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.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS, BUT ASTRONOMERS CAN BE KINDA COMPETITIVE.
DEAN: A FRIENDLY, NERDY KIND OF COMPETITIVE.
OFTEN WHEN THEY GET TOGETHER AT CONFERENCES THEY COMPETE IN A STAR AND CONSTELLATION SHOOTOUT!
BASICALLY THE ASTRONOMERS SIT IN A PLANETARIUM, TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, PUT THE STARS ON THE
CEILING, AND START NAMING STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS.
JAMES: THEY POINT AT EACH OBJECT WITH A RED LASER, GIVE THE NAME, AND IF CORRECT, MOVE
ON TO THE NEXT ROUND.
IF THEY'RE WRONG, OR CAN'T FIND A STAR OR CONSTELLATION THEY KNOW, THEY'RE OUT.
DEAN: THE LAST ASTRONOMER STANDING…
ER, SITTING, WINS.
SO JAMES AND I ARE GOING TO GO HEAD TO HEAD, FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT THIS WEEK.
JAMES: THAT'S RIGHT.
TWO TITANS AT THE PEAK OF THEIR STAR GAZING ABILITIES.
DEAN WITH HIS KNOWLEDGE OF OBSCURE STAR NAMES…
DEAN: AND JAMES WITH HIS CONSTELLATION CONNOISEUR-SHIP.
JAMES: CONNOISEUR-SHIP?
DEAN: THAT'S NOT A WORD IS IT?
JAMES: NOPE.
DEAN: ANYWAY, LET THE GREAT STAR AND CONSTELLATION SHOOTOUT BEGIN!
JAMES: OKAY, ARE YOU READY FOUR-EYES?
DEAN: BRING IT ON STAR GEEZER!
WE'VE GOT OUR SKIES SET FOR 10:30PM LOOKING EAST.
HERE YOU CAN FIND LEO THE LION, RECOGNIZABLE BY THE BACKWARD QUESTION MARK OF STARS FOR
HIS HEAD, AND A TRIANGLE OF STARS FOR HIS REAR END.
JAMES: CORRECT.
AND LEO'S BRIGHTEST STAR IS CALLED REGULUS MEANING LITTLE KING.
DEAN: CORRECT (FOR THE KING OF THE BEASTS).
AND THERE IS ALGEIBA, A NICE DOUBLE STAR.
JAMES: ABOVE ALGEIBA IS ALDHAFERA.
DEAN: AND TOWARD THE LIONS REAR IS THE STAR ZOSMA
JAMES: AND JUST RISING IN THE EAST IS DENEBOLA, THE TAIL OF LEO THE LION.
DEAN: SO FAR SO GOOD, ALBURY.
JAMES: NOW WE'RE FACING SOUTH AT 10:30PM AND WE CAN SEE ORION HIGH IN THE SKY.
DEAN: BELOW HIM IS THE RABBIT CONSTELLATION CALLED LEPUS.
JAMES: ABOVE ORION'S RIGHT SHOULDER IS TAURUS THE BULL.
DEAN: AND TO THE RIGHT OF LEPUS IS THE CONSTELLATION ERIDANUS.
OKAY, JAMES SINCE YOU PICKED ORION, I CHALLENGE YOU TO A STAR LIGHTNING ROUND.
JAMES: OH GOODY!
DEAN: OKAY, WE'RE ZOOMED IN ON ORION AND WE'RE GOING TO NAME STARS.
GO!
JAMES: RIGEL
DEAN: BELLATRIX
JAMES: MEISSA
DEAN: ALNITAK
JAMES: ALNILAM
DEAN: MINTAKA
JAMES: SAIPH
DEAN: BETELGEUSE
JAMES: AHHHH, GOOD PLAY MR.
REGAS.
DEAN: WE COULD BE HERE ALL NIGHT.
DEAN: OKAY NOW WE'RE FACING SOUTHEAST AT 9PM.
THERE'S SIRIUS, THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY.
JAMES: WHO'S PART OF THE CONSTELLATION CANIS MAJOR.
DEAN: THERE'S THE BRIGHT YELLOW STAR PROCYON…
JAMES: ALSO KNOWN AS THE LITTLE DOG STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION CANIS MINOR.
DEAN: THERE'S THE YELLOW-ORANGE STAR POLLUX…
JAMES: AND BLUE-WHITE CASTOR ABOVE IT….
DEAN: WHO ARE THE HEADS OF THE CONSTELLATION GEMINI THE TWINS.
JAMES: OKAY WHAT'S THAT STAR ABOVE PROCYON?
DEAN: GOMEISA, THE OTHER STAR IN CANIS MINOR.
I KNOW, THAT CONSTELLATION IS A REAL HOT DOG.
WHAT'S THE STAR BETWEEN THE GEMINI TWINS AND ORION'S BETELGEUSE?
JAMES: ALHENA, THE HEEL OF POLLUX.
WHAT'S CANIS MAJORS PAW STAR CALLED?
DEAN: THAT'S MIRZAM.
OOH, HERE'S A TOUGHIE.
WHATS THE FAINT CONSTELLATION BETWEEN CANIS MAJOR AND CANIS MINOR?
JAMES: THAT'S MONOCEROS THE UNICORN - A CONSTELLATION INVENTED BY THE DUTCH CARTOGRAPHER PETRUS
PLANCIUS IN THE 17TH CENTURY TO FILL IN THE EMPTY SPACE.
DEAN: YOU'RE GOOD ALBURY.
VERY GOOD.
JAMES: YOU'VE ALSO PROVEN TO BE A WORTHY OPPONENT!
DEAN: FINALLY WERE FACING NORTH AT 10PM AND WE SEE POLARIS, AKA THE NORTH STAR ABOUT HALFWAY
UP IN THE SKY.
JAMES: POLARIS MARKS THE TAIL OF THE LITTLE BEAR, THE CONSTELLATION URSA MINOR.
DEAN: IT'S ALSO PART OF THE ASTERISM CALLED THE LITTLE DIPPER.
THE STARS MARKING THE END OF THE LITTLE DIPPER'S SPOON ARE CALLED, KOCHAB…
JAMES: AND PHERKAD.
DEAN: TO THE RIGHT IS URSA MAJOR, A HUGE CONSTELLATION THAT CONTAINS THE STARS IN THE BIG DIPPER.
JAMES: WHICH INCLUDES THE STARS ALKAID
DEAN: MIZAR
JAMES: WITH A TINY, LITTLE STAR ABOVE IT CALLED ALCOR, BARELY VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE.
DEAN: THEN THERE'S ALIOTH
JAMES: FAINT LITTLE MEGREZ
DEAN: PHEKDA
JAMES: MERAK
DEAN: AND DUBHE.
WELL, WE JUST CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED A HECKUVA LOT OF STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS.
JAMES: YEP, AND I BET WE HAVE A LOT MORE WE COULD NAME.
IF ONLY WE HAD MORE TIME.
DEAN: WHAT DO YOU SAY WE CALL IT A TIE?
JAMES: SOUNDS GOOD.
DEAN: IF WE CAN LEARN ALL THESE THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS IN THE SKY, YOU CAN TOO.
JUST FOLLOW OUR SIMPLE ADVICE AND…
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!