1 00:00:20,387 --> 00:00:23,656 DEAN: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS. 2 00:00:23,757 --> 00:00:26,593 IM DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 3 00:00:26,693 --> 00:00:28,828 JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA 4 00:00:28,928 --> 00:00:31,197 SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. 5 00:00:31,297 --> 00:00:34,034 AND WERE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 6 00:00:34,134 --> 00:00:36,469 DEAN: STARS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM. 7 00:00:36,569 --> 00:00:41,107 MOST STARS IN THE SKY ARE REALLY TWO, THREE, OR MORE STARS ORBITING EACH OTHER. 8 00:00:41,207 --> 00:00:43,977 MANY STARS WILDLY FLUCTUATE IN BRIGHTNESS. 9 00:00:44,077 --> 00:00:45,545 THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT COLORS AND TEMPERATURES. 10 00:00:45,645 --> 00:00:49,582 SOME ARE NEWLY BORN AND OTHERS ARE NEARING THEIR DRAMATIC DEMISE. 11 00:00:49,682 --> 00:00:52,252 JAMES: THIS WEEK WERE GOING TO LOOK AT THREE STARS 12 00:00:52,352 --> 00:00:54,621 IN THE FALL SKY WITH HIDDEN SECRETS. 13 00:00:54,721 --> 00:00:58,358 THE FIRST STAR IS ACTUALLY TWO BEAUTIFULLY COLORED STARS IN A SMALL TELESCOPE. 14 00:00:58,458 --> 00:01:00,960 DEAN: THE SECOND STAR WILL MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN. 15 00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:03,229 JAMES: AND THE THIRD IS A LONELY STAR WITH A FUNNY 16 00:01:03,329 --> 00:01:06,800 NAME THAT GAVE ASTRONOMERS A BIG PLANETARY SURPRISE. 17 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:11,204 AS OUR TELESCOPES GET BETTER AND BETTER, WERE UNCOVERING THE MYSTERIOUS NATURE OF STARS 18 00:01:11,304 --> 00:01:12,739 TRILLIONS OF MILES AWAY. 19 00:01:12,839 --> 00:01:16,176 DEAN: LET US INTRODUCE YOU TO THE STARS ALBIREO, 20 00:01:16,276 --> 00:01:17,477 ALTAIR AND FOMALHAUT. 21 00:01:17,577 --> 00:01:20,747 JAMES: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET TO 10:00 P.M. 22 00:01:20,847 --> 00:01:22,682 THIS MONTH LOOKING WEST. 23 00:01:22,782 --> 00:01:25,752 THE MOST PROMINENT FEATURE IS THE SUMMER TRIANGLE. 24 00:01:25,852 --> 00:01:29,022 LOOK FOR THREE REALLY BRIGHT STARS IN THE SKY AND YOU'VE FOUND IT! 25 00:01:29,122 --> 00:01:32,092 DEAN: THE THREE STARS ARE CALLED VEGA, ALTAIR, AND 26 00:01:32,192 --> 00:01:33,326 DENEB. 27 00:01:33,426 --> 00:01:35,195 JAMES: NOW DENEB IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BRIGHT TAIL 28 00:01:35,295 --> 00:01:39,332 OF THE CONSTELLATION CYGNUS THE SWAN BUT WERE GOING TO ZOOM IN ON THE FAINTER HEAD STAR 29 00:01:39,432 --> 00:01:40,900 VISIBLE WITHIN THE SUMMER TRIANGLE. 30 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,803 DEAN: THIS IS THE STAR CALLED ALBIREO AND ITS ONE 31 00:01:43,903 --> 00:01:46,739 OF MY FAVORITE STARS TO LOOK AT WITH A SMALL TELESCOPE. 32 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,009 DEAN: WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSER AT ALBIREO, YOU FIND 33 00:01:50,110 --> 00:01:53,079 ITS REALLY A DOUBLE STAR - TWO STARS ORBITING EACH OTHER. 34 00:01:53,179 --> 00:01:56,850 THE BIGGER ONE IS ORANGE IN COLOR AND THE SMALLER ONE IS BRILLIANT 35 00:01:56,950 --> 00:01:58,651 BLUE. 36 00:01:58,751 --> 00:02:02,956 THE CONTRASTING COLORS MAKE A COOL AND HOT SIGHT TO SEE - BECAUSE THIS TELLS US THEIR 37 00:02:03,056 --> 00:02:04,891 CONTRASTING TEMPERATURES. 38 00:02:04,991 --> 00:02:06,493 THE BLUER, THE HOTTER. 39 00:02:06,593 --> 00:02:07,961 THE ORANGER, THE COOLER. 40 00:02:08,061 --> 00:02:11,731 THEY'RE LIKE TWO BEAUTIFUL, SPARKLING JEWELS IN THE NIGHT SKY. 41 00:02:11,831 --> 00:02:14,801 JAMES: NOW LET'S GET BACK TO THE STAR ALTAIR AND 42 00:02:14,901 --> 00:02:16,636 IT'S HIDDEN SECRET. 43 00:02:16,736 --> 00:02:21,307 ALTAIR LOOKS LIKE ANY ORDINARY BRIGHT WHITE STAR, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE CLOSER STARS TO 44 00:02:21,407 --> 00:02:23,309 US, AT ONLY 17 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. 