JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS.

I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA
PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM
THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.

JAMES: BACK IN MAY, WE TOLD YOU ABOUT SOME
TRIANGLES YOU COULD SEE IN THE SKY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

WELL, THANKS TO OUR POSITIONING IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE PLANETS,

WE GET TO SEE ANOTHER TRIANGLE FORMED BY THE
PLANETS, AND A LOT EARLIER IN THE NIGHT!

DEAN: THAT'S RIGHT, JAMES!

THE OTHER TRIANGLE YOU SEE EVERY YEAR, HIGH
OVER HEAD ON LABOR DAY.

WONDERING WHAT WERE TALKING ABOUT?

LETS SHOW YOU!

DEAN: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET UP FOR ABOUT
AN HOUR AFTER SUNSET, ON LABOR DAY, SEPTEMBER

5TH, FACING WEST.

THE FIRST THING YOU'LL SEE IS THE WAXING CRESCENT
MOON AMONG THE STARS OF VIRGO THE MAIDEN.

THE BRIGHTEST STAR, SPICA IS VERY CLOSE TO
THE HORIZON, AND WILL GET CAUGHT UP IN THE

SUN'S GLARE SOON.

SO, IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT, CHECK IT OUT ON
LABOR DAY!

JAMES: NEXT, LOOK TOWARD THE SOUTH AND YOU'LL
SEE THE FAMILIAR SHAPE OF SCORPIUS THE SCORPION.

AMONG THESE STARS IS OUR FIRST TRIANGLE OF
THE EVENING.

THE NORTHERN-MOST POINT IN THIS TRIANGLE IS
THE RINGED PLANET, SATURN.

SATURN'S RINGS ARE TIPPED TOWARD US IN SUCH
A WAY THAT IF YOU HAVE A SMALL TELESCOPE,

YOU'LL GET A PICTURE-PERFECT VIEW.

SATURN IS ALSO GETTING A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY
FROM US AND GETTING A LITTLE DIMMER, SO THIS

IS THE BRIGHTEST AND BIGGEST IT WILL BE UNTIL
NEXT YEAR THIS TIME.

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IT OUT THIS WEEK!

DEAN: THE LEFT-MOST STAR IN THE TRIANGLE IS
THE RED PLANET MARS.

MARS IS STILL FAIRLY CLOSE TO US, BUT LIKE
SATURN, ITS ALSO GETTING FARTHER AWAY AND

A LITTLE DIMMER EACH DAY.

MARS WAS NAMED AFTER THE ROMAN GOD OF WAR,
BECAUSE THE RED COLOR OF THIS PLANET REMINDED

MANY ANCIENT PEOPLE OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE.

JAMES: THE FINAL PART OF OUR TRIANGLE IS FORMED
BY THE STAR, ANTARES.

ANTARES MEANS RIVAL OF MARS AND IF YOU LOOK
AT IT CLOSELY, IT HAS THE SAME REDDISH TINT

AS MARS.

HOWEVER, THIS RED CELESTIAL DAZZLER ISN'T
RED FOR THE SAME REASON THAT MARS IS RED.

ANTARES IS A RED SUPERGIANT STAR THAT'S NEARING
THE END OF ITS LIFE.

THIS STAR IS JUST OVER 550 LIGHT YEARS AWAY
FROM US AND IT'S SO LARGE THAT YOU COULD EASILY

FIT THE ORBITS OF MERCURY, VENUS, EARTH AND
MARS INSIDE IT.

DEAN: ALRIGHTY, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR SECOND
TRIANGLE FOR LABOR DAY.

JAMES: OK, WE STILL HAVE OUR SKIES SET TO
AN HOUR AFTER SUNSET (21:00) AND IF YOU LOOK

DIRECTLY OVERHEAD YOU WILL SEE THE 3 BRILLIANT
STARS OF THE SUMMER TRIANGLE.

VEGA IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR OF LYRA THE HARP.

DENEB IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR OF CYGNUS THE
SWAN AND ALTAIR IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR OF AQUILA,

THE EAGLE.

DEAN: THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE TRIANGLE IS
VEGA AND ITS ONLY 25 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH,

AND IS ONE OF THE MOST LUMINOUS STARS IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD.

JAMES: THE SECOND BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SUMMER
TRIANGLE IS ALTAIR AND IT IS ONLY 17 LIGHT

YEARS FROM EARTH.

OF ALL THE STARS NEAR US, ALTAIR SPINS THE
FASTEST.

AT ITS EQUATOR, ALTAIR CAN MAKE ONE COMPLETE
ROTATION IN ONLY 9 HOURS!

COMPARE THAT TO OUR SUN, WHICH TAKES 26 DAYS
TO COMPLETE ONE ROTATION.

DEAN: THE LAST STAR OF THE SUMMER TRIANGLE
IS THE BLUE-WHITE SUPERGIANT DENEB.

DENEB JUST HAPPENS TO BE THE NORTH STAR ON
MARS AND IS ALMOST 60,000 TIMES AS BRIGHT

AS OUR SUN, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IT'S OVER 3,000
LIGHT YEARS AWAY FROM US, IT APPEARS MUCH

FAINTER THAN VEGA AND ALTAIR.

JAMES: SO THERE YOU HAVE IT, TWO BRIGHT TRIANGLES
TO LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHT SKY THIS LABOR DAY.

MARS, SATURN AND ANTARES.

DEAN: AND THE EVER POPULAR AND LOVELY SUMMER
TRIANGLE, VEGA, ALTAIR AND DENEB.

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!