FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS
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 CROWN ALONG THE WAY.
DEAN: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
LET’S SHOW YOU!
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, AND THERE IS ONE
OTHER LITTLE CONSTELLATION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT MIGHT GRAB YOUR ATTENTION.
DEAN: IT’S HARD TO SEE AT FIRST BUT ONCE YOU FIND IT, YOU CAN’T MISS IT.
LOOK TO THE LEFT OF THE KITE-SHAPED CONSTELLATION OF BOOTES.
JAMES: YOU’LL SPY A HALF-CIRCLE OF STARS.
THIS IS THE TINY CONSTELLATION CORONA BOREALIS, THE NORTHERN CROWN.
DEAN: LET’S FLY IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK.
JAMES: THE MAIN PART OF CORONA BOREALIS CONSISTS OF SEVEN, SEMI-BRIGHT STARS.
BUT ONE IS DEFINITELY BRIGHTER THAN THE OTHERS.
DEAN: IT GOES BY TWO NAMES: GEMMA OR ALPHECCA.
IF YOUR IMAGINATION SEES THIS CONSTELLATION AS A CROWN, THEN GEMMA IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE
SINCE IT SPARKLES LIKE A GEM IN THE NIGHT.
JAMES: IF YOUR IMAGINATION SEES A BOWL IN THESE STARS INSTEAD, THE BRIGHTEST ONE ALPHECCA,
WHICH MEANS “BRIGHT ONE OF THE DISH”
DEAN: ALPHECCA IS A BLUE-WHITE STAR ABOUT 75 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH AND, LIKE ARCTURUS
AND SPICA, IS WAY BIGGER THAN OUR SUN.
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 CRUSIE OVER TO CORONA BOREALIS!
DEAN: NICE!
IT’S ALL THERE WHEN YOU…
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!