How the Universe Works poster

TV series

How the Universe Works

2010TV-G11 seasons8.3 / 10

A users' guide to the cosmos, from the Big Bang to galaxies, stars, planets and moons: where did it all come from and how does it all fit together? A primer for anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 22, 2026

How the Universe Works is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Discovery+ (Via Amazon Prime), HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, Max (Via Amazon Prime), Philo, YouTube TV, and Plex in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

Availability and prices can change. Confirm the details on the streaming service before you subscribe, rent or buy.

Synopsis

A users' guide to the cosmos, from the Big Bang to galaxies, stars, planets and moons: where did it all come from and how does it all fit together? A primer for anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered.

Season 8 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

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Episode 1

Asteroid Apocalypse: The New Threat

1h 25m

If a massive asteroid collides with earth, it could end life on our planet as we know it; new discoveries and cutting-edge tech reveal just how close we are to apocalypse and what it would take for the world's leading space agencies to stop it.

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Episode 2

NASA's Journey to Mars

42m

NASA is on a mission to send humans to Mars within just 15 years, but to reach this next frontier of space exploration, experts must discover new technology and cutting-edge science that protects astronauts from the Red Planet's deadliest killers.

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Episode 3

Hunt for Alien Evidence

42m

The discovery of extraterrestrial life might face an impossible challenge: the physics of the universe itself; but using cutting-edge tech, experts might be on the verge of a groundbreaking find -- and the evidence could already be in hand.

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Episode 4

Death of the Last Stars

42m

Our universe's stars are dying off faster than new ones are born, and using the latest technology, experts investigate the secrets of the last stars of the cosmos and what this stellar apocalypse means for life on earth.

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Episode 5

Secrets of Time Travel

42m

Time travel might be more possible than we ever imagined, and today, cutting-edge technology and the latest research into black holes and wormholes is helping experts get steps closer to discovering how to travel through time.

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Episode 6

When NASA Met Jupiter

42m

NASA's Juno spacecraft is part of a cutting-edge mission to explore the mysteries of Jupiter, and as this mighty probe is pummeled with deadly radiation, it gathers new data that could change everything we know about the solar system's biggest planet.

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Episode 7

Edge of the Universe

42m

We don't yet know where the edge of the universe is or what happens there; but thanks to cutting-edge technology and new discoveries, experts might finally reveal the secrets of the phenomena that can be found in deepest reaches of the cosmos.

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Episode 8

Monsters of the Milky Way

42m

The center of the Milky Way is home to strange and deadly phenomena that we don't yet understand, but using the latest science, experts are revealing how the supermassive black hole our galaxy's core shapes life on Earth.

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Episode 9

Earth's Death Orbit

42mfinale

Earth's journey through the universe is a perilous one, and new discoveries reveal that our planet is heading toward a mysterious area of the cosmos that could eject us out of the Milky Way and into oblivion.

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Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026

More about How the Universe Works

Cast

Erik DellumsHimself - Narrator
Mike RoweNarrator
Chris MckaySelf - Astrobiologist
Carly HowettSelf - Planetary Scientist
Nina LanzaSelf - Planetary Scientist
Hakeem Muata OluseyiSelf - Astrophysicist
Amber StraughnSelf - Astrophysicist
Max TegmarkSelf - Theoretical Physicist

Production details

Status
Ended
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
93
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • ScienceUnited States
  • DiscoveryUnited States
  • DiscoveryUnited States

Themes

astronomyastrophysicscosmosdistant galaxygalaxymoonobservational documentaryphysics