45 00:02:23,409 --> 00:02:26,279 DEAN: AND BECAUSE ITS RELATIVELY CLOSE, ASTRONOMERS 46 00:02:26,379 --> 00:02:30,783 COULD UNCOVER ALTAIRS SECRET - ITS MIND-BOGGLING ROTATIONAL RATE. 47 00:02:30,884 --> 00:02:32,152 JAMES: MEANING IT SPINS 48 00:02:32,252 --> 00:02:33,153 REALLY FAST! 49 00:02:33,253 --> 00:02:34,888 DEAN: OUR SUN SPINS AS WELL. 50 00:02:34,988 --> 00:02:39,759 THE SUN ROTATES ABOUT 2 KILOMETERS PER SECOND AT ITS EQUATOR SO IT TAKES ABOUT 51 00:02:39,859 --> 00:02:42,162 25 DAYS FOR THE SUN TO SPIN ONCE. 52 00:02:42,262 --> 00:02:45,431 NOW LETS COMPARE OUR SUN TO ALTAIR. 53 00:02:45,532 --> 00:02:49,736 ALTAIR IS ALMOST TWICE AS BIG AS THE SUN AND SHINES 11 TIMES BRIGHTER. 54 00:02:49,836 --> 00:02:53,173 BUT HOLD ONTO YOUR SEATS, THIS STAR SPINS SUPER-FAST! 55 00:02:53,273 --> 00:02:59,212 AT THE EQUATOR, ALTAIR ROTATES AT ABOUT 286 KILOMETERS PER SECOND. 56 00:02:59,312 --> 00:03:03,116 THAT MEANS THAT THE ENTIRE STAR SPINS ONCE EVERY 9 HOURS! 57 00:03:03,216 --> 00:03:05,818 JAMES: THIS UNBELIEVABLE ROTATIONAL VELOCITY HAS 58 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,254 ACTUALLY AFFECTED THE SHAPE OF THIS STAR. 59 00:03:08,354 --> 00:03:13,126 INSTEAD OF A SPHERE, ALTAIR IS SQUISHED AT THE POLES AND BULGES AT THE EQUATOR. 60 00:03:13,226 --> 00:03:17,497 THE ENTIRE MASS OF THE STAR HAS SHIFTED AND HAS LEFT ALTAIR LOOKING LIKE A RAPIDLY 61 00:03:17,597 --> 00:03:18,598 SPINNING EGG. 62 00:03:18,698 --> 00:03:21,201 DEAN: NEXT, LETS LOOK SOUTH AT 10:00 P.M. 63 00:03:21,301 --> 00:03:23,303 WHERE YOU'LL SEE ONLY ONE BRIGHT STAR. 64 00:03:23,403 --> 00:03:27,840 THIS IS FOMALHAUT THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION OF PISCIS AUSTRALIS, OR THE 65 00:03:27,941 --> 00:03:29,042 SOUTHERN FISH. 66 00:03:29,142 --> 00:03:31,177 JAMES: WITH A LITTLE IMAGINATION YOU CAN MAKE OUT 67 00:03:31,277 --> 00:03:35,381 A GOLDFISH SHAPE IN THESE STARS WITH FOMALHAUT AS ONE BEADY EYE... 68 00:03:35,481 --> 00:03:36,382 CUTE. 69 00:03:36,482 --> 00:03:37,750 DEAN: FOMALHAUT IS A 70 00:03:37,850 --> 00:03:41,287 BLUE-WHITE STAR 25 LIGHT YEARS AWAY, MAKING IT ANOTHER CLOSE 71 00:03:41,387 --> 00:03:44,157 TARGET TO OBSERVE WITH THE BEST TELESCOPES. 72 00:03:44,257 --> 00:03:48,161 IN 2004 ASTRONOMERS DETECTED A DUST RING AROUND FOMALHAUT. 73 00:03:48,261 --> 00:03:50,463 JAMES: WE CALL IT PROTO-PLANETARY DEBRIS. 74 00:03:50,563 --> 00:03:53,533 DEAN: OR JUST A BIG RING OF STUFF, AND EVERYONE 75 00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:55,301 GOT EXCITED. 76 00:03:55,401 --> 00:03:58,671 THIS WAS THE KIND OF STUFF THAT MIGHT HARBOR A PLANET OR EVEN A WHOLE SOLAR SYSTEM. 77 00:03:58,771 --> 00:04:02,108 JAMES: AND THEN IN 2008, ASTRONOMERS CAUGHT THE FIRST 78 00:04:02,208 --> 00:04:06,980 VISIBLE-LIGHT IMAGE OF A PLANET ORBITING AROUND ANOTHER STAR - ORBITING AROUND FOMALHAUT. 79 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,183 YOU HAVE TO REALLY SQUINT, BUT THERE IT IS. 80 00:04:10,283 --> 00:04:13,019 JAMES: SO CHECK OUT FOMALHAUT TONIGHT, THE LONE STAR 81 00:04:13,119 --> 00:04:14,020 IN THE SOUTH. 82 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:15,555 DEAN: THATS NOT SO LONELY AFTER ALL. 83 00:04:15,655 --> 00:04:17,857 JAMES: FIND RAPIDLY ROTATING ALTAIR IN THE WESTERN 84 00:04:17,957 --> 00:04:19,926 SKY ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SUMMER TRIANGLE. 85 00:04:20,026 --> 00:04:22,595 DEAN: AND DONT FORGET TO TRAIN YOUR TELESCOPES ON 86 00:04:22,695 --> 00:04:25,131 ALBIREO TO DISCOVER ITS SECOND SUN. 87 00:04:25,231 --> 00:04:29,802 WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STARS ABOVE WHO KNOWS WHAT OTHER HIDDEN SECRETS YOULL DISCOVER WHEN 88 00:04:29,902 --> 00:04:30,803 YOU 89 00:04:30,903 --> 00:04:34,903 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!