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 (WHO'S FLYING UPSIDE-DOWN
BY THE WAY).
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.
IMAGINE 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!