It has become astronomy's default instrument.For many, this is the golden age of astronomy. We have sent space probes to most of the planets and landed a robot explorer on Mars. We have discovered planets circling other stars, measured the age of the universe and have even begun to discern its possible fate. Hubble has contributed in no small measure to this golden age. Who knows what is waiting to be discovered out there in the next decade. Perhaps the Hubble Space Telescope will, after all, find the unexpected.Dr David Whitehouse is science editor of BBC News Online.

BBC2's hit makeover programmes such as Home Front are to receive their own makeover by the channel controller Jane Root. BBC2's hit makeover programmes such as Home Front are to receive their own makeover by the channel controller Jane Root. She wants to bring "greater depth" to the lifestyle and hobby programmes that have recently dominated much prime-time television. The new approach will be more "documentary-based", she said, contrasting with "leisure programmes on the mainstream channels which are more star-led than expertise-led. Carol Smillie on BBC1's Changing Rooms, for instance, is a television professional, not a decorating specialist ... We're moving away from half-hour magazine programmes and probing deeper into people's relationships with their houses."The change seems to mean even more airtime for the celebrity hosts of such programmes as the dandyish Home Front presenter Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who will present shows with a greater narrative element than the magazine-format programmes of the past.Home Front in the Garden, fronted by the "green-fingered hunk" Diarmuid Gavin, is one example of the new genre and is already well-established.

Home Front in the Kitchen is, said BBC insiders, expected to follow soon. A colleague of Ms Root said: "Two Fat Ladies led the way by providing a strong narrative element to a show about cooking. It was a significant move away from the 'take two pounds of flour and a cup of sugar' approach."The Naked Chef programmes with Jamie Oliver are another example of the genre, having story lines that feature Mr Oliver's life in London and his shopping expeditions, as well as conventional cooking demonstrations.Miss Root has just commissioned a number of gardening programmes. She said: "We're steering away from full-blown makeover towards shows which include other areas of expertise such as landscaping". Ms Root is seen by colleagues to be trying to move away from "quick-fix" programmes, such as Changing Rooms on BBC1, towards more "programming for grown-ups".

Her new approach, said a BBC2 executive, could even be extended to the Top Gear car programme.Recently Ms Root said BBC2 was "not a wham-bang, niche youth channel". Her comments, and desire to give more depth and authority to lifestyle programmes, are seen in the television industry as an attempt to secure a stronger brand identity for BBC2."There is a feeling that we can put clear distance between ourselves and Channel 4, which is increasingly becoming a youth entertainment channel," said a BBC2 insider. "There is a lot of stuff on Channel 4 which is there for a 'quick fix'. We will, of course, still have treats in the schedules, but quick fixes will not be our heartland programming."The comment is a reference to Channel 4's emphasis on comedy programmes such as Da Ali G Show and The 11 O'Clock Show, which appeal to the younger audiences that advertisers favour.Channel 4 executives, unsurprisingly, argue that Miss Root is simply following the commercial channel's lead. "BBC2 was doing wall-to-wall leisure programming which was accomplished but bland," said one. "We were the first to give greater depth to the aspirational lifestyle genre when we commissioned Grand Designs, about people with real ambition who wanted to build houses - and building your own home is inherently more interesting than a makeover of a bathroom.".

Police hunting the killer of Jill Dando were investigating 20 new suspects yesterday, named by the public after a television appeal for witnesses. Police hunting the killer of Jill Dando were investigating 20 new suspects yesterday, named by the public after a television appeal for witnesses. The potential breakthrough, which includes details of two men who were named more than once, came after detectives issued new details on BBC's Crimewatch UK about a suspect seen several times near the murder scene.The Dando inquiry and the huge public response to Wednesday night's appeal is the latest example of the police's willingness to turn to real-life programmes to help to solve the toughest cases. Some commentators are asking if programmes such as Crimewatch are becoming the most effective alternative police force.In terms of crimes solved, public interest and pulling power among Britain's police forces, Crimewatch has an impressive record. With a national audience of between seven and eight million, detectives are falling over themselves to get their trickiest unsolved crimes on air.But there is another side to the programme, with some police press officers complaining they are told that unless they come up with fresh information they have little chance of appearing.Since the first episode in June 1984, Crimewatch boasts 582 arrests made as a direct result of the programme.