Menu
Podcasts
Podcasts
Description
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the planet which is closest to our Sun. We see it as an evening or a morning star, close to where the Sun has just set or is about to rise, and observations of Mercury helped Copernicus understand that Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun, so displacing Earth from the centre of our system. In the 20th century, further observations of Mercury helped Einstein prove his general theory of relativity. For the last 50 years we have been sending missions there to reveal something of Mercury's secrets and how those relate to the wider universe, and he latest, BepiColombo, is out there in space now.
With
Emma Bunce Professor of Planetary Plasma Physics and Director of the Institute for Space at the University of Leicester
David Rothery Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University
And
Carolin Crawford Emeritus Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, and Emeritus Member of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production
Reading list:
Emma Bunce, ‘All (X-ray) eyes on Mercury’ (Astronomy & Geophysics, Volume 64, Issue 4, August 2023)
Emma Bunce et al, ‘The BepiColombo Mercury Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer: Science Goals, Instrument Performance and Operations’ (Space Science Reviews: SpringerLink, volume 216, article number 126, Nov 2020)
David A. Rothery, Planet Mercury: From Pale Pink Dot to Dynamic World (Springer, 2014)
What does President Trump plan to do with Venezuela’s oil?
NPR
President Trump says he plans to control revenue f....
Emily Dickinson (Archive Episode)
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
Supreme Court poised to rule on tariffs, birthright citizenship and more
NPR
The Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on....
Jan. 6, 2021: Five Years Later
NPR
Five years ago, a mob attacked the United States C....
How Do Trump’s Actions In Venezuela Square With MAGA And ‘America First’?
NPR
President Trump campaigned on promises to put “A....
Trump Says The U.S. Will 'Run' Venezuela After Capturing Maduro
NPR
Overnight, the U.S. military launched strikes on V....
U.S. foreign aid changed in 2025 – and it was felt around the world
NPR
On the night of his inauguration, President Trump ....
Welcome to the NPR Washington Desk
NPR
Happy New Year! In this special episode, the Polit....
Shakespeare's Sonnets (Archive Episode)
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
The Annual Can't Let It Go Year End Extravaganza
NPR
We look back on some of the highlights from 2025 w....
Year In Review: The Impact Of Project 2025
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Year In Review: Trump's Immigration Policy
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Year In Review: Trump's Foreign Policy
NPR
Editor's note: This episode originally aired on De....
Year In Review: Trump’s Environmental Policy
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Margery Kempe and English Mysticism (Archive Episode)
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
Year In Review: Trump, Gerrymandering & Redistricting
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Year In Review: Trump's Economy
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Year In Review: Congress' Successes & Failures
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Roundup: Congress Skips Town Without ACA Vote, Trump Reclassifies Cannabis
NPR
It was another busy week in Washington. We discuss....
Trump Uses Prime-Time Speech To Blame Biden, Immigrants For Economy Woes
NPR
President Trump used his prime-time speech Wednesd....
Eclipses (Archive Episode)
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
Americans Give Trump Low Marks On The Economy In New Poll
NPR
Only 36% of Americans approve of President Trump�....
Year In Review: Trump's Foreign Policy
NPR
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Donald Trump Is Sports-Fan-In-Chief
NPR
President Trump has built a brand as the sports-fa....