DEAN:
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS.

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

JAMES:
AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA

SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA.

WITH LAST YEARS TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE,
2017 WAS AN AMAZING YEAR FOR STAR GAZING,

BUT 2018 HAS SOME REALLY COOL EVENTS TOO!

DEAN:
THATS RIGHT, JAMES!

STAR GAZERS HAVE PLENTY TO LOOK FORWARD TO
IN 2018.

WE HAVE METEOR SHOWERS, CONJUNCTIONS, TWO
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSES AND A SUPERMOON!

JAMES:
SO LET S GET STARTED OUTLINING THE CELESTIAL

EVENTS TO LOOK FOR IN 2018!

JAMES:
ALRIGHT, LETS START OFF WITH MOON STUFF.

JANUARY 2018 IS A GREAT MONTH FOR THE MOON.

FIRST OFF, WELL HAVE NOT ONE, BUT TWO FULL
MOONS, THE FIRST IS ON JANUARY 1ST AND THE

SECOND HAPPENS 30 DAYS LATER ON JANUARY 31ST.

WHEN YOU HAVE TWO FULL MOONS IN THE SAME CALENDAR
MONTH, ITS KNOWN AS A BLUE MOON.

DEAN:
BLUE MOONS ARE NOT REALLY BLUE,

BUT THE JANUARY 31ST BLUE MOON WILL ACTUALLY
TURN RED.

YES, THIS BLUE MOON IS ALSO GOING TO BE A
BLOOD MOON.

IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WILL ALSO BE A TOTAL
LUNAR ECLIPSE ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 31ST.

THE MOON WILL PASS THROUGH THE DARKER PART
OF EARTHS SHADOW, AND THE REFRACTED SUNLIGHT

PASSING THROUGH EARTHS ATMOSPHERE WILL MAKE
THE MOON APPEAR RED FOR OVER AN HOUR.

JAMES:
UNFORTUNATELY, FOR THOSE OF US ON THE EAST

COAST OF THE UNITED STATES, WE WILL ONLY GET
TO SEE THE BEGINNING OF THIS LUNAR ECLIPSE.

THE GOOD THING IS, THE FURTHER WEST YOU LIVE,
THE MORE OF THE ECLIPSE YOULL GET TO SEE.

OH, AND WAIT THERES MORE.

THE MOON IS ALSO NEAR PERIGEE DURING THIS
ECLIPSE, SO WELL HAVE A

BOTH:
SUPERMOON!!!

JAMES:
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

WELL HAVE A SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON!

DEAN:
THATS PURE LUNACY!

DEAN:
MOVING ON TO METEOR SHOWERS, WE HAVE FOUR

METEOR SHOWERS THIS YEAR THAT PROMISE TO BE
WORTH YOUR WHILE, BECAUSE THE MOON WONT INTERFERE

WITH THEM.

JAMES:
THATS RIGHT, DEAN!

THE MOON WILL BE IN THE WAXING PHASES FOR
ALL FOUR METEOR SHOWERS.

IN THE SPRING, WE HAVE THE LYRIDS, WHICH PEAKS
ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 23RD.

DEAN:
THEN IN THE SUMMER, WE HAVE THE PERSEID METEOR

SHOWER ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 13TH.

JAMES:
IN LATE AUTUMN, WE HAVE THE LEONIDS WHICH

PEAK ON THE MORNING OF NOVEMBER 18TH

DEAN:
AND ON DECEMBER 14TH, WE HAVE THE GEMINIDS,

WHICH SHOULD BE AN EXCELLENT DISPLAY THIS
YEAR, BECAUSE THE FIRST QUARTER MOON SETS

NEAR MIDNIGHT, LEAVING THE MORNING HOURS NICE
AND DARK SO WE CAN SEE THE FAINTER METEORS.

JAMES:
NOW ON TO THE PLANETS.

MARS, JUPITER AND SATURN WILL ALL ACHIEVE
OPPOSITION NEAR THE MIDDLE OF 2018.

JUPITER IS AT ITS CLOSEST TO US ON MAY 9TH,
SATURN ON JUNE 27TH AND MARS ON JULY 27TH.

DEAN:
AND SPEAKING OF JULY 27TH, THE FULL MOON WILL

BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PLANET MARS ON
THAT DAY.

JAMES:
DID YOU SAY, CONJUNCTION?

DEAN:
OH NO, NOT AGAIN.

JAMES:
CUE THE MUSIC!

DEAN:
YES, THE MOON APPEARS VERY CLOSE TO MARS THAT

NIGHT AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE TRAVELING TO
WESTERN AFRICA, WESTERN EUROPE OR EASTERN

ASIA, YOU GET TO EXPERIENCE THE SECOND TOTAL
LUNAR ECLIPSE OF 2018.

JAMES:
THATS RIGHT, DEAN!

WE HAVE A CONJUNCTION, A PLANETARY OPPOSITION
AND AN ECLIPSE

ALL IN THE SAME NIGHT!

I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT!

DEAN:
YOU CAN IF YOU TRY.

JAMES:
SPEAKING OF CONJUNCTIONS, LETS CONCLUDE THIS

EPISODE BY LISTING SOME OF THE MORE NOTABLE
PLANET-PLANET SCOOTCHIES TO LOOK FOR IN 2018.

AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, ON JANUARY 7TH, MARS
AND JUPITER WILL BE IN CONJUNCTION, AND LESS

THAN HALF A FULL MOON WIDTH APART IN THE EARLY
MORNING SKY.

DEAN:
MERCURY AND VENUS WILL BE IN CONJUNCTION IN

THE EVENING SKY ON MARCH 5TH.

JAMES:
MARS AND SATURN WILL BE IN CONJUNCTION IN

THE MORNING SKY ON APRIL 2ND.

DEAN:
MERCURY AND VENUS WILL BE IN CONJUNCTION AGAIN

LATER THIS YEAR ON OCTOBER 14.

JAMES:
AND JUPITER AND MERCURY HAVE TWO CONJUNCTIONS

AS WELL THIS YEAR.

THE FIRST IS THE DAY BEFORE HALLOWEEN ON OCTOBER
30TH AND THE SECOND IS ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE

ON DECEMBER 21ST.

DEAN:
AND SPEAKING OF CONJUNCTIONS ON DECEMBER 21ST,

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER 21ST, 2020,
BECAUSE SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET, JUPITER AND

SATURN WILL HAVE A SUPER CLOSE CONJUNCTION
AND THEYLL BE LESS THAN A 10TH OF A DEGREE

APART AT THEIR CLOSEST.

JAMES:
MAN, THATS GOING TO BE AMAZING!

ILL BE DANCING ALL MONTH.

DEAN:
SO HAPPY 2018 AND HAPPY STAR GAZING.

ITS ALL THERE WAITING FOR YOU AS YOU

BOTH:
KEEP LOOKING UP!