FOLLOW THE WANDERING MOON
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 PLANETAR-IUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY.
HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
DEAN: YOU'RE OUTSIDE ON A CLEAR,
DARK NIGHT AND YOU LOOK UP AND SEE THE MOON.
BUT WAIT, THERE IS SOMETHING NEXT TO IT.
A WEIRD STAR!
JAMES: IF IT IS A REALLY BRIGHT STAR, OR A SUSPICIOUSLY
DAZZLING LIGHT, CHANCES ARE YOUVE SPOTTED A PLANET.
DEAN: BUT WHICH PLANET IS IT?
JAMES: THIS QUESTION, AND MANY MORE WE WILL ANSWER...
DEAN: LETS HEAD TO THE SKY!
DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET FOR JUST AFTER SUNSET
ON THE NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 10TH LOOKING TOWARD THE WEST.
AS THE SKY DARKENS, A FEW THINGS POP INTO VIEW.
JAMES: IF YOU HAVE A CLEAR VIEW TO THE HORIZON, YOU
MIGHT SPOT THE SLIMMEST WAXING CRESCENT MOON TRYING TO SHINE THROUGH THE SUNSET.
IF YOU CANT SEE THE MOON ON SEPTEMBER 10TH, DONT WORRY,
IT'LL BE EASIER TO SPY LATER THAT WEEK.
DEAN: BUT HOPEFULLY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE
A STRANGE AND STUNNING STAR ABOVE THE HORIZON.
IT IS NO STAR.
NOT ONLY IS IT FAR BRIGHTER THAN ANY STAR IN THE SKY,
IT WON'T TWINKLE AS MUCH AS A STAR.
JAMES: IT IS A PLANET.
BUT WHICH ONE?
LETS SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN A TELESCOPE AND MAYBE THAT WILL
OFFER US A CLUE.
DEAN: WHAT?
WAIT A SECOND?!?
IT LOOKS LIKE A MINI-MOON!
JAMES: THAT'S NO MOON.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE PLANET VENUS.
IT GOES THROUGH PHASES LIKE THE MOON SINCE IT IS COMING BETWEEN US AND
THE SUN.
SO RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE A CRESCENT THROUGH TELE-SCOPES.
DEAN: SO COOL!
JAMES: SO YOU CAN EASILY IDENTIFY VENUS IN THE EVENING
SKY WITHOUT THE MOONS HELP, BUT LETS GO FORWARD IN TIME TO SEPTEMBER 11TH…
AND THEN SEPTEMBER 12TH.
DEAN: EACH NIGHT THE MOON WILL HAVE SHIFTED TOWARD
THE EAST.
WHAT YOURE SEEING NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, IS THE SLOW PROGRESSION OF THE MOON ORBITING
THE EARTH.
EACH NIGHT IT SEEMS TO MOVE ABOUT 13 DEGREES ACROSS
THE SKY.
JAMES: AFTER ABOUT A MONTH (OR WHAT DEAN LIKES TO
CALL A MOONTH) THE MOON HAS COMPLETED ITS 360-DEGREE ORBIT,
AND IS BACK TO WHERE IT STARTED.
DEAN: THANKS FOR USING MY WORD MOONTH IN A SENTENCE.
JAMES: ANY TIME…
DEAN: AND AS WE CHANGE THE SKY TO THE EVENING OF
SEPTEMBER 13TH, THE MOON HAS SHIFTED NEAR ANOTHER BRIGHT,
NON-TWINKLING STAR.
YOU GUESSED IT!
ITS ANOTHER PLANET, AND ONCE YOU
IDENTIFY IT, YOU CERTAINLY WONT BE "STUPIDER".
JAMES: IT IS JUPITER, LARGEST PLANET IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM, 88,000 MILES IN DIAMETER, AND KEEPER OF 69 MOONS AND A GREAT RED SPOT.
DEAN: THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN A GOOD TELESCOPE.
YOU CAN SEE THE DISC OF THE PLANET, STRIPES BRACKETING ITS EQUATOR, AND UP TO FOUR MOONS
LINED UP IN VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS.
JAMES: NOT A BAD VIEW!
JAMES: IT'S NOW 9PM AND WERE FACING SOUTH.
AS IT GETS DARKER, TWO MORE PLANETS WILL POP OUT,
BUT MAYBE WE CAN GET THE MOON OVER HERE TO HELP IDENTIFY THEM.
DEAN: PIECE OF CAKE!
WE JUST NEED TO ADVANCE OUR DATE TO SEPTEM-BER 14TH… 15TH…
AND ON SEPTEMBER 16TH, THE MOON WILL SLIDE TO THE RIGHT OF A BRIGHT
YELLOW LIGHT THAT DOESNT TWINKLE VERY MUCH.
JAMES: IF YOU MISS IT ON THE 16TH,
THE NIGHT OF THE 17TH PUTS THE MOON EVEN CLOSER TO OUR
MYSTERY PLANET.
AND IT IS A PLANET.
TO THE NAKED EYE, IT DOESNT STAND OUT.
BUT AS WE ZOOM IN WITH A TELESCOPE WE GET THIS STELLAR VIEW.
DEAN: ITS SATURN,
THE MOST BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL THING YOU CAN SEE IN A TELESCOPE.
JAMES: BUT DON'T GET LOST IN SATURNS BEAUTY, DEAN.
WE HAVE ONE MORE STOP.
ON SEPTEMBER 18TH THE MOON WILL LEAVE SATURN.
AND ON THE 19TH IT WILL BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE RED PLANET, MARS!
DEAN: VERY COOL!
AND MARS IS STILL REALLY BRIGHT.
ONCE YOU IDENTIFY THESE PLANETS YOU CAN WATCH THEM EVERY NIGHT THIS MONTH, EVEN IF THE MOON
ISNT NEARBY.
DEAN: MAN, WHAT A TOUR OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM!
AND THE MOON CAN BE YOUR GUIDE.
LOOK FOR THE MOON NEAR VENUS ON SEPTEMBER 12TH.
JAMES: NEAR JUPITER ON SEPTEMBER 13TH.
DEAN: NEAR SATURN ON THE 16TH AND 17TH.
JAMES: AND CLOSE TO MARS ON THE 19TH.
DEAN: AND THATS JUST FOR HALF A MONTH.
JAMES: EXACTLY, WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE YOU'LL DISCOVER
WHEN YOU…
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!