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 WINTER SKY.
THIS IS PERFECT STAR-GAZING WEATHER…
DEAN: …AND PERFECT FOOTBALL WEATHER.
JAMES: THE MOST DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF THE WINTER
SKY IS A STAR PATTERN CALLED THE WINTER HEXAGON.
IT COVERS ALMOST HALF THE SKY, INCORPORATES SIX CONSTELLATIONS AND EIGHT OF THE TWENTY
BRIGHTEST STARS VISIBLE FROM EARTH.
THE WINTER HEXAGON DEFINITELY PUTS ITS STAMP ON THE SEASON.
DEAN: BUT IN HONOR OF THE NFL PLAYOFFS AND THE UPCOMING
BIG GAME, I RECOMMEND CHANGING ITS NAME TO THE WINTER
FOOTBALL.
WHEN YOU STEP OUTSIDE AND SEE THE CLEAR WINTER SKY, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
LET'S SHOW YOU…
JAMES: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR 9 P.M LOOKING
SOUTH-EAST.
LOOK AT ALL THOSE BRIGHT STARS!
IF YOU CAN BRAVE THE COLD, A RING OF SPARKLING, MULTICOLORED JEWELS WILL SHINE DOWN ON YOU.
DEAN: SOME CALL THIS THE WINTER CIRCLE OR WINTER
HEXAGON, BUT I THINK THESE STARS LOOK LIKE A GIANT
FOOTBALL FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, POINTY ON TWO ENDS, ROUNDED IN THE MIDDLES.
AND WINTER IS THE SEASON FOR FOOTBALL.
JAMES: EXACTLY!
AND THE MAIN PLAYER INSIDE THE WINTER FOOTBALL IS ORION
THE HUNTER.
EASILY RECOGNIZED BY THE THREE STARS THAT MAKE HIS SNAZZY BELT, ORION STANDS ABOUT HALFWAY
UP IN THE SOUTHEASTERN SKY, LIKE A HULKING LINEBACKER ABOUT TO MAKE A
TACKLE.
DEAN: NOW LET'S TAKE A TOUR AROUND THE WINTER FOOTBALL.
BEGIN WITH THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY.
THIS IS THE DOG STAR, NAMED SIRIUS.
IF YOU CONNECT THE DOTS OF ORION'S BELT STARS AND CONTINUE THAT LINE TO THE LEFT, YOU CAN'T
MISS IT.
SIRIUS IS A BRILLIANT WHITE STAR AND ONE OF OUR CLOSEST STELLAR NEIGHBORS.
FOLLOWING OUR FOOTBALL THEME, SIRIUS MARKS THE NOSE OF ONE OF OUR TWO TEAM
MASCOTS, THE BIG DOG, OR CANIS MAJOR.
IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, CANIS MAJOR WAS ONE OF ORION'S GREAT HUNTING DOGS.
JAMES: ORION'S OTHER HUNTING DOG, AND OUR OTHER TEAM
MASCOT, CAN BE FOUND UP AND TO THE LEFT OF SIRIUS - AROUND THE BRIGHT STAR PROCYON.
PROCYON IS A YELLOW-WHITE STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION CANIS MINOR, THE LITTLE DOG.
DEAN: KEEP GOING UP AND TO THE LEFT, AND YOU'LL
FIND TWO STARS OF SIMILAR BRIGHTNESS.
THESE ARE THE TWO HEADS OF THE GEMINI TWINS, POLLUX AND CASTOR.
BOTH TWINS WERE INCREDIBLY ATHLETIC AND WOULD MAKE A GREAT QUARTERBACK AND WIDE RECEIVER
COMBO.
JAMES: NOW LET’S GO ALONG
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WINTER FOOTBALL.
THE BRIGHT STAR NEAREST THE ZENITH, AND AT THE TIP OF THE FOOTBALL IS CALLED CAPELLA.
CAPELLA IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION AURIGA, THE CHARIOTEER.
AURIGA COULD SERVE AS COACH AND CHAUFFEUR TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM.
GREEK MYTHS DESCRIBED HIM AS THE INVENTOR OF THE CHARIOT.
BUT HE WAS ALSO GOOD AT GIVING ADVICE AND CAN LOOK OVER THE FIELD FROM HIS POSITION
HIGH IN THE SKY.
DEAN: MOVING DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT WE'LL COME TO
A BRIGHT, ORANGE STAR.
THIS IS ALDEBARAN, THE GLOWING EYE OF TAURUS THE BULL.
NOW I REALIZE THERE IS NO PRO FOOTBALL TEAM CALLED THE BULLS.
JAMES: BUT HOW ABOUT THE BUFFALO BILLS?
DEAN: YEAH…CLOSE ENOUGH.
JAMES: THE LAST STAR IN THE FOOTBALL IS THE BRIGHT
BLUE STAR, RIGEL.
THIS MARKS THE LEFT FOOT OF OUR BUDDY ORION AND IS ONE OF THE TRULY AMAZING STARS IN OUR
GALAXY.
IT'S AROUND 800 LIGHT YEARS AWAY FROM US AND IS STILL ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS...IT MUST
BE HUMONGOUS!
DEAN: FINALLY, YOU'RE BACK AROUND TO SIRIUS.
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU'VE TRACED THE WINTER FOOTBALL IN THE SKY.
LOOK FOR IT AFTER DARK FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
DEAN: BUT WHAT'S THAT BRIGHT STAR IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE FOOTBALL?
JAMES: THAT'S THE INFAMOUS BETELGEUSE, A RED SUPERGIANT
STAR THAT MAKES EVEN RIGEL LOOK PUNY.
LET'S COMPARE RIGEL TO OUR SUN.
IN SIZE…THEY'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE.
NOW LET'S COMPARE BETELGEUSE TO RIGEL.
DEAN: YIKES!
BETELGEUSE IS EVEN LARGER THAN THE EARTH'S ORBIT.
JAMES: THAT MEANS THAT IF BETELGEUSE WAS OUR SUN,
WE'D BE ORBITING INSIDE OF IT.
DEAN: GOOD THING WE'RE FAR, FAR AWAY FROM IT!
JAMES: SO TONIGHT, TAKE A BREAK FROM THE NFL AND
GO OUT TO SEE THE BIG GAME IN THE SKY.
LOOK FOR THE BRIGHT STARS IN THE WINTER FOOTBALL - SIRIUS, PROCYON, POLLUX AND CASTOR ON ONE
SIDE…
DEAN: AND CAPELLA, ALDEBARAN AND RIGEL ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
THE WINTER FOOTBALL HAS MORE BIG STARS THAN ANY PRO TEAM.
AND THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO YOU EVERY NIGHT UNTIL BASEBALL SEASON WHEN YOU…
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!