0:00:02 > 0:00:04# Fly me to the moon
0:00:04 > 0:00:05# Let me play
0:00:05 > 0:00:08# Among the stars... #
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Our fascination with the moon has never been greater.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13SHE SQUEALS
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Across Britain, people turn out in droves to capture its magic.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Millions of us share our pictures of it,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and today, stunning, detailed imagery
0:00:26 > 0:00:29is revealing the moon as never before.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Now we are going to unlock the secrets
0:00:31 > 0:00:34of the moon's monthly life cycle.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37# Fill my heart with song... #
0:00:37 > 0:00:40From waxing moons to waning moons,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42full moons to supermoons...
0:00:42 > 0:00:45# You are all I long for... #
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..we'll see how the power of the moon shapes life on Earth...
0:00:48 > 0:00:51LION ROARS
0:00:51 > 0:00:54..explore its mysterious dark side...
0:00:55 > 0:00:58..and discover how the moon's journey around our planet
0:00:58 > 0:01:03can sometimes deliver one of Nature's most awe-inspiring sights -
0:01:03 > 0:01:04a total solar eclipse.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06ALL CHEER
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And at the end of a period of intense lunar activity,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17we will find out just why supermoons are special.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20# I love... #
0:01:20 > 0:01:23You'll never gaze at the moon in the same way again.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25# ..You! #
0:01:28 > 0:01:33The full moon appears in our night sky every 29.5 days.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38That's the time it takes to travel around our planet.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42But, sometimes, when you look up,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46you see something quite extraordinary -
0:01:46 > 0:01:50a full moon that looks bigger and shines brighter.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52It's a supermoon.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55And in just 12 weeks,
0:01:55 > 0:02:00a trio of dazzling supermoons has lit up our night sky...
0:02:02 > 0:02:06..turning us all into moon-gazers.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11To understand why we have supermoons,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13or any of the wonders of the moon,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17we are going to follow the moon on its epic journey around our planet.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26We begin somewhere rather unexpected -
0:02:26 > 0:02:28in Coventry Cathedral...
0:02:30 > 0:02:33..where something remarkable has been created.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39An exact replica of the moon,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42showing every crevice and crater,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44just half a million times smaller.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47ALL MURMUR
0:02:50 > 0:02:53This touring artwork has captured the imagination
0:02:53 > 0:02:55of the British public.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59More than 100,000 people have flocked to see it.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02MURMURING
0:03:05 > 0:03:08It's very beautiful. You almost feel like you're there.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11It doesn't just put smiles on faces,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14it can also show why the moon looks the way it does at night.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20From Earth, we can see the moon above us
0:03:20 > 0:03:23because, just like our planet, it's lit by the sun.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27As it journeys around us,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30our view of the side that is lit by the sun changes.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36So we gradually see less and less of this waning moon from Earth.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Once the moon's between us and the sun,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48we can't see any of the side that's lit
0:03:48 > 0:03:50and it seems to disappear.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57When the moon re-emerges,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01the side that is lit becomes visible again in the shape of a crescent.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12This is a waxing moon
0:04:12 > 0:04:15that appears to grow as the moon continues around us.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24And it finally ends its monthly journey
0:04:24 > 0:04:27as the familiar face of the full moon.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36MUSIC: It's Only A Paper Moon by Ella Fitzgerald
0:04:36 > 0:04:40# Say it's only a paper moon... #
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The full moon appears in our night sky as regular as clockwork
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and offers some an opportunity to play.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53# ..if you believed in me
0:04:53 > 0:04:57# Yes, it's only a canvas sky... #
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But when a supermoon is on the cards...
0:05:01 > 0:05:05..moon-gazers will go to the ends of the Earth to see it.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09# ..if you believed in me. #
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It's 3rd December, 2017,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and the first of our current trio of supermoons
0:05:27 > 0:05:30is due to make an appearance in the night sky.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37One of the best places in the world,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41where a good view of it is virtually guaranteed, is here -
0:05:41 > 0:05:45the Roque de los Muchachos in the Canary Islands.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52At 2,500 metres, the peak is usually above the clouds
0:05:52 > 0:05:55which makes it a perfect spot for astronomers...
0:05:56 > 0:06:00..and it's where mountain biker Jordi Bago is headed.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02It will be a really long climb.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I will have to put in a lot of effort
0:06:04 > 0:06:06because it is really high, the mountain.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It's going to be cold.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11We're going to cross some of the big, deep clouds on the way.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19It's a tough ride to the top...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27..but Jordi makes it just in time.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30At 6.30 on the dot,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32the curtain goes up.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35MUSIC: Supermoon by KD Lang
0:06:39 > 0:06:41# Supermoon
0:06:43 > 0:06:49# Where all the diamond deals are made... #
0:06:49 > 0:06:52At first, coloured and distorted by Earth's atmosphere,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55the moon is barely recognisable.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58# ..Move along
0:06:58 > 0:07:00# And if my smile... #
0:07:00 > 0:07:03When I see the moon rising, over the clouds,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07it's amazing, the feeling, because I never saw a moon like this.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10It was so intense, like fire.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13# Would you like to start a river? #
0:07:15 > 0:07:18As the supermoon clears the clouds,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20it's revealed in all its glory.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23# Our life savings aren't enough
0:07:24 > 0:07:27# Have to lobby hard and make it... #
0:07:27 > 0:07:29The spectacle is enough to bring astronomers out
0:07:29 > 0:07:31from their observatories.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33There's something about the moon, isn't there?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36I mean, it inspired the initial astronomy,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38that initial curiosity to study the universe.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I mean, well, without the moon, we wouldn't really have telescopes.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48If you see a supermoon, definitely take that opportunity
0:07:48 > 0:07:50to go outside and check it out. It's really beautiful.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The reason the supermoon looks bigger and brighter
0:07:55 > 0:07:58is because it's closer to Earth than usual.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05At its furthest, the moon is over 400,000 kilometres away.
