TV series explains mysteries of Earth

TVB Pearl tonight premieres a television series that tells the story of our 4.6 billion-year-old home - the Earth. The five-part series was produced by BBC.

In Earth: The Power of the Planet, renowned geologist Iain Stewart explains the systems that worked together to create the planet we live on, and which continue to work together in different ways to maintain it and make it possible for life to continue to flourish.

Dr Stewart sheds light on the effects of volcanoes on the Earth's landscape, and explains how the atmosphere works to sustain life. He also reveals the massive power locked in ice, and tells us everything we need to know about the tides and global currents, along with the historical catastrophes that have shaped the planet as we know it today.

Besides the informative narration, the visuals are illuminating. With extensive use of satellite imagery, as well as computer-generated images, viewers get to see the inside of a hurricane, Antarctica without its ice and ancient river beds in the Sahara desert.

Time-lapse clips filmed over months bring the movement of glaciers and lava flow to life, while data from scientific sensors unveil some of the secrets of our planet, such as the crater produced by the meteorite that killed off the dinosaurs.

The first episode screens tonight at 8.30pm.