On average once every three to four years one ends up in the Netherlands: a meteorite. The most recent impact was in 2017, just north of Amsterdam. Usually such a thing goes unnoticed, but there have also been catastrophic meteorite impacts with disastrous consequences. Take the one from 66 million years ago in Yucatán, Mexico, for example, which ended the dinosaurs.
In this episode, Govert shows that astronomy is closer than you may think. Whether it is the search for distant galaxies, the questions about the origin of the universe, or the research into the birth of new stars; Astronomy has everything to do with our own existence, here and now.
After our visit to the moon, Mars appears to be the next new cosmic destination for humanity. It is certainly high on NASA's most recent "to-do list". Govert explains why specifically that red planet attracts us so much. He also takes us back in time, to show the fascination for Mars through the ages.
In Hollywood they have known for a long time: extraterrestrial life exists. But more and more scientists nowadays take this possibility into account. This is mainly due to the discovery of thousands of exoplanets - planets at other stars. But the discovery of extremophiles (simple organisms that can live under the most extreme conditions) also nourish scientific expectations.
How did the universe originate? If you delve into the cosmos, that is perhaps the most pressing question of all. Since the acceptance of the "big bang" phenomenon, science has been trying to get closer to this moment, some 13.8 billion years ago.
For many people, the moon landing is the event of the last century. It was groundbreaking and still inspiring today. Today, science is just as enthusiastic about further exploration of the universe.