ORION FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE
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 PLAPLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE,
FLORIDA.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY.
NOW THAT WE ARE IN THE DEAD OF WINTER, IT'S TIME FOR
ONE CONSTELLATION TO REALLY SHINE.
DEAN: THAT'S RIGHT, JAMES.
ORION IS THE UNMISTAKABLE KING OF THE STARS THIS SEASON.
YOU CAN FIND HIM BY HIS DISTINCTIVE BELT OFTHREE STARS IN
A ROW AND SEVERAL OTHER STARS THAT MARK HISBODY AND HEAD.
JAMES: FROM EARTH, THE OUTLINE OF ORION IS EASY TO
IMAGINE.
BUT WHAT IF YOU COULD TAKE A TRIP OFF THE EARTH AND SAIL AMONG THE
STARS?
WOULD ORION STILL LOOK THE SAME FROM ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM?
DEAN: WE'RE GOING INTERSTELLAR!
LET'S SHOW YOU!
DEAN: THE STARS ARE ALL VASTLY DIFFERENT DISTANCES FROM US IN SPACE.
THE CLOSEST STAR TO THE SUN IS CALLED ALPHA CENTAURI AND WE SHOULD REALLY
CALL IT A SYSTEM.
INSTEAD OF ONE STAR.
ALPHA CENTAURI IS ACTUALLY THREE STARS THAT ORBIT EACH OTHER.
TWO YELLOW SUNS AND ONE LITTLE RED ONE.JAMES:
THIS SYSTEM IS ABOUT 4.3 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
THATS ABOUT 25TRILLION MILES!
SO EVEN THOUGH ALPHA CENTAURI IS CLOSER THANTHE OTHER STARS,
IT'S NOT EXACTLY CLOSE.
DEAN: PERHAPS THE FARTHEST STAR YOU COULD SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE IS DENEB.
IT MARKS THE TAIL OF THE SWAN CONSTELLATION CYGNUS.
JAMES: IT'S A WHOPPING 3000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
SO THE DISTANCE TOTHE STARS YOU SEE AT NIGHT CAN VARY A LOT!
DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO ANY NIGHT THIS WEEK FACINGSOUTHEAST.
AND BEHOLD!
THERE HE IS, ORION IN ALL HIS GLORY.
JAMES: NO STARS TIE TOGETHER LIKE THOSE IN THE CONSTELLATION OFORION.
THREE STARS IN A ROW FORM HIS BELT.
THEIR NAMES ARE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, ALNITAK, ALNILAM, AND MINTAKA.
DEAN: FROM THERE, WE CAN OUTLINE THE REST OF HIS BODY TO SHOWHIM AS
A MIGHTY HUNTER WITH HIS UPRAISED RIGHT ARM HOLDING ACLUB AND HIS OUTSTRETCHED
LEFT ARM HOLDING A SHIELD.
AND HE HAS OTHER STARS THAT FORM A SWORD HANGING FROM HIS BELT.
JAMES: I KNOW THAT TAKES A LOT OF IMAGINATION, BUT
SEE IF YOU CANSEE HIM IN THE STARS.
JAMES: NOW LET'S LABEL ORION'S OTHER MAJOR STARS.
WE HAVEBRIGHT BLUE RIGEL MARKING HIS FOOT AND THE REALLY RED STARNAMED
BETELGEUSE MARKING HIS ARMPIT.
DEAN: HIS OTHER SHOULDER IS A STAR CALLED BELLATRIX AND THEOTHER KNEE
IS CALLED SAIPH.
FINALLY HIS HEAD STAR, WHICH IS KINDOF DIM IS CALLED MEISSA.
JAMES: SO, YOU'RE CALLING ORION DUMB?
DEAN: NO, JUST DIM.
ANYWAY, FROM EARTH THESE 8 STARS FORM A NICE, NEAT PATTERN THAT OUR IMAGINATIONS CAN
TURN INTO A GIANTHUNTER.
THEY LOOK LIKE THEY'RE THE SAME DISTANCE FROM US, BUT'85
JAMES: THE CLOSEST OF THE EIGHT STARS IS ORIONS SHOULDER,BELLATRIX,
AT ABOUT 245 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
THAT MEANS THE LIGHTWE SEE SHINING FROM THIS STAR LEFT IT 245 YEARS AGO.
DEAN: NEXT IS BIG, BAD BETELGEUSE WHO IS ABOUT 625 LIGHT YEARSAWAY.
SO ORION'S ARMPIT IS NOWHERE NEAR HIS OTHER SHOULDER.
JAMES: SAIPH IS A LITTLE FARTHER, AT AROUND 650 LIGHT YEARS ANDRIGEL MEASURES ABOUT 773
LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
DEAN: ORION'S HEAD AND BELT ARE HIS FARTHEST STARS.
BELT STARALNITAK IS ABOUT 800 LIGHT YEARS AWAY AND MINTAKA LIES 916
LIGHTYEARS AWAY.JAMES: HEAD STAR MEISSA IS ABOUT 1,100 LIGHT YEARS
AWAY AND DEAN:
ALNILAM IS A WHOPPING 1,342 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
THAT MEANS BECAUSE WE CAN
SEE ALNILAM AS A BRIGHT STAR, AT SUCH AVAST DISTANCE, IT MUST BE HUMONGOUS.
JAMES: EXACTLY!
THE DIAMETER OF ALNILAM IS 30 TIMES THAT OF OUR SUN.
JAMES: SO WHAT IF WE LAUNCH OFF THE EARTH AND TRAVEL FASTER
THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT TO GAIN A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THESTARS OF
ORION?
DEAN: WHEN WE COME AROUND TO THE SIDE OF THESE EIGHT STARS
WECAN SEE BELLATRIX FAR FROM THE REST AND ALNILAM WAY OVER ONTHE OTHER
SIDE.
CAN YOU SEE ORION IN THE STARS NOW?
JAMES: DEFINITELY NOT FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE.DEAN: LET'S HEAD
BACK HOME SINCE I PREFER OUR EARTHLY VIEW.
DEAN: SO LOOK FOR ORION THIS WEEK AND THINK ABOUT THE VASTDISTANCES
TO THE STARS.
JAMES: AND THINK ABOUT WHAT ALIENS MIGHT SEE IN OUR STARS.
DEAN: STARGAZING CAN DEFINITELY TAKE YOUR MIND ON
SOMEINCREDIBLE JOURNEYS AS YOU BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!