1 00:00:02,302 --> 00:00:24,691 JAMES: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS. 2 00:00:24,791 --> 00:00:28,194 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. 3 00:00:28,294 --> 00:00:31,831 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 4 00:00:31,931 --> 00:00:34,768 WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 5 00:00:34,868 --> 00:00:38,605 THE PLANETS OF LOVE AND WAR ARE UP IN THE EVENING SKY TONIGHT. 6 00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:40,407 IM TALKING VENUS AND MARS. 7 00:00:40,507 --> 00:00:44,644 JAMES: THESE ARE THE TWO PLANETS THAT CAN COME CLOSEST TO THE EARTH, AND THEY HAVE A 8 00:00:44,744 --> 00:00:46,379 LOT IN COMMON. 9 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,016 DEAN: THEY'RE BOTH ROUND, ROCKY OBJECTS THAT CIRCLE RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE SUN. 10 00:00:50,116 --> 00:00:53,853 JAMES: RELATIVELY - AT LEAST COMPARED TO THE OUTER PLANETS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, AND 11 00:00:53,953 --> 00:00:55,488 NEPTUNE. 12 00:00:55,588 --> 00:00:58,858 BUT WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSER AT THEM, THEY PRESENT SOME STARTLING DIFFERENCES. 13 00:00:58,958 --> 00:01:05,065 DEAN: FOR INSTANCE, MARS MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE TO PERSONALLY VISIT SOMEDAY, WHILE VENUS WELL YOUD 14 00:01:05,165 --> 00:01:07,000 DIE PRETTY MUCH INSTANTLY ON THE SURFACE. 15 00:01:07,100 --> 00:01:11,971 JAMES: AND WE HAVE SOMETHING REALLY COOL BECAUSE THIS WEEK, VENUS WILL APPEAR CLOSE TO MARS 16 00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:14,474 IN THE SKY, SO LET'S GO CHECK THEM OUT! 17 00:01:14,574 --> 00:01:21,014 DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO FEBRUARY 6 AT 7:30PM FACING SOUTHWEST. 18 00:01:21,114 --> 00:01:25,585 YOU CAN SEE THE TWO PLANETS, VENUS AND MARS ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY UP IN THE SKY. 19 00:01:25,685 --> 00:01:26,820 BUT WHICH IS WHICH? 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:28,121 JAMES: ITS EASY! 21 00:01:28,221 --> 00:01:31,658 VENUS IS THE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BRIGHT ONE. 22 00:01:31,758 --> 00:01:33,193 IT'S SUSPICIOUSLY BRIGHT. 23 00:01:33,293 --> 00:01:34,994 IT LOOKS LIKE A PLANE OR U.F.O. 24 00:01:35,095 --> 00:01:36,930 COMING IN FOR A LANDING. 25 00:01:37,030 --> 00:01:41,134 VENUS IS ABOUT 46 MILLION MILES FROM EARTH THIS WEEK AND GETTING CLOSER EACH NIGHT. 26 00:01:41,234 --> 00:01:46,439 DEAN: MARS IS THE FAINTER, AND PERHAPS REDDER-LOOKING ONE UP AND TO THE LEFT OF VENUS. 27 00:01:46,539 --> 00:01:51,244 IT WAS A LOT BRIGHTER BACK IN 2016 WHEN IT WAS CLOSER TO THE EARTH. 28 00:01:51,344 --> 00:01:56,349 THIS WEEK IT WILL BE OVER 175 MILLION MILES AWAY AND GETTING FARTHER. 29 00:01:56,449 --> 00:02:01,254 JAMES: RIGHT NOW VENUS AND MARS LOOK TO BE ABOUT 5 DEGREES APART IN THE SKY. 30 00:02:01,354 --> 00:02:06,793 BUT, LETS GO BACK IN TIME - BACK TO TWO MONTHS AGO - TO SEE HOW THESE TWO PLANETS LOOKED 31 00:02:06,893 --> 00:02:08,061 IN DECEMBER. 32 00:02:08,161 --> 00:02:13,299 JAMES: ITS NOW DECEMBER 6 AT 7:30PM FACING SOUTHWEST. 33 00:02:13,399 --> 00:02:17,237 VENUS AND MARS ARE STILL IN THE SKY BUT THEY'RE IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS. 34 00:02:17,337 --> 00:02:19,672 LOOK, THEY'RE MUCH MORE SEPARATED. 35 00:02:19,772 --> 00:02:21,808 IN FACT THEY'RE ALMOST 21 DEGREES APART. 36 00:02:21,908 --> 00:02:26,212 DEAN: THIS IS WHAT MADE THE PLANETS SO FASCINATING TO THE ANCIENT STAR GAZERS. 37 00:02:26,312 --> 00:02:29,749 THEY SEEMED TO WANDER ACROSS THE BACKGROUND STARS. 38 00:02:29,849 --> 00:02:32,352 LET'S MOVE TIME FORWARD AND SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. 