always so extreme and is there somewhere else in the solar system life might flourish?
    Free trial of PBS Documentaries
  2. S1 E2 - Mars
    March 9, 1974
    53min
    TV-PG
    Mars was once a blue water-world with active volcanoes. But when its magnetic field and protective atmosphere faded, it became the frozen desert planet we know today. With so many necessary elements in place, did life ever form on Mars?
    Free trial of PBS Documentaries or buy
  3. S1 E3 - Jupiter
    March 16, 1974
    52min
    TV-G
    Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball when it barreled through the early solar system. But it also shaped life on Earth, delivering comets laden with water-and perhaps even the fateful asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.
    Free trial of PBS Documentaries or buy
  4. S1 E4 - Saturn
    March 23, 1974
    53min
    TV-PG
    NASA's Cassini explores Saturn for 13 years, looping through its icy rings and its moons. The probe captures stunning ring-moon interactions, but when it finds the ingredients for life on the moon Enceladus, a bittersweet decision is made.
    Free trial of PBS Documentaries or buy
  5. S1 E5 - Ice Worlds
    March 30, 1974
    52min
    TV-PG
    In the far reaches of the solar system, Uranus and Neptune dazzle with unexpected rings, supersonic winds, and dozens of moons. And NASA's New Horizons gets a stunning up-close view of Pluto before venturing deep into the Kuiper Belt.
    Free trial of PBS Documentaries or buy

Details