0:08:05 > 0:08:11But a supermoon can be some 50,000 kilometres nearer
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and shine almost a third brighter.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Being up here in the mountain
0:08:19 > 0:08:23makes me feel that I'm closer to the moon and I see it really big.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27I never had that feeling that the moon could be so close to me.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32It was amazing, because I never see something like that in my life
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and I think I will never forget that.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46The moon is sometimes closer to us
0:08:46 > 0:08:50because its path around our planet isn't circular.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52It's oval...
0:08:54 > 0:08:58..and that path changes slightly from month to month.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00ALL MURMUR
0:09:03 > 0:09:06But it's when the moon is at its closest
0:09:06 > 0:09:09and coincides with a full moon that we have a supermoon.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Today we can predict the arrival of the full moon
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and even a supermoon with pinpoint accuracy.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25But for centuries, people looked up at the moon
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and wondered just what it was that was lighting up their night skies.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34There's definitely stories about the moon in all cultures -
0:09:34 > 0:09:36the Maoris, Indians, Chinese...
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And I think the moon is one of those unifying symbols
0:09:40 > 0:09:44across the planet, just because it's so easy to see.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47CLANKING
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Astronomers at the Royal Observatory in London
0:09:52 > 0:09:56have been looking up at the moon for more than 300 years
0:09:56 > 0:09:58with increasingly large telescopes.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03But Dr Sheila Kanani is just as fascinated
0:10:03 > 0:10:05by the fables as the facts.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06SHUTTER CLICKS
0:10:07 > 0:10:10What we can see here is our familiar
0:10:10 > 0:10:13crescent phasing into a full moon.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14And when the moon becomes full,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18you can see all sorts of different features.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Here you can see the man on the moon -
0:10:20 > 0:10:22the eyes...
0:10:22 > 0:10:25the nose...
0:10:25 > 0:10:26and the mouth.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32In Britain, many thought the man on the moon had
0:10:32 > 0:10:35the bloated face of a heavy drinker.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37And that's one of the reasons
0:10:37 > 0:10:39so many pubs are named after the moon.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43But early astronomers believed that the moon was a world
0:10:43 > 0:10:45just like our own.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Thinking the dark patches were seas, they gave each its own name.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54The left eye, as we're looking at it, is the Sea of Serenity.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57It's about 700km across.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03It turns out that those seas are actually
0:11:03 > 0:11:06the remains of volcanic eruptions on the surface of the moon.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10But these same features can mean different things
0:11:10 > 0:11:13to different people.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Other cultures see different features on the moon.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19So, for example, Chinese cultures
0:11:19 > 0:11:21see a rabbit, and the two ears
0:11:21 > 0:11:25are on the right-hand side of the moon as we look at it,
0:11:25 > 0:11:30with the body of the rabbit curling round the face of the full moon.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33And that rabbit is said to be grinding the elixir of life.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40The elixir is said to be a magical potion that makes
0:11:40 > 0:11:42a goddess of the moon immortal.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48We now know the moon is home to neither man nor rabbit,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52but is thought to be rock that broke off from Earth
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and other space debris from a cosmic collision
0:11:54 > 0:11:57more than four billion years ago.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02It's been our constant companion ever since.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04The moon, particularly the full moon for me,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07makes me feel like I'm not alone, because it's always there,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10like a companion in the sky, looking down on me.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Few things match the stunning beauty of rolling countryside
0:12:20 > 0:12:22lit by a dazzling full moon.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27But for our ancestors,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29it had a rather more practical purpose.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34During the harvest, the brightly-lit nights around
0:12:34 > 0:12:36the full moon gave farmers
0:12:36 > 0:12:38extra time to gather in their crops.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42And even today, in some cultures,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44the arrival of this harvest full moon
0:12:44 > 0:12:46is as eagerly awaited as Christmas.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00It's October, and in Hong Kong the rush hour has come early.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Tonight sees the arrival of the full harvest moon...
0:13:12 > 0:13:14..and the beginning of a national holiday.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18CHEERING
0:13:20 > 0:13:23In the old neighbourhood of Tai Hang,
0:13:23 > 0:13:2620,000 incense sticks are bringing a fire dragon to life.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Almost 70m long, it leads an annual parade
0:13:33 > 0:13:36through the streets to mark this Mid-Autumn Festival...
0:13:39 > 0:13:43..but the real star of this festival is the harvest moon itself.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44BOAT BLOWS HORN
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Down at the harbour, people are gathering, waiting to see
0:13:49 > 0:13:53the full moon when and if it appears from behind the clouds.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- For astronomer Patrick Lao... - You want to see, yeah?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01..the Mid-Autumn Festival is
0:14:01 > 0:14:05a heaven-sent opportunity to share his passion for the moon.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10When I look at the moon, I feel very happy, and I also want other
0:14:10 > 0:14:13people to see the moon through a telescope
0:14:13 > 0:14:14and feel my happiness.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22HE LAUGHS
0:14:22 > 0:14:24HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Others have gathered on the beaches.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- WOMAN:- I think we are very lucky today.- CHILDREN:- Yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33I really think we might just see the moon.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Traditionally the festival is a time
0:14:36 > 0:14:39when families get together under the light of the moon.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- ALL:- Wow!
