S1E5 Aliens
Professor Brian Cox visits some of the most stunning locations on earth to describe how the laws of nature have carved natural wonders across the solar system.
Episode Ratings Grid
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🏆 Top Episodes
#2
S1E3
The Thin Blue Line
Brian reveals how something as flimsy as an atmosphere can create some of the most wondrous sights in the solar system. He takes a ride to the top of earth's atmosphere, and in the Namib desert, he tells how Mercury lost its atmosphere.
#3
S1E1
Empire of the Sun
Physicist Brian Cox examines the sun's rule over our planet, heading for India to witness a total solar eclipse, and viewing the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle.
- 4. S1E2 "Order Out of Chaos"
- 5. S1E4 "Dead or Alive"
📉 Bottom Episodes
#5
S1E4
Dead or Alive
The worlds that surround our planet are all made of rock, but there the similarity ends. Some have a beating geological heart, others are frozen in time. Brian travels to the tallest mountain on earth, the volcano Mauna Kea on Hawaii, to show how something as basic as a planet's size can make the difference between life and death. Even on the summit of this volcano, Brian would stand in the shade of the tallest mountain in the solar system, an extinct volcano on Mars called Olympus Mons, which rises up 27 km.
- 4. S1E2 "Order Out of Chaos"
- 3. S1E1 "Empire of the Sun"
- 2. S1E3 "The Thin Blue Line"
- 1. S1E5 "Aliens"
The Quality Arc
Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.
Episode Engagement
Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
Rating threshold:
3 Standouts
0 Infamous
2 Hidden Gems
0 Forgettable
Top Standout: S1E1 Empire of the Sun
Best Hidden Gem: S1E5 Aliens
Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.