The BEST episodes of The Planets (2017)

Every episode of The Planets (2017) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Planets (2017)!

In conjunction with the first total solar eclipse in the continental U.S. in 99 years, Science Channel celebrates by presenting a definitive series on Earth's closest neighbors in the solar system. Former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino hosts, guiding viewers through eight, hourlong episodes that detail Venus, Mars, the newly discovered Planet 9, Exoplanets and more. A best-selling author, Massimino is a veteran of two missions in the Hubble Space Telescope and four space walks. He's also credited as the first person to tweet from space.

Last Updated: 9/4/2024Network: Science ChannelStatus: Ended

8.07

14 votes

#1 - Comets: Mysteries from the Deep

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/7/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino reveals the alien secrets of comets, strange visitors from deep space that might be responsible for life on Earth.

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8.05

78 votes

#2 - Saturn: Mysteries Among the Rings

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/12/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino reveals the mysterious secrets of Saturn and its rings; using the latest science from the Cassini mission, he explores the planet's giant icy geysers, powerful hurricanes, and moon that may be hiding extraterrestrial life.

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8.00

15 votes

#3 - Dwarf Planets: Aliens Among Us

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/28/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores dwarf planets, mysterious worlds like Pluto that are too small to be a planet, but are home to some of the universe's biggest secrets.

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7.94

87 votes

#4 - Venus: The Hell Planet

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/5/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores Venus, a hellish planet covered in active volcanoes and dense clouds. Using cutting edge technology, he decodes the secrets beneath this volatile planet and investigates if Earth could be heading towards the same fate.

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7.94

17 votes

#5 - Alien Moons: The Next Earth

Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 9/18/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino journeys to the alien moons of the solar system and discovers if these strange worlds could be habitable for life beyond Earth.

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7.94

17 votes

#6 - Alien Oceans: Search for Life

Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 9/25/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores the mysterious oceans of the solar system, where the latest discoveries provide new clues in the search for alien life.

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7.89

122 votes

#7 - Jupiter: King of the Planets

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/22/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino leads a journey to Jupiter where he investigates the planet's deepest mysteries and tries to discover if its origins make it the sun's secret twin.

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7.87

23 votes

#8 - Mercury: The Cursed Planet

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/31/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores Mercury, a deadly and tiny planet that faces constant attacks from the Sun, and which might one day pose a threat to all life on Earth.

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7.81

16 votes

#9 - Alien Stars: Mystery of the Monsters

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/4/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino journeys to the deadliest stars in the universe, where terrifying suns can rip apart planets but may be integral to life on Earth.

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7.79

89 votes

#10 - Mars: The Definitive Guide

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/29/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino reveals the answers to some of the greatest mysteries on the Red Planet. Using the most detailed survey of Mars ever created, he discovers the dark history of our closest neighbor.

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7.77

61 votes

#11 - Alien Worlds: Stranger Than Fiction

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/3/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores the incredible new alien planets being found daily by astronomers; using the latest science, he investigates everything from worlds that appear to eat light to planets that resemble Earth in shocking ways.

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7.76

63 votes

#12 - The Moon: Earth's Guardian Angel

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/10/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino reveals the mysterious secrets of the moon, a world permanently tied to Earth; using new research, he uncovers the mysterious origin of the moon and how it kick-started life on Earth.

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7.72

18 votes

#13 - Ice Giants: The Frozen Aliens

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/17/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino journeys to Uranus and Neptune, the farthest planets from the sun and the home to some of the solar system's strangest mysteries.

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7.69

75 votes

#14 - Planet 9: The Lost World

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/19/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino investigates the possibility of a giant ninth planet at the edge of the solar system; using the latest technology, he reveals the incredible secrets of this mysterious world.

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7.67

12 votes

#15 - The Solar System: Alien Origins

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/21/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino uncovers the strange and violent birth of the solar system, and reveals how its planets were built from the wreckage of bygone alien worlds.

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7.64

69 votes

#16 - Pluto: The Secret Science

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/26/2017

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores the dwarf planet Pluto, a tiny frozen world surrounded in secrets; using the latest science, he investigates the possibility of life in its mysterious ocean.

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7.59

17 votes

#17 - Alien Volcanoes: Life in Hell

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/11/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino uses the latest science to explore the alien volcanoes of distant worlds and reveals if they are hotbeds for extraterrestrial life.

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7.47

15 votes

#18 - The Sun: Secrets of Our Star

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/14/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino journeys to the sun, revealing the secrets of Earth's star and how it will one day destroy the planet.

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7.44

25 votes

#19 - Milky Way: The Monster Inside

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/3/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores the dark secret of the Milky Way, the home to both Earth and a terrifying supermassive black hole.

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7.40

25 votes

#20 - Alien Planets: Cosmic Nightmares

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/27/2018

Astronaut Mike Massismino uncovers the violent secrets of the most deadly planets outside our solar system.

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Ends of the Solar System: Strange Frontiers

7.35

23 votes

#21 - Ends of the Solar System: Strange Frontiers

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/10/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino uses the latest NASA discoveries to explore the dark and mysterious frontiers of our solar system.

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7.29

24 votes

#22 - Earth: The Secret History

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/20/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino uses the latest science to reveal the strange secrets of planet earth, and explores whether alien earths exist elsewhere in the universe.

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7.16

19 votes

#23 - Alien Galaxies: The Strange Secrets

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/24/2018

Astronaut Mike Massimino explores the universe's strangest alien galaxies, strange places that could be home to extraterrestrial life and deadly supermassive black holes.

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