0:14:41 > 0:14:43It's so bright!
0:14:43 > 0:14:47In the Mid-Autumn Festival we have the full moon,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50and full means round in Chinese language.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Round can make up a phrase called tuan yuan, which means unite, or...
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Did you see the moon? It's beautiful.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01THEY CHATTER
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- GIRL:- It's so round and bright.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07So it's a time for people to celebrate the love of the family.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13The star of the show is still to put in an appearance.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And as the minutes tick by, the tension mounts.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:15:21 > 0:15:22HE LAUGHS
0:15:25 > 0:15:27But at last, patience is rewarded.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46SHE SCREAMS
0:15:46 > 0:15:47PATRICK LAUGHS
0:15:57 > 0:15:59HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The moon's appearance has made the festival complete.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31The crowds will be back in exactly 12 full moons from now
0:16:31 > 0:16:33to try and see it again.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44The regularity with which
0:16:44 > 0:16:46the full moon appears makes it
0:16:46 > 0:16:48a perfect way to measure the passage of time.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54In fact, the word month originally comes from moon.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58And many celebrations, such as Easter and Passover,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01are based on this lunar calendar.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04But it's not just humans that use the full moon
0:17:04 > 0:17:06to synchronise their activities.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12The same thing happens in the natural world -
0:17:12 > 0:17:17nowhere more so than amongst one of the world's largest
0:17:17 > 0:17:20living organisms, Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27It's springtime in the Southern Hemisphere.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Beneath the ocean surface,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33nature's greatest mass breeding event is about to take place.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Each of these corals is home to thousands of tiny creatures...
0:17:42 > 0:17:47..and they have evolved an ingenious way to reproduce, using moonlight.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51On a few special nights of the year,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53around the full moon,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56when the water temperature is just right,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59the corals release their eggs and sperm...
0:18:00 > 0:18:02..all at once.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09They only live for a few hours, so releasing them
0:18:09 > 0:18:10into this blizzard gives the eggs
0:18:10 > 0:18:12the best chance of being fertilised.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20The exact details of what triggers this mass release
0:18:20 > 0:18:22remains something of a mystery.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26But it seems that corals can detect the intensity of light,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and use the dazzling light around a full moon
0:18:29 > 0:18:32to time their reproduction
0:18:32 > 0:18:33to perfection.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38CHILDREN GASP
0:18:42 > 0:18:45# I see a bad moon a-rising
0:18:47 > 0:18:51# I see trouble on the way... #
0:18:51 > 0:18:54For centuries, the full moon
0:18:54 > 0:18:56conjured images of danger and savagery.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57THEY ROAR AND LAUGH
0:19:00 > 0:19:01SHE HOWLS
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Myth has it that the werewolf shape-shifts
0:19:06 > 0:19:07under the light of the full moon.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Not to mention moon madness -
0:19:14 > 0:19:18the word lunacy comes from Luna, the Greek word for the moon.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21None of these myths are to be believed,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25but that's not to say that they don't contain a little bit of truth.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Because in the life cycle of the moon,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32we might find clues as to how, in the dim and distant past,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35we evolved our deep-seated fear of the dark.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51As the moon continues its journey around the Earth,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54the face that is lit becomes increasingly hidden from us...
0:19:56 > 0:19:59..and we see less and less of it in the night sky.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07This waning moon reflects less light back to Earth...
0:20:09 > 0:20:11..and the nights gradually become darker.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16And it's now that danger lurks.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22GROWLING
0:20:27 > 0:20:30In the heart of the Serengeti in east Africa,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34the great drama of hunter and hunted is played out on a grand scale
0:20:34 > 0:20:37during the different phases of the moon.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44This nocturnal world is being revealed
0:20:44 > 0:20:46with the help of lowlight photography.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04And what that shows us is that when the moon is on the wane
0:21:04 > 0:21:05and nights are darker...
0:21:09 > 0:21:12..it is far easier for a predator to stalk its prey.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29The same is true for us.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33A study of 500 lion attacks on humans in Tanzania
0:21:33 > 0:21:37found that the risk of being attacked under the waning moon
0:21:37 > 0:21:39is trebled.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42So it could be our innate fear of darkness
0:21:42 > 0:21:44and the myths that have grown up around it
0:21:44 > 0:21:48stem from the very real dangers our ancestors faced
0:21:48 > 0:21:51under the dark nights of the waning moon.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Considering the moon is so far away
0:22:00 > 0:22:04and is only a quarter of the size of Earth,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06it punches well above its weight.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14The moon's gravity is powerful enough to pull our oceans
0:22:14 > 0:22:18towards it, which means it controls our tides.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23And where the tides ebb and flow on the border between land and sea,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25life flourishes.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32When you think of the world's most nutritious environments,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34a few images spring to mind -
0:22:34 > 0:22:36tropical rainforests,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38coral reefs,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but probably not Norfolk's Wash.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46But despite appearances, tidal mudflats are every bit
0:22:46 > 0:22:49as nutritious as these more exotic locations...
