JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS.
I'M JAMES ALBURY DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.
DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI
OBSERVATORY, AND WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY.
JAMES: IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, WHEN OUR OLD
FRIEND THE BIG DIPPER GIVES UP ITS ROLE AS AN EASY, EARLY-EVENING INDICATOR OF NORTH,
BECAUSE IF YOU HAPPEN TO LIVE TOWARD THE SOUTH, THE BIG DIPPER
IS BARELY VISIBLE ABOVE THE NORTHERN HORIZON IN EARLY EVENING.
DEAN: BUT FEAR NOT MY FRIENDS!
THE BIG DIPPER'S POSITION HIGH ABOVE THE NORTH STAR IS REPLACED BY A FASCINATING ANCIENT
CONSTELLATION, CASSIOPEIA THE QUEEN; AND SHE HAS QUITE
A STORY.
LET'S SHOW YOU!
DEAN: OK, IF YOU GO OUT ANY NIGHT AROUND 9 P.M.
YOU'LL SEE THE FIVE BRIGHT STARS OF CASSIOPEIA WHICH, IF WE CONNECT WITH IMAGINARY LINES,
TRACE OUT THE LETTER 'M'.
BUT, YOU MIGHT ASK YOURSELF, HOW COULD ANYONE IMAGINE SEEING A QUEEN IN THIS SIMPLE 'M'
SHAPE?
JAMES: WELL, AROUND TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO, THE ANCIENT
GREEKS HAD NO PROBLEM IDENTIFYING THIS MODERN 'M' AS
THE QUEEN NAMED CASSIOPEIA.
AND IF WE SPEED UP TIME A FEW HOURS, TO ABOUT 6 A.M., MAYBE YOU CAN IMAGINE A QUEEN, SITTING
MAJESTICALLY ON HER THRONE.
AND IF WE USE ONE EXTRA STAR IN THIS CONSTELLATION AND DRAW
LINES BETWEEN IT AND THE MIDDLE STAR OF THE 'M',
WE HAVE THE SEAT OF A THRONE.
THE TWO STARS ABOVE IT MAKE UP THE BACK OF THE THRONE AND TWO ADDITIONAL LINES MAKE UP
THE LEGS OF THE THRONE.
AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE A GREAT QUEEN
SITTING IN IT.
DEAN: BUT AS EVERYONE KNOWS, BECAUSE OUR EARTH ROTATES
ON ITS AXIS EVERY 24 HOURS, THE STARS CHANGE THEIR POSITIONS IN THE SKY, CIRCLING ENDLESSLY
AROUND THE NORTH STAR.
AND AT 6 A.M.
ANY MORNING THIS WEEK, QUEEN CASSIOPEIA SITS UPRIGHT, VERY NICELY ON HER THRONE.
BUT AS THE HOURS GO BY, SHE SLOWLY WHEELS AROUND THE NORTH STAR, (EVEN AS THE EARTH
TURNS DURING THE DAY), SO THAT BY EVENING TIME, ONCE AGAIN CASSIOPEIA WOULD HAVE TO
BE WEARING AN EXTRA STRONG SEATBELT TO KEEP HER FROM FALLING OFF HER QUEENLY THRONE.
JAMES: BUT WHY, YOU MIGHT ASK, WOULD OUR ANCESTORS
WANT TO SEE A FAVORITE QUEEN OF THEIRS, WHO WAS SAID TO BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN OF
HER TIME, IN SUCH A PRECARIOUS POSITION?
WELL, IT IS PRECISELY BECAUSE OF THIS EVER CHANGING POSITION OF CASSIOPEIA'S THRONE THAT
SHE WAS PLACED IN THE SKY IN THE
FIRST PLACE.
YOU SEE, CASSIOPEIA WAS PLACED IN THE HEAVENS AS AN OBJECT LESSON AGAINST PERSONAL VANITY.
DEAN: 20 CENTURIES AGO,
THE STORY WAS TOLD THAT CASSIOPEIA WAS NOT ONLY EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL, BUT EXCEPTIONALLY
VAIN, AND THAT ONE DAY
SHE MADE THE DREADFUL MISTAKE OF BOASTING THAT SHE WAS EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE
NEREIDS, THE SEA NYMPHS, WHO WERE CONSIDERED TO BE
THE HOTTEST STUFF OF THEIR TIME.
WELL, THEY COMPLAINED TO THEIR FATHER, POSEIDON, THE GOD OF THE SEA, AND HE CONDEMNED QUEEN
CASSIOPEIA TO RIDE ENDLESSLY AROUND THE NORTH STAR ON HER THRONE; SOMETIMES COMFORTABLY
RIGHTSIDE-UP AND THEN LATER ON, UNCOMFORTABLY
UPSIDE-DOWN, WHERE SHE'D HAVE TO HANG ON FOR DEAR LIFE.
JAMES: THIS PRECARIOUS POSITION WAS DESIGNED AS A
PUNISHMENT FOR CASSIOPEIA.
AND EVER SINCE, MERE MORTALS HAVE KNOWN THAT PHYSICAL BEAUTY ALWAYS COMES WITH
A PRICE.
SOMETHING THAT DEAN AND I KNOW ALL TOO WELL, RIGHT DEAN?
DEAN: THATS RIGHT, JAMES.
NOW OF COURSE, WE WOULDN'T WANT CASSIOPEIA TO THINK THIS
SHOW WAS ALL ABOUT HER, BUT LETS ZOOM IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK
AT HER STARS.
JAMES: AT NIGHT, CASSIOPEIA STANDS REALLY HIGH IN
THE NORTHERN SKY.
HER FIVE SEMI-BRIGHT STARS MAKE A NOTICEABLE M-SHAPE PATTERN.
DEAN: THE THREE BRIGHTEST STARS MAKE A NEAT TRIANGLE.
AND SOMETIMES IF YOU'RE VIEWING FROM A CITY YOU MAY HAVE A TOUGH TIME SEEING MORE THAN
THESE THREE STARS.
THEIR NAMES ARE CAPH, SCHEDAR, AND TSIH.
THEY ARE ALL ABOUT AS BRIGHT AS THE NORTH STAR WHICH IS NOT TOO FAR AWAY.
JAMES: THE FAINTER STARS IN
THE M-SHAPE OF CASSIOPEIA ARE CALLED RUCHBAH AND SEGIN.
YOU MAY HAVE TO SQUINT A BIT TO SEE SEGIN BUT
IF YOU CAN SEE ALL FIVE STARS YOULL KNOW FOR SURE YOUVE FOUND HER.
SO GET OUTSIDE AND LOOK FOR THE VAIN QUEEN CASSIOPEIA...
DEAN: AND HER OUTLINE OF FIVE STARS MAKING AN
M-SHAPE IN THE NIGHT SKY.
SHES UP THERE IF YOU…
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!