DEAN: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.
I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.
JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE,
FLORIDA.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY.
HEY DEAN, WHAT'S SCARIER?
A DRAGON OR A SCORPION?
DEAN: WHAT?
SCORPION?
WHERE?
JAMES: OH RIGHT, I FORGOT ABOUT YOUR DEEP-SEATED FEAR OF SCORPIONS…HEH, HEH, WELL DON'T WORRY,
THIS SCORPION IS HANGING OUT IN THE SUMMER STARS, UP THERE IN THE SOUTHERN SKY.
DEAN: WHEW!
AND THE DRAGON MUST BE THE CONSTELLATION DRACO THE DRAGON WHO FLIES HIGH IN THE NORTHERN
SKY IN THE SUMMER.
JAMES: YEP, PLUS WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO FIND THE PLANETS JUPITER AND SATURN.
DEAN: LET'S SHOW YOU THE DRAGON AND THE…SCORPION.
JAMES: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET FOR ANY NIGHT THIS WEEK AT 11PM FACING SOUTH.
SCORPIUS IS ONE OF THE FEW CONSTELLATIONS THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE ITS NAMESAKE.
DEAN: SCORPIUS SCUTTLES JUST ABOVE THE SOUTHERN HORIZON AS A LONG FISH-HOOK SHAPE OF STARS.
THE CURVE MARKS THE SCORPION'S TAIL AND STINGER.
YOU MIGHT NEED MORE IMAGINATION TO SEE HIS BODY AND CLAWS, BUT THERE'S HIS RED BEATING
HEART - THE RED SUPERGIANT STAR ANTARES.
JAMES: ANTARES HAS INSPIRED OBSERVERS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
IT MEANS 'RIVAL OF MARS' BECAUSE IT IS SIMILAR IN COLOR TO THE RED PLANET.
BUT IT'S NOTHING LIKE MARS.
FIRST, ANTARES IS A STAR AND MARS IS A PLANET.
SECOND, ANTARES IS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN STARS IN THE GALAXY.
THIS IS WHAT ANTARES WOULD LOOK LIKE NEXT TO OUR SUN.
MARS WOULD BE TOO SMALL TO SHOW ON THE SCREEN.
YIKES, THAT'S A HUGE STAR!
DEAN: IN MYTHOLOGY, SCORPIUS WAS THE SLAYER OF ORION.
OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW ABOUT ORION'S BELT OF THREE STARS, BUT SCORPIUS HAS THREE STARS
ALMOST IN A ROW.
YOU CAN FIND THEM AT THE CLAWS OF THE SCORPION.
OKAY, THEY'RE NOT QUITE LINED UP LIKE ORION'S BELT, BUT STILL THEY'RE EASY TO FIND.
THEIR NAMES ARE GRAFFIAS ON THE TOP…DSCHUBBA IN THE MIDDLE…AND PI SCORPII ON THE BOTTOM.
JAMES: YOU JUST WANTED TO SAY DSCHUBBA DIDN'T YOU?
DEAN: YOU KNOW IT!
PLUS DSCHUBBA IS A VARIABLE STAR.
THAT MEANS IT CHANGES ITS BRIGHTNESS FROM TIME TO TIME.
DEAN: OKAY NOW LET'S LOOK TO THE NORTHERN SKY AND GO DRAGON-HUNTING!
DRACO THE DRAGON LURKS IN THE NORTH WITH HER TAIL BEGINNING BETWEEN THE BIG DIPPER ON THE
LEFT AND THE NORTH STAR RIGHT THERE.
JAMES: IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THE NORTH STAR, USE THE BRIGHTER STARS IN THE
BIG DIPPER TO POINT THE WAY.
SHOOT AN ARROW FROM THE TWO STARS AT THE END OF THE BIG DIPPER'S SPOON AND CONTINUE THAT
TO THE RIGHT AND BINGO!
YOU'LL RUN INTO THE NORTH STAR.
DEAN: YOU'LL NEED A DARK SKY TO SEE THE DRAGON'S TAIL THAT COILS AROUND THE LITTLE DIPPER,
SO LET'S ZOOM INTO THE DRAGON'S HEAD WHICH HOLDS THE BRIGHTEST STARS IN THIS MONSTER
CONSTELLATION.
DEAN: THREE SEMI-BRIGHT STARS MARK HIS HEAD IN A NEAT TRIANGLE - THEY ARE, IN ORDER OR
BRIGHTNESS ELTANNIN…RASTABAN…AND GRUMIUM…AND IF YOU'RE IN A DARKER SKY, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE
TO MAKE OUT A FOURTH.
JAMES: YOU JUST WANTED TO SAY RASTABAN DIDN'T YOU?
DEAN: YEP.
I LIKE MY QUIRKY STAR NAMES.
JAMES: TO THE BABYLONIANS, DRACO WAS THE SHE-DRAGON TIAMAT.
SHE'S SAID TO HAVE HAD A BODY SEVEN MILES LONG AND A MOUTH AS BIG AS THE SKY.
ALONG CAME A GOD NAMED MARDUK WHO SLEW THE GREAT BEAST WITH A BOW AND ARROW.
MARDUK THEN SLICED THE DRAGON IN HALF - ONE HALF BECOMING THE EARTH, AND THE OTHER BECOMING
THE HEAVENS ABOVE.
DEAN: OKAY, SO NOW WE WANT TO LOOK FOR TWO PLANETS IN THE NIGHT SKY.
THE FIRST ONE IS EASY TO FIND BECAUSE ITS SO BRIGHT.
FACE SOUTHWEST AFTER DARK AND YOU'LL SEE JUPITER.
JAMES: IT'S THE BRIGHTEST STARLIKE OBJECT IN THE NIGHT SKY RIGHT NOW.
THEN LOOK SOUTH AGAIN, JUST ABOVE THE SCORPIONS TAIL, AND YOU'LL SEE A BRIGHT YELLOW STAR.
DEAN: IT SHOULDNT TWINKLE AS MUCH AS THE OTHER STARS BECAUSE IT IS IN FACT THE PLANET SATURN.
AH, MY FAVORITE!
I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT AGAIN.
SO GET OUTSIDE EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK.
JAMES: AND DON'T FORGET TO LOOK FOR SCORPIUS THE SCORPION IN THE SOUTHERN SKY - NOT AT
YOUR FEET!
DEAN: AAH!
DON'T DO THAT!
JAMES: AND SEE DRACO THE DRAGON IN THE NORTHERN SKY BETWEEN THE BIG AND LITTLE DIPPER.
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!