0:22:52 > 0:22:54..as long as you know where to look,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57like conservationist Jim Scott.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Well, at first glance, you can't really see anything.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03But when you start to come out and actually dig around in it,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05you'll find all sorts of things.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Ragworms, lugworms, all sorts of shellfish.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Baltic tellin, cockles.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Just one square metre of mud produces the energy equivalent
0:23:16 > 0:23:18of 20 chocolate bars.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22As a result, these tidal mudflats
0:23:22 > 0:23:26are a magnet for migrating and overwintering birds.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Hundreds of thousands of them arrive every year.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37You must think of these mudflats, really, almost a little bit like
0:23:37 > 0:23:38motorway service stations.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41So birds are...on their migrations, they're dropping in,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44feeding up, fuelling up for their long-distance journeys
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and then moving on to the next estuary.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Without the moon's pull on our oceans, these tidal mudflats
0:23:59 > 0:24:02and the creatures that live in them wouldn't exist.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The Earth rotates once a day,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14and when Britain is facing the moon, the moon's gravity pulls
0:24:14 > 0:24:18the sea towards it, creating the tide that rises here in Norfolk.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25As that rising tide gradually covers the mudflats,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27the birds are pushed further inshore.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The biggest flock of all are the knots.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35They're named after Cnut,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38the medieval king who, legend had it, tried to stop the tide.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45But nothing can,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49and soon the mudflats are completely submerged.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52The birds have no option but to take to the air.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56# Fly me to the moon
0:24:56 > 0:25:01# Let me play among the stars
0:25:01 > 0:25:06# And let me see what spring is like on
0:25:06 > 0:25:09# Jupiter and Mars
0:25:09 > 0:25:11# In other words... #
0:25:12 > 0:25:16It's only then that it becomes apparent just how many birds
0:25:16 > 0:25:20depend on the moon's power over the oceans for their food.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26There must be 20,000 birds coming off the last bit of mud,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29right past us and into the lagoons.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30They're a fantastic sight.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The birds head inland.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44They'll wait here until this part of the Earth has turned
0:25:44 > 0:25:47away from the moon, then the tide will go out
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and once again it will be dinner time on the tidal mudflats...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55..all courtesy of the moon.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05As the moon continues its journey, it appears to get thinner
0:26:05 > 0:26:06and thinner in the sky.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Until, halfway through the month,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15the moon has moved directly between the Earth and the sun.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Now no light falls on the side that faces us.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It is in complete shadow.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Known as a new moon, here on Earth we can no longer see it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34But now it's aligned with the sun.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36The combined influence of the sun
0:26:36 > 0:26:40and the moon's gravity pulls the oceans even further...
0:26:41 > 0:26:44..generating the very highest tides.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50And there's one place in the UK where once a month the new moon
0:26:50 > 0:26:51produces a monster.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03In a stretch of water off the coast of Wales,
0:27:03 > 0:27:04something is stirring.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- I reckon we can get a couple of hours out there today, eh?- Yeah.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- Hopefully, if the wave holds up. - If we can get there
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- before the wave starts forming and then we'll be able to see.- Yeah.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Yes, Tommy, take us away.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Elite kayaker Sam Charlesworth
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and his friends are going to meet it.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Yeah, fully fell in love with the place.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Like, this is probably the most beautiful
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and intimidating place I've kayaked in the UK.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45These are the infamous Bitches and Whelps rocks.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49According to a local legend,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Viking invaders likened the large
0:27:52 > 0:27:55rocks to snarling dogs protecting the smaller rocks,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57their pups or whelps.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But they really come alive once the new moon starts
0:28:05 > 0:28:07to bring in the tide.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18We'll always be scanning the tide tables looking for the best tide.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21There's definitely an element of excitement that comes about
0:28:21 > 0:28:23when you see a 7.2m or 7.3m tide.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33On the highest tides, one quarter of a million tonnes of water is
0:28:33 > 0:28:35forced through the rocks every second.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Then out of the chaos, something special emerges -
0:28:40 > 0:28:41a static wave.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48As the moon pulls the water over the rocks,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51the ocean floor pushes it upward into a wave that
0:28:51 > 0:28:55remains in the same place for as long as the tide continues to flow.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06You've probably only got a two-hour window of it really working well.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Yeah, you want to make the most of that time that you've
0:29:08 > 0:29:09got on the water.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13MUSIC: The Bitch Is Back by Elton John
0:29:24 > 0:29:25Woo!
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Even for kayakers of this calibre,
0:29:33 > 0:29:35there's no guarantee they'll get to ride the wave.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- Oh-h-h...- Ah!
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Yeah, it can be a real battle.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53You're just trying to find the speed in the wave, trying to feel the...
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Once you can start to work less,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57then you know that you're on the right track.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03And it's just about finding where the easiest place to be is.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08# Moon river... #
0:30:08 > 0:30:13The incoming tide is now rushing over the rocks at speeds of up to 40kmh.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22But as long as the kayakers can find the wave's sweet spot,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26surfing it is almost effortless.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39# Two drifters
0:30:39 > 0:30:42# Off to see the world... #
0:30:42 > 0:30:46I think it's incredible that having something so far away -
0:30:46 > 0:30:50the moon - can create something so unique, so special here
0:30:50 > 0:30:53and yeah, you're surfing, that's the dream!