39 00:02:32,452 --> 00:02:36,789 JAMES: HERE IS DECEMBER 15TH DECEMBER 24TH JANUARY 2ND 40 00:02:36,890 --> 00:02:38,691 DEAN: HEY LOOK! 41 00:02:38,791 --> 00:02:42,061 THERE'S THE WAXING CRESCENT MOON WANDERING THROUGH OUR PLANET PAIR. 42 00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:48,935 JAMES: HERE'S JANUARY 11TH JANUARY 20TH JANUARY 29TH AND BACK TO FEBRUARY 6TH AGAIN. 43 00:02:49,035 --> 00:02:50,770 DEAN: WOW! 44 00:02:50,870 --> 00:02:55,175 THOSE PLANETS ARE MOVING! AND AS THE DAYS CONTINUE, VENUS WILL TURN TAIL AND HEAD AWAY 45 00:02:55,275 --> 00:02:56,543 FROM MARS. 46 00:02:56,643 --> 00:02:58,578 AND THEY WILL SPREAD OUT ONCE MORE. 47 00:02:58,678 --> 00:03:01,147 JAMES: WERE GOING TO VISIT VENUS FIRST. 48 00:03:01,247 --> 00:03:06,019 AS WE APPROACH, WE CAN SEE THAT THIS PLANET IS ABOUT 7,500 MILES IN DIAMETER - ALMOST 49 00:03:06,119 --> 00:03:07,520 THE SAME SIZE AS EARTH. 50 00:03:07,620 --> 00:03:10,690 IT'S OFTEN CALLED OUR SISTER PLANET FOR THIS VERY REASON. 51 00:03:10,790 --> 00:03:15,061 DEAN: HOWEVER, THAT IS WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END BECAUSE UNDER A THICK BLANKET OF CARBON 52 00:03:15,161 --> 00:03:19,098 DIOXIDE CLOUDS LIES A BATTERED, SWELTERING SURFACE. 53 00:03:19,199 --> 00:03:24,103 ROBOTIC CRAFTS RECORDED SURFACE TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 900 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. 54 00:03:24,204 --> 00:03:28,975 ALSO THE AIR PRESSURE, UNDER ALL THESE CLOUDS, WOULD BE SO INTENSE THAT THEY'D SQUISH YOU 55 00:03:29,075 --> 00:03:29,976 FLAT. 56 00:03:30,076 --> 00:03:31,377 JAMES: I DON'T FEEL SO GOOD 57 00:03:31,477 --> 00:03:33,513 DEAN: AND FINALLY WHEN IT RAINS ON VENUS 58 00:03:33,613 --> 00:03:34,514 JAMES: OH NO 59 00:03:34,614 --> 00:03:36,449 DEAN: IT RAINS SULFURIC ACID. 60 00:03:36,549 --> 00:03:41,721 SO THAT WOULD LEAVE ANY VISITOR TO VENUS, LIKE JAMES OVER THERE, A MELTED, SQUISHED, 61 00:03:41,821 --> 00:03:43,089 ACIDY PILE OF GOOP. 62 00:03:43,189 --> 00:03:45,558 JAMES: OKAY, I THINK WE'VE SHOWED THEM ENOUGH FROM VENUS. 63 00:03:45,658 --> 00:03:47,260 WHAT DO YOU SAY WE GO TO MARS? 64 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:48,761 DEAN: GREAT IDEA! 65 00:03:48,861 --> 00:03:53,132 JAMES: MARS IS A MUCH SMALLER PLANET - ONLY ABOUT 4,200 MILES WIDE. 66 00:03:53,233 --> 00:03:55,702 IT'S MUCH FARTHER FROM THE SUN SO IT'S A LOT COLDER. 67 00:03:55,802 --> 00:03:59,973 DEAN: ALTHOUGH OUR ROBOTIC VISITORS TO MARS HAVE OCCASIONALLY RECORDED SURFACE TEMPERATURES 68 00:04:00,073 --> 00:04:03,776 IN THE 70S, MOST OF THE TIME, IT'S WELL BELOW ZERO. 69 00:04:03,876 --> 00:04:07,280 AND AT NIGHT, OH MAN WATCH OUT, IT CAN DROP TO MINUS SEVENTY. 70 00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:11,985 JAMES: STILL, OUT OF THE TWO PLANETS, MARS IS THE BETTER PLACE FOR HUMANS TO GO VISIT. 71 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:15,221 AND SOMEDAY WE MAY EVEN ESTABLISH A COLONY ON MARS. 72 00:04:15,321 --> 00:04:21,628 DEAN: SO THIS WEEK LOOK FOR BRILLIANT VENUS NEAR RUBY-RED MARS IN THE EVENING SKY. 73 00:04:21,728 --> 00:04:25,498 THEY WON'T APPEAR ANY CLOSER THAN THIS UNTIL SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. 74 00:04:25,598 --> 00:04:29,469 JAMES: WHEN YOU LOOK UP AND SEE THEM, YOU CAN IMAGINE FLYING THERE AND STANDING ON THE 75 00:04:29,569 --> 00:04:31,070 BROILING SURFACE OF VENUS 76 00:04:31,170 --> 00:04:35,708 DEAN: OR BEING THE FIRST PERSON ON MARS AND COLONIZING AN ENTIRE PLANET. 77 00:04:35,808 --> 00:04:36,843 IT'S ALL THERE WHEN YOU 78 00:04:36,943 --> 00:04:40,943 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!