Discovery travels to Dark Side of the Sun

Discovery Channel has ordered a science special about the sun.

The Dark Side Of The Sun will go out on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel in the US on consecutive days.

FremantleMedia-backed US prodco Radical Media is making the doc for Discovery. It will examine what we know about the star, the latest scientific findings and research, and how it plays a central role in our lives.

It will also tell the story of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), the largest solar telescope in history, which is under construction in Hawaii.

Singer-songwriter Sting narrates the film, which will feature experts from NASA talking about the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft that will aim to fly to the sun, and the National Oceanic and the Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).

On the Discovery Channel the special will be one of the centrepieces of the Science Channel Weekend, which sees science shows previewed on the main Discovery net.

The show goes out on Discovery on February 11 and Science on February 12.