Wonders of the Solar System backdrop
Documentary

The Worst Episodes of Wonders of the Solar System

Every episode of Wonders of the Solar System ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Wonders of the Solar System!

Binge this in 4h 54m•Peaking at 8.3/10

In this spellbinding series, Professor Brian Cox visits the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the solar system.

Airs on
BBC Two
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons1

All1

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
    Click to reveal
    Wonders of the Solar System Season 1 Episode 4 - Dead or Alive
    8.0/10(154 votes)

    #1 - Dead or Alive

    S1:E4

    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. Yet the fifth wonder in the series isn't on a planet at all. It's on a tiny moon of Jupiter. The discoveries made on Io have been astonishing. This fragment of rock should be cold and dead, yet, with the volcanic landscape of eastern Ethiopia as a backdrop, Brian reveals why Io is home to extraordinary lakes of lava and giant volcanic plumes that erupt 500 km into the sky.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Wonders of the Solar System Season 1 Episode 1 - Empire of the Sun
    8.1/10(212 votes)

    #2 - Empire of the Sun

    S1:E1

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Wonders of the Solar System Season 1 Episode 2 - Order Out of Chaos
    8.1/10(170 votes)

    #3 - Order Out of Chaos

    S1:E2

    Brian reveals how the beauty and order of the solar system was formed from a chaotic cloud of gas.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Wonders of the Solar System Season 1 Episode 3 - The Thin Blue Line
    8.2/10(173 votes)

    #4 - The Thin Blue Line

    S1:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Wonders of the Solar System Season 1 Episode 5 - Aliens
    8.3/10(162 votes)

    #5 - Aliens

    S1:E5

    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. Brian descends to the bottom of the Pacific in a submarine to witness the extraordinary life forms that survive in the cold, black waters. All life on Earth needs water so the search for aliens in the solar system has followed the search for water. Soaring above the dramatic Scablands of the United States, Brian discovers how the same landscape has been found on Mars. And it was all carved out in a geological heartbeat by a monumental flood. Armed with a gas mask, Brian enters a cave in Mexico where bacteria breathe toxic gas and leak concentrated acid. Yet relatives of these creatures could be surviving in newly-discovered caves on Mars.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Worst Episodes Summary

"Dead or Alive" is the worst rated episode of "Wonders of the Solar System". It scored 8/10 based on 154 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/28/2010. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Empire of the Sun".