logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2020
40m 41s

The Sun

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by a dazzling panel of sun worshippers from actor, comedian and musician Tim Minchin to solar scientist Professor Lucie Green and biologist Professor Steve Jones. They look at how the evolution of life was only possible because of our position relative to the sun and its possibly unique behaviour, and how rare that situation might be across the rest of the universe. They also look at how the sun makes you feel and its vital importance to all creatures, especially snails.

Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Up next
Today
What’s the deal with eels? – Lucy Porter, David Righton and Caroline Durif
<p>Fishing rods at the ready, Brian Cox and Robin Ince attempt to reel in a creature that has baffled scientists since Aristotle: the eel. Wriggling in to help them uncover the mysteries of one of nature’s slimiest subjects are marine scientists David Righton and Caroline Durif, ... Show More
42m 26s
Nov 19
What’s the time? - Marcus Brigstocke, Leon Lobo, Louise Devoy
<p>Robin Ince and Brian Cox wind up at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich – arguably the centre of time – to uncoil the mysteries of what time is and how on Earth (…and on moon) we keep track of it. Taking the time to join them are comedian Marcus Brigstocke, curator of the Royal ... Show More
42m 18s
Nov 12
Mind-reading computers – Phil Wang, Anne Vanhoestenberghe and Luke Bashford
For once, Brian Cox and Robin Ince are on the same wavelength – with thinking caps firmly on, they plug into the science of brain-computer interfaces. Helping them decode the tech are neuroscientist Luke Bashford, biomedical engineer Anne Vanhoestenberghe, and comedian Phil Wang. ... Show More
42m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2014
The Sun
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Sun. The object that gives the Earth its light and heat is a massive ball of gas and plasma 93 million miles away. Thanks to the nuclear fusion reactions taking place at its core, the Sun has been shining for four and a half billion years. ... Show More
47m 27s
May 2020
The Star in Our Backyard
Our Sun holds the solar system together and is responsible for life as we know it. Though it may seem calm and unchanging, the Sun is dynamic. Join NASA solar scientists on a trip around the Sun, our lively and mysterious neighborhood star. 
14m 30s
Dec 2020
Eclipses
<p>To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting In Our Time, five well-known fans of the programme have chosen their favourite episodes. Guy Garvey, lyricist and lead singer of the band Elbow, has selected the episode on eclipses, first broadcast in December 2020. Solar eclips ... Show More
50m 31s
Jan 2020
Solar Wind
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the flow of particles from the outer region of the Sun which we observe in the Northern and Southern Lights, interacting with Earth's magnetosphere, and in comet tails that stream away from the Sun regardless of their own direction. One way of defi ... Show More
55m 13s
Feb 2024
When The Sun Erupts
We are at the height of the Sun's activity in its eleven year cycle, known to astronomers as the solar maximum. This means that over the next several months there's going to be a lot of solar activity. It's got us thinking back to 1859. That's when astronomer Richard Carrington w ... Show More
12m 15s
Nov 2020
Seasons of the Sun
As Earth makes its annual trip around the Sun, we feel the impacts of its journey in the form of seasons. Our planet’s tilt in relation to the Sun determines what season we experience here on Earth. But, did you know that the Sun goes through seasons too? Delores Knipp, Dean Pesn ... Show More
20m 30s
Oct 2019
What even is sunscreen and how does it screen the sun?
<p>This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of not being burned by the big, ominous, flaming ball of radioactive insanity that lights up our skies each day. Did you know that to some people, radiation burns are no big deal? ¯_(ツ)_/¯ It's actually a very big deal and the su ... Show More
29m 1s
Jul 2018
Episode 2: Some Like it Hot
Even though our Sun shines bright in the sky, it is shrouded in mystery. In this episode, we'll sit down with scientists working to get us closer to the Sun than ever before. 
50m 24s
Oct 2022
What even is sunscreen and how does it screen the sun?
<p><strong>#013 Rebroadcast<br /> </strong><br /> This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of not being burned by the big, ominous, flaming ball of radioactive insanity that lights up our skies each day. Did you know that to some people, radiation burns are no big deal? ¯_ ... Show More
29m 55s