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Yet nothing can last for ever.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06As this part of the Earth turns away from the moon,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09as suddenly and imperceptibly as the wave emerged,
0:31:09 > 0:31:10it disappears again.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15It will be a month before the new moon will return
0:31:15 > 0:31:19and conjure up another monster wave for Sam and his friends to ride.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Yeah, there's a lot of things that make a good session out here.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26And we scored today.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Just over two weeks into its monthly journey,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47the moon has travelled more than halfway around the Earth.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51From where we're standing, the lit side of the moon
0:31:51 > 0:31:53now starts to become visible again.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02And the moon reappears, magically it seems,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04in the faint whisper of a crescent.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11But, for some, it has an extra-special meaning.
0:32:14 > 0:32:20MAN CHANTS IN ARABIC
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Within the Islamic world, it's the first sighting of
0:32:23 > 0:32:26the crescent moon that marks the beginning of each month.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30And the faithful go looking for it, whether they are in Mecca,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Istanbul, Jakarta...
0:32:34 > 0:32:36..or Croydon.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39CHANTING IN ARABIC
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Every month, the congregations from the local mosques
0:32:43 > 0:32:45gather on the hills around Croydon,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48to try and spot the new crescent moon.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53The crescent moon starts the month in the Islamic calendar
0:32:53 > 0:32:56and the tradition is that we go out and we look for the moon
0:32:56 > 0:32:59because the Prophet Muhammad said,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02"The month starts when you sight the moon."
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Tonight, amateur astronomer Imad Ahmed is leading the search...
0:33:08 > 0:33:11According to my compass, what do you think...?
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- Does that look...- ..along with local imam Suliman Gani.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17We may be able to see the crescent today.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23But with the British weather, that's easier said than done.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28It's quite difficult to sight, not just because of the cloudy skies
0:33:28 > 0:33:32in the UK, but because the new crescent moon is really thin.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35- OVER PHONE:- Then you can easily see above the glare...
0:33:35 > 0:33:39For many years, British Muslims have relied on word from abroad
0:33:39 > 0:33:42that the crescent moon has been sighted.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47Now there's a growing network of local moon-spotters in the UK.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51OK, I've got a couple come in from York Astronomical Society,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53we will contact you after the sunset.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57But for Imad, seeing the new crescent moon means much more
0:33:57 > 0:34:00than simply marking the start of the month.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Symbolically, in Islamic culture, in poetry,
0:34:04 > 0:34:09and symbolically to me, the moon represents light amidst darkness.
0:34:11 > 0:34:16It represents something that can guide you when you can't see
0:34:16 > 0:34:20and so when the waning moon disappears into the night sky,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22we have a few days of darkness,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25but the new crescent emerges again, and to me, that represents
0:34:25 > 0:34:27light and it represents hope.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36Once the sun has set and the sky darkened,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38all eyes turn to the horizon.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43RADIO CHATTER
0:34:47 > 0:34:50THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC
0:34:52 > 0:34:54OK, see where my hand is?
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- ALL:- Yeah.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Right, look... Not the first cloud, the second, the third...
0:34:59 > 0:35:01After me...
0:35:01 > 0:35:03THEY CHANT IN ARABIC
0:35:05 > 0:35:07When Muslims do sight the crescent moon,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10they can recite a prayer. It's a really special prayer
0:35:10 > 0:35:13and you directly address the moon
0:35:13 > 0:35:15and you say to the moon,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17"Oh, moon, your God and my God is Allah."
0:35:18 > 0:35:21And I think it's a fascinating, interesting way that we are
0:35:21 > 0:35:25being directed to really connect and commune with nature,
0:35:25 > 0:35:26specifically the moon.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Millions of us gaze up at the moon over the course of the month,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52watching it wane and wax,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54but that's only half the story.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03And that's because we only ever see half the moon.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06There's another side, that we never get to see from Earth.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09It's known as "the dark side".
0:36:09 > 0:36:11I'll see you on the far side of the moon.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Every day of his working life, space scientist Noah Petro
0:36:16 > 0:36:18pays a visit to the dark side.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23# I'll see you on the dark side of the moon... #
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I have always been a bit of an outlier
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and so, I mean, I love all areas of the moon equally
0:36:31 > 0:36:33but I love some more equally than others.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39From his base at Nasa, the US space agency,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43Noah is fed a stream of data from a satellite orbiting the moon.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49Put your nose right up against the surface of the moon.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Craters upon craters upon craters upon craters.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54You can lose yourself.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00From some 40km above the moon, the lunar reconnaissance orbiter
0:37:00 > 0:37:04captures the most detailed picture of its surface ever taken.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08So here is our beautiful far side of the moon.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13A hemisphere only a lunar scientist could love.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16We're going to do a computer-generated
0:37:16 > 0:37:18fly-by to the far side of the moon.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22One of the surprising things that everyone sees
0:37:22 > 0:37:25when we look at the far side of the moon, is that it's lit.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28That's because people expect the dark side of the moon to be dark
0:37:28 > 0:37:31but, just like the near side of the moon,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33the far side of the moon gets illuminated every day.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39At any moment during the moon's journey around our planet,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43the light on the far side of the moon is the exact opposite
0:37:43 > 0:37:44of what we're seeing from Earth.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48So when our side of the moon is in shadow,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51the far side of the moon is fully lit.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58The far side wasn't seen at all until 1959,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01when a Soviet probe completed the first orbit of the moon.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07The first Earthlings to reach the far side were also Soviet
