JAMES: HEY THERE 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.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY TONIGHT.
THE ANCIENT STAR GAZERS HAD A LOT OF IMAGINATION.
JAMES: WHEN THEY LOOKED AT THE STARS, THEY CONNECTED
THE DOTS AND PICTURED PEOPLE, ANIMALS, RIVERS, AND EVEN ENTIRE SCENES.
DEAN: AND IN THE FALL EVENING SKY, IF YOU HAVE AN
ANCIENT IMAGINATION YOU CAN SEE…A KING AND A QUEEN…
JAMES: A PRINCE AND A PRINCESS…
DEAN: TWO MONSTERS AND…
JAMES: A FLYING HORSE.
DEAN: IT'S GONNA GET CROWDED UP THERE BUT WE CAN
WALK YOU THROUGH IT.
JAMES: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET UP FOR 9 PM FACING
NORTHEAST.
ABOUT HALFWAY-UP IN THE SKY YOU' LL FIND THE FIVE, FAMILIAR STARS THAT LOOK LIKE A
LETTER W.
DEAN: THIS IS THE BEAUTIFUL QUEEN CASSIOPEIA.
NOW STRETCH YOUR IMAGINATIONS A LITTLE AND SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE OUT A QUEEN OF ETHIOPIA
SITTING ON HER THRONE.
JAMES: SORRY, I GUESS I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH IMAGINATION.
BUT ONCE YOU FIND HER, SHE IS THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF
OUR STORY.
DEAN: LEGEND HAS IT THAT CASSIOPEIA BRAGGED ABOUT
HER BEAUTY WAY TOO MUCH.
IN FACT ONE DAY SHE SAID (NOW GET THIS),
SHE SAID, I'M MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ALL THE MERMAIDS IN THE OCEAN.
JAMES: YIKES!
THAT GOT POSEIDON, THE GOD OF THE SEA, SUPER-MAD.
HE CONFRONTED CASSIOPEIA'S HUSBAND, KING CEPHEUS, WHOSE FIVE FAINTER
STARS ARE UP AND TO THE LEFT OF HIS WIFE.
THE STARS LOOK LIKE AN UPSIDE-DOWN HOUSE.
DEAN: FOR INSULTING THE GODS, CASSIOPEIA HAD TO
GIVE UP HER ONE AND ONLY DAUGHTER, THE PRINCESS ANDROMEDA, AS A SACRIFICE.
BASICALLY, THEY HAD TO CHAIN ANDROMEDA TO A BIG ROCK IN THE OCEAN,
AND LET POSEIDON'S PET SEA MONSTER EAT HER.
JAMES: YOU CAN FIND ANDROMEDA TO THE RIGHT OF CASSIOPEIA.
HER STARS LOOK MORE LIKE A SKINNY LETTER A.
DEAN: A FOR ANDROMEDA.
JAMES: EXACTLY.
JAMES: ANDROMEDA ALSO HOUSES THE CLOSEST SPIRAL GALAXY
TO OUR MILKY WAY.
IT'S CALLED THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY BECAUSE YOU CAN FIND IT NEAR HER RIGHT
HIP-STAR.
OF COURSE IF YOU LIVE IN A LIGHT POLLUTED AREA, YOU WON'T BE ABLE
TO SEE THIS GALAXY.
HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE OUT IN THE COUNTRY YOU MIGHT SEE IT LOOKING LIKE A LITTLE CLOUD,
BARELY VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE.
DEAN: WITH BINOCULARS YOU CAN RESOLVE A LOT MORE
OF ITS CLOUDY NATURE, AND WITH A TELESCOPE YOU CAN SEE IT AS A LONG, FUZZY BLUR.
THIS IS A GALAXY, WITH ONE TRILLION STARS, THAT YOU CAN'T SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE.
SPACE IS SCARY-BIG!
JAMES: NOW BEFORE THE
SEA MONSTER MAKES HIS APPEARANCE WE MUST INTRODUCE OUR HERO, PERSEUS.
AS THE STORY GOES, PERSEUS, THAT VERY MORNING, SLEW THE WICKED GORGON MEDUSA.
DEAN: SHE'S THE ONE WITH SNAKES FOR HAIR AND TURNS
YOU TO STONE WITH JUST ONE LOOK.
JAMES: LOOKING AT HER REFLECTION IN HIS SHIELD, PERSEUS
CHOPPED OFF HER HEAD, THEN PUT THE HEAD IN A BAG FOR SAFE KEEPING.
DEAN: LATER THAT AFTERNOON, AS HE WAS FLYING THROUGH
THE AIR (ON HIS WINGED SANDALS), WITH THE INFAMOUS
BAG AT HIS SIDE, PERSEUS HAPPENED TO SPY A YOUNG MAIDEN IN DISTRESS.
JAMES: OUR PRINCESS, ANDROMEDA!
NOW WE'RE FACING EAST AT 10PM AND PERSEUS APPEARS ON THE SCENE.
YOU CAN FIND HIM AS A SQUIGGLE OF STARS BELOW ANDROMEDA'S FEET.
DEAN: THE SEA MONSTER,
A CONSTELLATION NAMED CETUS, IS JUST RISING IN THE EAST-SOUTHEAST.
I THINK HIS STARS LOOK LIKE A RECLINER CHAIR.
JAMES: THAT DOESN'T SEEM
SO SCARY.
DEAN: ANYWAY, PERSEUS YELLS TO ANDROMEDA, CLOSE
YOUR EYES!
THEN HE CLOSES HIS EYES, REACHES INTO THE BAG AND PULLS OUT MEDUSA'S SEVERED HEAD, SHOWS
IT TO THE SEA MONSTER WHO TAKES ONE LOOK AT IT AND, POOF TURNS
TO STONE.
JAMES: PERSEUS SAVES THE DAY!
JAMES: WOW, WHAT A STARRY STORY.
A KING, A QUEEN, A PRINCE AND PRINCESS, TWO MONSTERS AND…OOPS,
WE FORGOT THE FLYING HORSE.
DEAN: OH YEAH!
PEGASUS WAS, SUPPOSEDLY, BORN FROM THIS EPIC BATTLE.
AS PERSEUS HELD OUT MEDUSA'S HEAD - THIS IS GROSS NOW - SOME OF
HER BLOOD FELL INTO THE WATER, AND TURNED MAGICALLY INTO PEGASUS
THE FLYING HORSE.
JAMES: OH COME ON!
THAT IS TOO WEIRD!
DEAN: AGREED.
BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF IMAGINATION WE'RE DEALING WITH WHEN WE LEARN ABOUT THE CONSTELLATIONS
AND WHEN YOU...
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!