KILLER UNIVERSE

RELATIVELY SAFE IN OUR PROTECTIVE BUBBLE, SOME FORCES COULD END LIFE ON EARTH FOREVER. IS THE COSMOS OUT TO GET US?

HOW MANY STARS ARE THERE IN THE UNIVERSE?

WITH A FLEET OF: MISSIONS SCOURING THE COSMOS, WILL IT EVER BE POSSIBLE TO COME TO AN ESTIMATE?

PLANET PROFILE: URANUS

The ice giant that's shrouded in mystery has fascinated explorers for decades

HOW DID EARTH GET ITS WATER?

Moon rocks suggest that the water might have been here all along

FEDOR ŠIMKOVIC: BILLIONS OF THEM PASS-THROUGH US EVERY SECOND

The nuclear physicist and ESET Science Award laureate reveals what tantalising information neutrinos can tell us about the cosmos

GREATEST SPACE MYSTERIES

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE, ACCORDING TO ASTROPHYSICISTS, PLANETARY SCIENTISTS AND ASTRONOMERS

DISTANT TARGET ANALYSIS

When it comes to protecting Earth from impacts, it's crucial to know what asteroids are made of. NASA is working on a device to find out

DID MARS' DEEP INTERIOR CAUSE A LOSS OF ITS ATMOSPHERE?

A new study gives insight into how the Red Planet's magnetic field faded away

CANON 10x42L IS WP BINOCULAR

An outstanding choice for super-steady stargazing thanks to fabulous image stabilisation, a waterproof design and large objective lenses

Suleyman was just as bellicose as his father, if not as gratuitously cruel

CHRISTOPHER DE BELLAIGUE talks to Rhiannon Davies about his book charting the early years of Suleyman the Magnificent's reign, when the sultan had to navigate the deadly machinations of the Ottoman court as well as battle Christian powers

“Mary Seacole never aspired to be a pioneer of women's nursing. It is only in recent decades that we have invested her with this status”

Helen Rappaport, who has spent 20 years researching Mary Seacole's life, argues that the Jamaican healer's transformation into a modern cultural icon has obscured the real woman

We decide for ourselves who we think we are - and museums are central to that

In his new BBC Radio 4 series, curator and broadcaster Neil MacGregor explores the changing role of Britain's museums. He explains to Matt Elton why these venues are more vital now than ever

THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BRITAIN

Charles I was dead, Oliver Cromwell was on the rise, and a nation was grappling with a strange new reality - one without a monarchy. Anna Keay tells the story of the 1650s, through the eyes of three of the people who helped shape Britain's republican decade

The brutish empire

ALEX VON TUNZELMANN considers a global investigation into the intrinsic connection between racialised violence and the history of the world's largest-ever empire

1942 CHURCHILL'S DARKEST HOUR

If 1940 was the year in which Winston Churchill's reputation was forged, 1942 was the one in which it was almost destroyed. Taylor Downing chronicles a terrible period for the prime minister - both on the battlefield and in the court of public opinion

How Napoleon (almost) destroyed the French Revolution

The Corsican general proclaimed himself a defender of republican ideals – while doing all he could to dismantle them

An Island Mystery

Three centuries ago, when European explorers first sighted the Pacific island of Rapa Nui, it was home to a thriving population and hundreds of haunting moai statues. But, within a few generations, the landscape was decimated and its population in sharp decline. So what happened? Cat Jarman untangles

Mirroring Multicultural Britain

From its inception the BBC has featured entertainers of colour, but they were often reduced to "exotic” attractions. David Hendy explores how the corporation tried to include diverse voices, from the 1930s to the postwar years

ON THE PROWL

Hunting witches was a lucrative profession, giving plucky vigilantes the opportunity to earn high wages and gain social standing within communities gripped by fear and worry

A CAULDRON OF CULTURES

Professor Ronald Hutton reveals how ancient civilisations helped shape early modern beliefs about witches and witchcraft

ISLAND OF THE DEAD

In Haiti and the Dominican Republic, some people still claim they have the ability to practise magic and command zonbi spirits. Professor Lauren Derby explores the history behind this unique form of Caribbean sorcery

FACT OR FICTION?

Most people's knowledge of 'witches' stems from popular horror tropes involving warty-faced women stirring cauldrons, or innocent young girls being drowned in ponds. But how much of this is based on pure mythology? Professor Owen Davies addresses eight popular misconceptions about the history of witchcraft in Europe

ROUGH INJUSTICE

Professor Marion Gibson reveals how England's early modern legal system dealt with suspected 'witches'

SEEING DOUBLE

As German aircraft attacked Paris during WWI, one man had an idea: what if you could fool the enemy into dropping their bombs elsewhere? Gavin Mortimer tells the story behind an audacious wartime ruse...

SARAH BIFFIN Artist, writer, trailblazer

Nige Tassell explores the life and career of the disabled English painter whose work is set to be the focus of a major new exhibition later this vear

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

Vincent van Gogh's stark portrayal of physical and mental ill-health carries an important message of hope and determination

WHAT IF...THE OTTOMANS HAD WON AT LEPANTO?

Professor Marc David Baer talks to Jonny Wilkes about the infamous 1571 naval battle, and whether or not an Ottoman victory against the Catholic Holy League would have made a substantial a difference to the empire's ambitions anyway

WICCA'S WORLD

Claire Slack reveals how a new magical movement flourished in the 20th century

PENTAGON LAUNCHES NEW UFO OFFICE

A new office in the Pentagon will investigate sightings of unidentified flying objects – but longtime extraterrestrial enthusiasts are sceptical

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE : WHAT DISTURBED A DISTANT STAR SYSTEM?

Astronomers are a step closer to understanding how our Solar System formed, all thanks to a chance encounter