0:38:07 > 0:38:12when, in 1968, two tortoises were launched into orbit.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19But to this day it still remains largely unexplored,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23which is why Noah finds it so intriguing.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26If I were to be given a ticket to go anywhere on the moon,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28the one place I would go to first would be
0:38:28 > 0:38:30on the far side of the moon, Shackleton crater.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Sunlight only comes in at really steep angles.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39That means it's very cold, about -173 degrees Celsius.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Some of those shadowed areas have never seen sunlight
0:38:44 > 0:38:48since they formed. Millions, billions of years, perhaps,
0:38:48 > 0:38:49have been in permanent shadow.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58The Shackleton crater and the surrounding south pole regions are,
0:38:58 > 0:39:03you know, really beckoning us to go explore and find out what's there.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Before Noah went over to the dark side,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13his first passion was the side we see from Earth.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18That's thanks to the Nasa Apollo missions of the 1960s
0:39:18 > 0:39:22and '70s that put the first humans on the moon.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27I'm going to need to find Apollo 12, that's a hard landing site to find.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33Using data from LRO, you know, we can trace their steps, literally,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36by seeing their footprints preserved in the lunar surface.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40The moon doesn't have an atmosphere,
0:39:40 > 0:39:44so there's no rain or wind to wash away the marks we left behind.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49In these images you can see the boot prints that both astronauts,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Alan Bean and Pete Conrad,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54left behind during their two EVAs on the surface.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58And you can see their trace around the crater.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02So one of the beautiful things about the Apollo 12 landing site
0:40:02 > 0:40:05is that you can essentially, in one image,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08retrace their entire adventure on the moon.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14# Giant steps are what you take
0:40:14 > 0:40:16# Walking on the moon
0:40:16 > 0:40:19# I hope my neck don't break... #
0:40:19 > 0:40:25For Noah, these close up photos taken by astronauts have an additional significance.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29At the end of the mission, in order to be able to launch from the
0:40:29 > 0:40:34moon surface, the astronauts would jettison any unnecessary weight.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Amongst the items were their backpacks,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41containing their life support systems.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Each is signed by the engineers that built them,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47including Noah's father.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49You know, sitting out there, on the surface of the moon,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53are 12 backpacks that contain my dad's name on them.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Which is pretty cool!
0:40:55 > 0:40:58You know, these pictures have a deep meaning for me,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00not just because of the science that comes out of them
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and what they represent, but what they represent to me,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05my family, and why I'm doing this today.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Just 12 humans have left their boot prints on the moon.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19Alan Bean is one of them.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26Nobody is good enough to deserve a chance of all
0:41:26 > 0:41:29the people on Earth to go do this.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33No-one is that good, relative to others, do you see?
0:41:33 > 0:41:34I wasn't either, OK?
0:41:34 > 0:41:36But I got lucky.
0:41:38 > 0:41:44On 19th November, 1969, after a journey of four days, Alan and
0:41:44 > 0:41:49fellow astronaut Pete Conrad began their final descent to the moon.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54What Pete and I were thinking about when we came down -
0:41:54 > 0:41:58is this going to work? That's what you were thinking about.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Then you get down, you look out the window, you know,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05you pat each other on the back, you know, we're here!
0:42:07 > 0:42:10# If you believe
0:42:10 > 0:42:12# They put a man on the moon
0:42:12 > 0:42:15# Man on the moon
0:42:15 > 0:42:16# If you believe... #
0:42:16 > 0:42:19It was a moment Alan had spent years training for.
0:42:23 > 0:42:24They had taken us
0:42:24 > 0:42:30to places on Earth that they thought were like the moon, like Iceland.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33There's a lot of volcanic... We knew this was all volcanic,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35so we went there.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39When you get to the moon, it's not exactly like that,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41but it's pretty much like it.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43And that's part of the training.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47But no amount of training could prepare Alan for the physical
0:42:47 > 0:42:48reality of this alien world.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51'It's beautiful, it really is.'
0:42:54 > 0:42:57We get there and we're at one sixth gravity,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00it was like suddenly I was the strongest that I'd ever been.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05One of the experiments I carried out was 420lb on Earth.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08I carried it around on the moon, I couldn't even lift on Earth.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14I mean, I knew why, but when you're doing it, you're thinking,
0:43:14 > 0:43:15"Wow! Man, am I strong!"
0:43:15 > 0:43:18You know, "This is the greatest day!"
0:43:18 > 0:43:22Alan spent two days and one night on the lunar surface,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24collecting rocks and carrying out experiments.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Then it was time for the perilous business of returning
0:43:30 > 0:43:33to the command module, orbiting above.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35You can't hear things in space.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38When we lifted off, we don't hear anything.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42We had to burn our engine six minutes and three seconds.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46I can remember, you know, looking at my watch and the timer.
0:43:46 > 0:43:47OK, that's three minutes.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50And I'd say something like, "I wonder how our engine's doing."
0:43:50 > 0:43:54It could be down there sputtering or getting ready to poop,
0:43:54 > 0:43:56or who knows!
0:43:56 > 0:43:59It's got to keep going for another couple of minutes.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01And sure enough, it did, and shut down.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04I can remember thinking, when that shut down, I thought,
0:44:04 > 0:44:05"We will get back to Earth."
0:44:19 > 0:44:22One of the thoughts I had coming back,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26we were on the moon 30 hours, and we'd trained for years
0:44:26 > 0:44:28and thought about it for many more years.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33And I thought, you know, "Is this all there is?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35"Is it over this quick?"
0:44:41 > 0:44:45Those few brief hours have shaped the rest of Alan's life.
0:44:48 > 0:44:49After leaving Nasa,
0:44:49 > 0:44:52he turned his painting hobby into a full-time occupation.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Of the 215 paintings he's made since,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59each and every one has featured the moon.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04I was there, I know the stories, I know what it looks like.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08But if I don't do this, these paintings won't...
