Today we are unlocking the secrets of the cosmos, exploding stars, supermassive blackholes and screaming jets of gas. Across the world and in space, high tech telescopes are picking up the signals which are revealing a hidden universe, a cosmos almost incomprehensible in size, age and violence.

In this two-hour special, NOVA examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding of our place in the universe. What began as a curiosity—two spectacle lenses held a foot apart—ultimately revolutionized human thought across science, philosophy, and religion.

Hunting the Edge of Space takes viewers on a global adventure of discovery, dramatizing the innovations in technology and the achievements in science that have marked the rich history of the telescope.