HISTORY's hit series returns for a mind-blowing new season.

Explore bizarre worlds, fascinating new phenomena, and awesome forces that both create and destroy.

THE UNIVERSE - Season 4 Premieres on Tuesday, August 18 at 9pm ET/PT on HISTORY�

PASADENA, CA, JULY 29, 2009 � From the planets to the stars and out to the edge of the unknown, history and science collide in HISTORY's popular series THE UNIVERSE, now back for its fourth season. With ground-breaking new discoveries and even more stunning high-definition computer animations, it's a wondrous yet deadly adventure through space and time. Fifty years have flown by since man first ventured into outer space, but the heavens are only now yielding their greatest secrets. Today, on an almost daily basis, scientists find new planets and views into the deepest reaches of space, breaking new ground in understanding the universe and its mysteries. In this new season, viewers are transported to new and mysterious places including ones we didn't even know existed a year ago � some harboring deadly forces that may forever impact life on Earth. Season Four of THE UNIVERSE premieres on HISTORY� on Tuesday, August 18 at 9pm ET/PT.

This season, THE UNIVERSE once again transports viewers through the wonders of our own solar system, out to the bizarre far-flung reaches of the cosmos where the awesome power and destructive forces of the universe await. Topics in this new season include: the lethal surprises of our ringed planets; quasars that burn with the intensity of a trillion suns and shoot out massive plasma jets; a countdown of the biggest blasts to ever rock the cosmos. THE UNIVERSE continues to bring viewers information about our universe, providing insight into its history and context for the planet we inhabit today and tomorrow.

Upcoming episodes:

DEATH STARS (Aug. 18)

For most, it's the deadly centerpiece of the film Star Wars. But in truth, real death stars are in the final stage of life before they explode into supernovae and, occasionally, the biggest blast in the universe � the gamma ray burst (GRB). One death star, named WR104, lurks 8,000 light-years from Earth and some believe its GRB arrow is aimed directly at us. A death star galaxy named 3C321 is a terrifying vision of what could one day befall the Milky Way galaxy: a companion galaxy's black hole is hammering it with a constant blast of high-energy particles, wreaking havoc with its celestial bodies. Nearby, Death Stars Eta Carinae and Betelgeuse burn through their fuel supplies as they hurtle toward extinction�and possibly a violent ending that's too close for comfort. These are just a few of the Universe's ultra-violent Death Stars. SEASON PREMIERE!

THE DAY THE MOON WAS GONE (Aug. 25)

Without the moon, Earth would be a very different and desolate place today � four hours of sunlight with pitch-black nights, steady 100-mph winds spawning giant hurricanes that last for months, and virtually no complex life forms, much less humans. Safe to say, we probably owe our very existence to the moon. But what if it suddenly disappeared? Solar gravity redirects ocean water that floods coastal spots around the globe. Sea currents shift, resulting in freakish weather patterns. Eventually, earth's axis begins fluctuating wildly and climate change grows more extreme. The poles are tropical jungles and parts of the equator become frigid wastelands. Human evolution starts churning in unpredictable ways or ends completely. Without the moon, the earth is a very different place.

IT FELL FROM SPACE (Sept. 1)

Every year thousands of objects both natural and manmade plummet through our atmosphere and crash into the Earth. These menacing messengers from the sky provide scientists with amazing insights into the natural, and not so natural, phenomena of the cosmos. From space rocks crashing through homes to cosmic boulders triggering mass extinctions to rocket parts landing on front lawns, this episode explores objects that fall from space, such as asteroids, comets, meteor showers and space debris.

BIGGEST BLASTS (Sept. 8)

The Universe is full of explosions that both create and destroy. The Chicxulub impact on the Yucatan peninsula, which may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, was 2 million times more powerful than the largest nuclear bomb ever detonated on Earth. But guess what? That's only good enough for the very bottom of the Biggest Blasts top ten list. We'll work our way up through supernova explosions and gamma ray bursts all the way to the blast that started it all � the Big Bang.

RINGED PLANETS (Sept. 15)

Ringed planets are breathtaking, lethal and a constant source of surprise. The stunning rings of Saturn have mesmerized countless scientists over the centuries. With particles the size of a house shooting at 53,000 miles per hour around the planet, any spacecraft passing through would meet an instant and catastrophic end. Inside the rings is like a NASCAR race�with bumping, jostling and frequent collisions that can cause a massive spin-out. Lesser known are the other planets that have rings�Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, possibly Pluto and Mars. Even Earth has a ring. Comprised of some 200 satellites in a geosynchronous orbit, it is the only known man-made ring in the universe. But the most remarkable thing about rings is that they contain the story of the birth of our solar system, and entire distant galaxies. Rings are more than a wonder of the universe�they reveal the secrets of our own origins.

10 WAYS TO DESTROY THE EARTH (Sept. 22)

Don't try this at home! In this, episode, our experts cook up ten ways you could destroy the earth including�swallowing it with a microscopic black hole, blowing it up with anti-matter, hurling it into the Sun, and switching off gravity. This is a fun way to explore the dangerous physics of the Universe and the properties of the planet we call home.

Other upcoming topics include: Star Clusters, Space Wars, Pulsars & Quasars, Liquid Universe, Extreme Energy.

Executive Producer for HISTORY is Carl H. Lindahl. THE UNIVERSE is produced by Flight 33 Productions for HISTORY. Executive Producers are Louis C. Tarantino and Douglas J. Cohen.

The official minisite, http://history.com/universe, will include the exclusive Interactive Universe, fast facts and the web original Backyard Astronomer video series.

HISTORY� and HISTORY HD� are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original nonfiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as How the Earth Was Made, Ax Men, Battle 360, The Universe, and Ice Road Truckers, as well as acclaimed specials including 102 Minutes That Changed America, King, Life After People, 1968 with Tom Brokaw, Nostradamus: 2012 and Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, four Primetime Emmy� Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy� Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History� campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's latest initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the definitive historical online source that delivers entertaining and informative content featuring broadband video, interactive timelines, maps, games, podcasts and more.

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