0:45:08 > 0:45:11..exist and the stories that go with them.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Even for those few that have stood on the moon,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20it's a place that remains enigmatic and wondrous.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25But I'll tell you what's different now, when we were going to the moon,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29when I'd look at the moon at night, it seemed pretty close.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31It didn't seem hard to do.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33It didn't seem far away.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37When I look at the moon now, it seems so far away.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43And I say, you know, "How did we ever get there?"
0:45:56 > 0:45:59After 29.5 days the moon has completed
0:45:59 > 0:46:01its epic journey around our planet.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06In that time, many of us will have looked up
0:46:06 > 0:46:08and enjoyed its simple beauty.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13Yet although this cycle is constant, not all lunar orbits are the same.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19The moon's irregular path around our planet means that sometimes
0:46:19 > 0:46:23the Earth, sun and moon fall into a very particular alignment.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28And when the Earth is exactly in the middle,
0:46:28 > 0:46:30it casts a shadow over the moon.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41This is a lunar eclipse.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45The light reaching the moon passes through the Earth's atmosphere,
0:46:45 > 0:46:46which colours it a deep red.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49So it's known as a blood moon.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Sometimes it's the other way round.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00It's the moon that casts its shadow on the Earth.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03This happens when the moon comes directly between
0:47:03 > 0:47:05the Earth and the sun...
0:47:11 > 0:47:12..and the moon blocks out the sun.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16A total solar eclipse.
0:47:26 > 0:47:2821st August, 2017.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32America is waking up to a special day.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36For the first time in almost a century,
0:47:36 > 0:47:40a total eclipse will sweep the nation from one coast to the other.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46This rare event means different things to different people.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Many Native Americans will follow the traditional custom
0:47:50 > 0:47:53of hiding away and quiet reflection.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59Some native tribes consider the eclipse a bad omen.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01There are some native Americans that think
0:48:01 > 0:48:04it's a renewal of things on Mother Earth
0:48:04 > 0:48:09like the animals, the water, the trees and us as human beings.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Because the sun is so much larger than the moon,
0:48:14 > 0:48:19the moon's shadow is only around 110km across.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21And millions of people are racing to get in its path.
0:48:23 > 0:48:28Joel Harris has been chasing the moon's shadow for the past 40 years.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32After 19 of these, you'd think they're all the same,
0:48:32 > 0:48:34but they're actually quite different.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39Joel's one of just six people to have spent more than an hour
0:48:39 > 0:48:43in totality - that brief moment when the moon blots out the sun.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Today, in Wyoming, he's hoping to add a further 2.5 minutes to his
0:48:49 > 0:48:53tally, along with a coach-load of eclipse chasers he's leading.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58I've been planning it for four years.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01Right, for over just two minutes of work.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Or two minutes of something.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Experience!
0:49:06 > 0:49:08# Moon shadow, moon shadow
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- # Moon shadow, moon shadow...- #
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Further east, in the city of St Louis,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17the students of Yeatman-Liddell School
0:49:17 > 0:49:19are also heading to the eclipse path,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23in the hands of school principal, Dr Leslie Bonner.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Oh, my goodness, I think they're extremely excited.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30They're putting their glasses on, taking them off,
0:49:30 > 0:49:32they've got their T-shirts on.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35They are asking questions, looking at the sky, just trying to
0:49:35 > 0:49:37figure out exactly what to expect
0:49:37 > 0:49:40once we get to see this total eclipse.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Yes, they are extremely excited.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45I think the staff may be just as excited as they are.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49It's getting... It's getting to...
0:49:49 > 0:49:50Are you getting excited?
0:49:50 > 0:49:52I am excited, but I am really nervous, too.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01Leslie grew up in a similar neighbourhood to her students.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05Seeing an eclipse as a child inspired her to study science.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09She's hoping today will do the same for them.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12So you see what's actually going to be happening today?
0:50:13 > 0:50:1899.9% of our scholars are in the lower socioeconomic status.
0:50:19 > 0:50:24Can you see it? This is what you are actually going to see today.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27And viewing this eclipse today is what definitely
0:50:27 > 0:50:30it's something that puts their eyes on the prize
0:50:30 > 0:50:33in regards to what's next in the scientific area.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42If proof were needed of the power of the eclipse to shape lives,
0:50:42 > 0:50:46you need look no further than Joel Harris's band of eclipse chasers.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Oh, this one I've been... Actually, if you really want to know,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54I've been planning this since I was 11 years old.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Here we are, 54 years later, after my first eclipse,
0:50:57 > 0:50:58and this one I'm going to see
0:50:58 > 0:51:01because the last one in Maine on July 20th, 1963
0:51:01 > 0:51:03got clouded out at the last minute.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07I think this will be just my fifth.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11You think it's just an item to check off your bucket list,
0:51:11 > 0:51:15but, no, it's like forever on your bucket list.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18Every time you see one, you want to see the next one.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23We're really excited about it and we're just a few seconds away.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26I've lost Mike but I'm going to look back at the sun
0:51:26 > 0:51:28while I still have the opportunity.
0:51:28 > 0:51:3210.00am, and on the West Coast, the eclipse has already begun.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34It is arriving at the United States.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37It's over the Pacific Ocean and about to reach Oregon.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39This is the celestial...
