In the last thirty years humans have probed the Universe, explored the Solar System and visited with spacecraft some of the most incredible places humans have ever laid eyes upon. We have expanded our knowledge slowly and surely, but still now only see a glimpse of the bigger picture. The Cosmic Keyhole explores the big discoveries of recent years and asks whats next? How prolific is life in the Universe? How far back to the Big Bang can we probe? And what hidden treasures still await us in the hidden corners of our Solar System?

Will Gater has written for the UKs top astronomy magazines and has appeared on television and radio (including the BBCs The Sky At Night) to promote astronomy and science. He has worked for the European Space Agency's Hubble Space Telescope press office, the European Southern Observatorys public outreach department and is a former News Editor of Astronomy Now magazine in the UK. He holds a degree in astrophysics from University College London. Today Gater writes for the BBCs Sky At Night magazine. He regularly blogs about astronomy on his website www.willgater.com.

Water and the Search for Life in our Solar System.- The Hardiest Microbes on Earth.- The Hunt for Life Begins.- Where Does Water Flow?.- Our Active Solar System.- Cassini and Its Saturnian Adventure.- The Hidden Wanderers and a Cometary Meeting.- Worlds Around Other Stars.- Planetary Nurseries and Dusty Discs.- The Discovery of Extrasolar Planets.- The Universe at Large.- The Universe on a Grand Scale.- The Era of Hubble From Disaster to Deep Field.- Star Life in Starlight.- Exotic Space.