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.
THIS WEEK WE'RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE STAR HOPPING AND DISCOVER NEW STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS.
OUR JUMPING-OFF POINT WILL BE THE BIG DIPPER.
DEAN: THE BIG DIPPER - THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE STAR PATTERN IN ALL THE NORTHERN SKY - VISIBLE
ALMOST ALL YEAR-ROUND - THIS WILL BE OUR GUIDE TO THE HEAVENS.
FIRST IT'LL POINT US TO THE NORTH STAR…
JAMES: THEN SHOW US THE WAY TO THE BRIGHT ORANGE STAR ARCTURUS…
DEAN: THEN LEAD US TO THE BRILLIANT BLUE STAR SPICA.
JAMES: AND WE'LL EVEN MEET A PLANET ALONG THE WAY.
DEAN: ALL RIGHT, LET'S HEAD OUT TO THE SKY!
JAMES: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET FOR 10PM FACING NORTHEAST WHERE WE SEE THE BIG DIPPER HIGH
ABOVE THE NORTH STAR.
IF ITS CUP WAS FULL OF WATER IT'D BE POURING RIGHT INTO THE LITTLE DIPPER AND OVERFLOWING
ONTO ME!
DEAN: COOL UMBRELLA!
NOW IF WE SHOOT AN ARROW THROUGH THE TWO STARS ON THE END OF THE BIG DIPPER'S CUP, AND CONTINUE
THAT LINE, IT'LL RUN SMACK DAB INTO THE NORTH STAR.
JAMES: NOW LET'S USE THE BIG DIPPER'S HANDLE TO FIND TWO MORE WONDERFUL STARS.
SIMPLY DRAW AN IMAGINARY LINE THROUGH THE HANDLE OF THE BIG DIPPER AND EXTEND IT OUT
ALONG THE CURVE, OR ARC, AND YOU'LL ARC YOUR WAY TO THE BRIGHT STAR, ARCTURUS.
DEAN: SO IN OTHER WORDS, REPEAT AFTER ME, FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS.
JAMES: FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS.
HEY THAT'S PRETTY CATCHY.
DEAN: I KNOW RIGHT?
JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING I MADE UP.
ARCTURUS IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION BOOTES THE HERDSMAN.
JAMES: HIS OUTLINE LOOKS MORE LIKE A NARROW KITE…
DEAN: OR AN ICE CREAM CONE ON ITS SIDE.
JAMES: LOOKOUT DEAN!
THAT SCOOP IS LOOSE!
DEAN: AAAAAAAAH!
JAMES: AFTER YOU ARC TO ARCTURUS, KEEP GOING.
STRAIGHTEN OUT THE ARC A BIT AND YOU WILL RUN INTO A BRILLIANT BLUE STAR CALLED SPICA.
SPICA IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION VIRGO THE MAIDEN.
SHE'S STANDING UPRIGHT AND COVERS MOST OF THE EASTERN SKY.
DO YOU HAVE A CATCHY SAYING TO FIND SPICA?
DEAN: OF COURSE.
FIRST FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS.
JAMES: UH HUH.
DEAN: THEN HIT A SPIKE…TO SPICA!
JAMES: WOW, THAT'S A LOT LESS CATCHY…
DEAN: YEAH I KNOW, BUT MAYBE IT'S SO BAD THAT YOU'LL REMEMBER IT.
DEAN: LET'S COMPARE ARCTURUS AND SPICA TO OUR STAR - THE SUN.
ARCTURUS IS RELATIVELY CLOSE TO US - ONLY 37 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
SPICA IS ABOUT 7 TIMES FARTHER - AT AROUND 261 LIGHT YEARS.
THE SUN, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS ONLY 8 LIGHT MINUTES AWAY.
JAMES: NOW LET'S SIZE THESE THREE STARS UP.
THE SUN IS ABOUT 865,000 MILES IN DIAMETER.
THAT'S LARGE ENOUGH FOR 109 EARTHS TO STRETCH END TO END ACROSS ITS WIDTH.
DEAN: BUT THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO SPICA WHICH IS OVER 7 TIMES WIDER THAN OUR SUN,
AND ARCTURUS WHICH IS OVER 25 TIMES WIDER.
JAMES: THIS ARC-TO-ARCTURUS AND SPIKE-TO-SPICA TRICK WORKS EVERY SPRING, BUT THIS YEAR WE
HAVE SOMETHING EXTRA.
THERES ALSO A REALLY, REALLY BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE MIX THAT SHOULD DISTRACT YOU.
DEAN: IT'S WAY BRIGHTER THAN SPICA AND IS ACTUALLY A PLANET!
BUT WHICH ONE IS IT?
LET'S FLY UP THERE TO GET A CLOSER LOOK.
JAMES: WOW!
THAT IS ONE BRIGHT STAR - I MEAN PLANET.
IT SHOULD SHINE WITH A STEADY, CREAM-COLORED GLOW JUST ABOVE BLUE SPICA.
DEAN: WHEN WE ZOOM IN ON OUR MYSTERY PLANET WE'LL SEE THAT IT IS JUPITER, LARGEST PLANET
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
JAMES: THROUGH A BACKYARD TELESCOPE WE CAN SEE ITS FOUR MOONS, STRIPES ON THE PLANET,
AND ON RARE OCCASIONS, THE GREAT RED SPOT.
DEAN: ASTRONOMERS HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE GREAT RED SPOT AND HAVE SEEN SOME CHANGES RECENTLY.
IT USED TO BE A GIANT OVAL-SHAPED STORM THE SIZE OF THREE EARTHS.
BUT NOW…
OH NO!
ITS SHRINKING!
JAMES: DEAN REGAS EVERYBODY.
ACTING A LINE FROM THE MOVIE 2010.
ANYWAY, IT'S SHRINKING FAST!
IF THIS KEEPS UP, THE GREAT RED SPOT COULD FADE AWAY.
SO BE SURE TO GO SEE IT THIS YEAR - JUST IN CASE.
JAMES: SO THIS SPRING GET OUTSIDE AND LET THE BIG DIPPER BE YOUR GUIDE.
DEAN: THE TWO STARS ON THE END OF THE SPOON WILL TAKE YOU TO THE NORTH STAR.
JAMES: AND THE CURVED STARS ON THE HANDLE WILL LET YOU ARC TO ARCTURUS
DEAN: HIT A SPIKE TO SPICA!
JAMES: AND THEN JET UP TO JUPITER!
DEAN: NICE!
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!