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Then, as Earth turns, that shadow sweeps over its surface,
0:51:43 > 0:51:47plunging one place after another into a deep twilight.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54Left in its wake are wave after wave of awestruck viewers.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59This is the celestial event that we've all been waiting
0:51:59 > 0:52:00and anticipating for years.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Hold-up, wait a minute.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07As the students of Yeatman-Liddell arrive into the eclipse path,
0:52:07 > 0:52:09it's already underway.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12SHE SQUEALS AND SCREAMS
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Oh, my gosh. Did you see that?
0:52:17 > 0:52:19Oh, my gosh!
0:52:19 > 0:52:21It kind of look like a Pac man.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Yeah, you can see like a half sun
0:52:23 > 0:52:27- but you can see the moon and the sun.- Yeah, you can see the moon.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- Yeah, like a crescent. - Yeah. Like a crescent.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33Somebody tell me...
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Oh, my gosh, it's so beautiful!
0:52:37 > 0:52:38There you go.
0:52:38 > 0:52:43In Wyoming, totality is nearing for Joel Harris and his group.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45But years of meticulous planning might be
0:52:45 > 0:52:48snatched from them at the very last moment.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Get that balloon out of here!
0:52:50 > 0:52:54The hot-air balloon is heading right towards the sun.
0:52:54 > 0:52:55PEOPLE BOOING
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- Look at that. If that crosses.- Yeah.- Oh!
0:53:01 > 0:53:02PEOPLE SHOUT
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Oh, this is like ridiculous!
0:53:07 > 0:53:08- Shoot 'em down!- Everybody blow hard!
0:53:10 > 0:53:14With the way now clear, Joel can use all his experience
0:53:14 > 0:53:17to lead his troop through the final stages of build-up.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Get ready!
0:53:19 > 0:53:23Shadow's coming, it's on those clouds over there!
0:53:23 > 0:53:28As the moon creeps across the sun, its shadow races toward them.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29Here she comes!
0:53:32 > 0:53:36The last rays of light reach through the moon's mountainous edge
0:53:36 > 0:53:38to create a diamond ring effect.
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Totality!
0:53:43 > 0:53:45CHEERING
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Totality!
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Now all that can be seen of the sun is the corona -
0:53:55 > 0:53:57its glowing outer atmosphere,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00reaching hundreds of thousands of kilometres into space.
0:54:04 > 0:54:05One minute to go.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15It's going beautifully dark here, it's becoming twilight.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17You've got to put the glasses back on.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19I'm going to spend a second looking around at the crowd.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Oh, my goodness. The winds are really picking up.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24You know, in this dark area, the winds are just flowing in.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Next, it's St Louis,
0:54:26 > 0:54:30and the first time in these children's lives that they'll get
0:54:30 > 0:54:31a taste of this rare wonder.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33Do you see how dark it's getting?
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Oh, my God, isn't it incredible?
0:54:38 > 0:54:41CHEERING AND SCREAMING
0:54:46 > 0:54:49CHEERING AND SCREAMING CONTINUES
0:54:49 > 0:54:51APPLAUSE
0:55:00 > 0:55:01Keep your glasses on.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13As quickly as totality arrived, it's gone.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16But the experience will never leave them.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19That's once-in-a-lifetime, right there.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22That was nice. I took off my glasses
0:55:22 > 0:55:23I actually seen the eclipse before...
0:55:23 > 0:55:26it started before I seen the totality of it.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30But I can only see it with my only human eyes...
0:55:30 > 0:55:31You need to be helping them out.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35MUSIC: Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader
0:55:35 > 0:55:38# When that moon is big and bright
0:55:38 > 0:55:41# It's a supernatural delight... #
0:55:41 > 0:55:45Joel has just clocked up another two minutes 30 seconds in totality.
0:55:49 > 0:55:50It's emotional.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52It's visceral.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54It's really something.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03I am wonderful. I'm on cloud nine.
0:56:05 > 0:56:09Just for today, today has been awesome.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Probably one of the best days of my career as an educator.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14This is super cool.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23In all, more than 150 million people in America experienced
0:56:23 > 0:56:26the shadow of the moon in countless different ways.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40Sadly, there won't be a total solar eclipse in Britain
0:56:40 > 0:56:41for another 72 years.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46But right now, there is one wonder that we can enjoy -
0:56:46 > 0:56:50the third of a dazzling trio of supermoons...
0:56:52 > 0:56:54..because it isn't just a supermoon.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57Unusually, it's the second full moon in a month,
0:56:57 > 0:56:59which is known as a blue moon.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02And that isn't all...
0:57:04 > 0:57:07..in the Far East, they'll also be treated to a lunar eclipse.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13So this last supermoon is, in fact, a super-blood-blue-moon.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19The first one for 150 years.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26Our moon captivates us today as much as it ever has.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30Perhaps because moon-gazing is such a simple pleasure,
0:57:30 > 0:57:31one we can all enjoy.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37All we need to do is look up, just as our ancestors did
0:57:37 > 0:57:42and our descendants surely will, and marvel at the wonders of the moon.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54# Come and take a trip in my rocket ship
0:57:55 > 0:57:58# We'll have a lovely afternoon
0:57:58 > 0:58:03# Kiss the world goodbye and away we'll fly
0:58:03 > 0:58:05# Destination moon
0:58:05 > 0:58:10# We'll travel fast as light till we're out of sight
0:58:10 > 0:58:13# The Earth will be like a toy balloon
0:58:13 > 0:58:20# Destination, destination moon! #