Particle physics doesn't just expand our horizons; it helps explain the universe by examining the nature of matter, both seen and unseen. In this video lecture from the 2009 Falling Walls Conference, hear from Rolf-Dieter Heuer, who works with the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. He discusses their quest to provide experimental evidence either confirming or refuting the existence of the Higgs boson, an elementary particle predicted to exist by the Standard...

In this program, astronomers use sophisticated techniques to tease images of nebulas - mysterious clouds of gas considered the crown jewels of the galaxy - from the night sky.

To witness a supernova is to see a star suddenly appear in the sky, briefly outshining everything around it, then gradually fade back to nothing. These powerful stellar explosions are an awe inspiring reminder of how connected we are to the grand cycles of the cosmos.

2.4 million light years away, the Andromeda Galaxy appears as a fuzzy smudge against the black sky. But it is more than just our nearest massive neighbour. Detailed velocity measurements of Andromeda reveal an ominous secret: it is our future.

With only our eyes, stars and planets led us on a journey of discovery. Then telescopes slowly revealed the galaxies, full blown metropolises of stars. These gigantic star cities glow brightly across time and space, showing us a universe much more complex than we had ever imagined.

This film explores the lifecycle of a star.

The wonders of our planet are myriad. But it is only as we look out that we begin to understand what really powers our perfect blue world. The Sun is in the center of it all, reaching out not just with gravity but energy into the space around it.

VISTA, the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, was built to observe in a colour of light that the human eye cannot see – infrared. Infrared light can travel through dust clouds, allowing infrared telescopes to pull back the veils on some of the universe’s most interesting objects.

Most of the universe exists beyond our senses as dark matter and dark energy. These unknown entities contradict the immutable laws, and beg us to try and understand them. We can only imagine how these strange forces will reveal themselves in the years to come.

The Milky Way is an ancient structure, forming out of the mists of the early universe. Its many brilliant vistas spark curiosity about the galaxy’s past, present and future. And as we piece together it’s dramatic story, we are also discovering our own.