AllMovie

This Nova program grapples with the truly big questions of science -- what is the universe's structure, what lies beyond the limits of our "sight," and how can we predict the ultimate fate of the universe? The film uses as its main focal point a recent discovery that space is not only expanding but actually accelerating outward. Two competing teams of scientists discuss the meaning of this phenomenon, as well as the methodology that they use to make such discoveries -- tasks like measuring the brightness and the "redshift" of supernovae, as well as irregularities in the microwave background radiation. The program uses high-definition 3-D simulations to demonstrate leading theories (such as the theories of inflation and of "dark energy") about the behavior and fate of matter in the universe.