DEAN: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.

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

JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE
KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE,

FLORIDA.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY.

THIS WEEK WE'RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE STAR
HOPPING AND DISCOVER NEW STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS.

OUR JUMPING-OFF POINT WILL BE THE BIG DIPPER.

DEAN: THE BIG DIPPER - THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE
STAR PATTERN IN ALL THE NORTHERN SKY - VISIBLE

ALMOST ALL YEAR-ROUND - THIS WILL BE OUR GUIDE
TO THE HEAVENS.

FIRST IT'LL POINT US TO THE NORTH STAR

JAMES: THEN SHOW US THE WAY TO THE BRIGHT
ORANGE STAR ARCTURUS

DEAN: THEN LEAD US TO THE BRILLIANT BLUE STAR
SPICA.

JAMES: AND WE'LL EVEN MEET A PLANET ALONG
THE WAY.

DEAN: ALL RIGHT, LET'S HEAD OUT TO THE SKY!

JAMES: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET FOR 10PM FACING
NORTHEAST WHERE WE SEE THE BIG DIPPER HIGH

ABOVE THE NORTH STAR.

IF ITS CUP WAS FULL OF WATER IT'D BE POURING
RIGHT INTO THE LITTLE DIPPER AND OVERFLOWING

ONTO ME!

DEAN: COOL UMBRELLA!

NOW IF WE SHOOT AN ARROW THROUGH THE TWO STARS
ON THE END OF THE BIG DIPPER'S CUP, AND CONTINUE

THAT LINE, IT'LL RUN SMACK DAB INTO THE NORTH
STAR.

JAMES: NOW LET'S USE THE BIG DIPPER'S HANDLE
TO FIND TWO MORE WONDERFUL STARS.

SIMPLY DRAW AN IMAGINARY LINE THROUGH THE
HANDLE OF THE BIG DIPPER AND EXTEND IT OUT

ALONG THE CURVE, OR ARC, AND YOU'LL ARC YOUR
WAY TO THE BRIGHT STAR, ARCTURUS.

DEAN: SO IN OTHER WORDS, REPEAT AFTER ME,
FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS.

JAMES: FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS.

HEY THAT'S PRETTY CATCHY.

DEAN: I KNOW RIGHT?

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING I MADE UP.

ARCTURUS IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION
BOOTES THE HERDSMAN.

JAMES: HIS OUTLINE LOOKS MORE LIKE A NARROW
KITE

DEAN: OR AN ICE CREAM CONE ON ITS SIDE.

JAMES: LOOKOUT DEAN!

THAT SCOOP IS LOOSE!

DEAN: AAAAAAAAH!

JAMES: AFTER YOU ARC TO ARCTURUS, KEEP GOING.

STRAIGHTEN OUT THE ARC A BIT AND YOU WILL
RUN INTO A BRILLIANT BLUE STAR CALLED SPICA.

SPICA IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION
VIRGO THE MAIDEN.

SHE'S STANDING UPRIGHT AND COVERS MOST OF
THE EASTERN SKY.

DO YOU HAVE A CATCHY SAYING TO FIND SPICA?

DEAN: OF COURSE.

FIRST FOLLOW THE ARC TO ARCTURUS.

JAMES: UH HUH.

DEAN: THEN HIT A SPIKE TO SPICA!

JAMES: WOW, THAT'S A LOT LESS CATCHY

DEAN: YEAH I KNOW, BUT MAYBE IT'S SO BAD THAT
YOU'LL REMEMBER IT.

DEAN: LET'S COMPARE ARCTURUS AND SPICA TO
OUR STAR - THE SUN.

ARCTURUS IS RELATIVELY CLOSE TO US - ONLY
37 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.

SPICA IS ABOUT 7 TIMES FARTHER - AT AROUND
261 LIGHT YEARS.

THE SUN, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS ONLY 8 LIGHT
MINUTES AWAY.

JAMES: NOW LET'S SIZE THESE THREE STARS UP.

THE SUN IS ABOUT 865,000 MILES IN DIAMETER.

THAT'S LARGE ENOUGH FOR 109 EARTHS TO STRETCH
END TO END ACROSS ITS WIDTH.

DEAN: BUT THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO SPICA
WHICH IS OVER 7 TIMES WIDER THAN OUR SUN,

AND ARCTURUS WHICH IS OVER 25 TIMES WIDER.

JAMES: THIS ARC-TO-ARCTURUS AND SPIKE-TO-SPICA
TRICK WORKS EVERY SPRING, BUT THIS YEAR WE

HAVE SOMETHING EXTRA.

THERES ALSO A REALLY, REALLY BRIGHT LIGHT
IN THE MIX THAT SHOULD DISTRACT YOU.

DEAN: IT'S WAY BRIGHTER THAN SPICA AND IS
ACTUALLY A PLANET!

BUT WHICH ONE IS IT?

LET'S FLY UP THERE TO GET A CLOSER LOOK.

JAMES: WOW!

THAT IS ONE BRIGHT STAR - I MEAN PLANET.

IT SHOULD SHINE WITH A STEADY, CREAM-COLORED
GLOW JUST ABOVE BLUE SPICA.

DEAN: WHEN WE ZOOM IN ON OUR MYSTERY PLANET
WE'LL SEE THAT IT IS JUPITER, LARGEST PLANET

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

JAMES: THROUGH A BACKYARD TELESCOPE WE CAN
SEE ITS FOUR MOONS, STRIPES ON THE PLANET,

AND ON RARE OCCASIONS, THE GREAT RED SPOT.

DEAN: ASTRONOMERS HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE GREAT
RED SPOT AND HAVE SEEN SOME CHANGES RECENTLY.

IT USED TO BE A GIANT OVAL-SHAPED STORM THE
SIZE OF THREE EARTHS.

BUT NOW

OH NO!

ITS SHRINKING!

JAMES: DEAN REGAS EVERYBODY.

ACTING A LINE FROM THE MOVIE 2010.

ANYWAY, IT'S SHRINKING FAST!

IF THIS KEEPS UP, THE GREAT RED SPOT COULD
FADE AWAY.

SO BE SURE TO GO SEE IT THIS YEAR - JUST IN
CASE.

JAMES: SO THIS SPRING GET OUTSIDE AND LET
THE BIG DIPPER BE YOUR GUIDE.

DEAN: THE TWO STARS ON THE END OF THE SPOON
WILL TAKE YOU TO THE NORTH STAR.

JAMES: AND THE CURVED STARS ON THE HANDLE
WILL LET YOU ARC TO ARCTURUS

DEAN: HIT A SPIKE TO SPICA!

JAMES: AND THEN JET UP TO JUPITER!

DEAN: NICE!

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!