THE ORION FAMILY REUNION

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 PLANETAR-IUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

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

DEAN:
THIS WEEK WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON A GROUP

OF WINTER CON-STELLATIONS SURROUNDING ORION
THE MIGHTY HUNTER.

JAMES:
OFTEN CALLED THE ORION FAMILY, THESE CONSTELLATIONS

HAVE SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS IN THE ENTIRE
SKY.

DEAN:
NOW, THE ANCIENTS WATCHED THE SKY THE SAME

WAY WE WATCH TV.

GET THIS, WHEN THEY TUNED INTO THE WINTER
STARS, THEY SAW A GI-ANT HUNTER WITH THREE

STARS FOR A BELT, BEING TRAMPLED BY A BULL,
WITH SEVEN WOMEN ON ITS BACK, WHILE TWO HUNTING

DOGS WERE CHAS-ING AFTER A UNICORN AND A BUNNY
RABBIT DOWN BY

THE RIVER.

JAMES:
YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, HOW CAN ANYONE SEE

THAT MUCH INTO THE STARS.

DON'T WORRY, WE'LL WALK YOU THROUGH IT AND
INTRODUCE YOU

TO THE ENTIRE
ORION FAMILY.

JAMES:
OKAY, WE'VE GOT OUR SKIES SET FOR 8PM FACING

SOUTH.

THE CON-STELLATION ORION TAKES CENTER STAGE
AND HE'LL PLAY THE CENTRAL ROLE IN OUR WINTER

SKY SAGA.

DEAN:
THERE ARE A LOT OF BRIGHT STARS IN THIS AREA

OF THE SKY, AND WE HAVE AN ANCIENT STORY THAT
TIES THEM ALL TOGETHER.

ORION'S BRIGHT-EST STARS ARE BLUE RIGEL ON
HIS LEFT FOOT, AND

RUBY-RED BETELGEUSE MARKING HIS, UH, ARMPIT.

JAMES:
EW, STINKY!

BUT OF COURSE, ORION IS MOST FAMOUS FOR HIS
TRADEMARK BELT - THREE STARS ALL LINED UP.

NOT ONLY ARE THE BELT STARS YOUR CUE THAT
YOU'VE FOUND ORION, THEY'LL ALSO POINT YOU

TO SEVERAL OTHER CONSTELLATIONS.

DEAN:
CONNECT A LINE THROUGH THE BELT-STARS, AND

KEEP GOING UP AND TO THE RIGHT.

YOU'LL PASS JUST UNDER A BRIGHT ORANGE STAR
CALLED ALDEBARAN.

LOOK OUT, BECAUSE THIS IS THE MENACING EYE
OF TAURUS THE BULL.

TAURUS HAS A SMALL V SHAPE OF FIVE STARS FOR
A FACE AND TWO LONG HORNS.

NOW IF YOU CONTINUE PAST THE V OF TAURUS YOU'LL
RUN SMACK DAB INTO THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST

OPEN STAR CLUSTER IN THE
NIGHT SKY.

THESE ARE THE PLEIADES OR SEVEN SISTERS.

THE PLEIA-DES LOOK LIKE A LITTLE CLOUD TO
THE NAKED EYE BUT UPON SECOND GLANCE YOU MIGHT

BE ABLE TO MAKE OUT 5 OR 6 OF THE INDIVIDUAL
STARS.

IN A GOOD PAIR OF BINOCULARS, THEY ARE JUST
AWESOME!

JAMES:
FORMED FROM THE SAME NEBULA, THE SEVEN SISTERS

ARE YOUNG HOT STARS BURNING THE CANDLE AT
BOTH ENDS.

THESE STARS MAY ONLY LIVE MILLIONS OF YEARS
AS OPPOSED TO OUR SUN WHICH HAS A LIFESPAN

OF ABOUT 10 BILLION YEARS.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE THAN SEVEN OF THEM!

THE CLUSTER INCLUDES HUNDREDS OF STARS, WITH
ONLY THE SEVEN BRIGHTEST VISIBLE TO THE NAKED

EYE.

DEAN:
IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, ORION FELL IN LOVE WITH

THE SISTERS - ALL SEVEN OF THEM.

THE SISTERS, WELL THEY DIDN'T CARE FOR HIM
AT ALL.

UP IN THE SKY THE SISTERS ARE SITTING PRETTY
ON THE BULL'S BACK WHILE ORION MUST FEND OFF

THEIR SWORN PROTECTOR.

JAMES:
THE GODS LET ORION BRING HIS FAVORITE TWO

HUNTING DOGS UP TO THE SKY WITH HIM.

THIS TIME LET THE BELT STARS POINT YOU DOWN
AND TO THE LEFT.

WHEN YOU KEEP GOING, YOU'LL RUN INTO THE BRIGHTEST
STAR IN THE SKY, SIRIUS.

ALSO KNOWN AS THE DOG STAR, SIRIUS MARKS THE
NOSE OF CANIS MAJOR, THE BIG DOG.

DEAN:
FROM SIRIUS, MAKE A

90 DEGREE TURN UP AND TO THE LEFT TO FIND
THE LITTLE DOG STAR, PROCYON IN CANIS MINOR.

AWW, WHAT A CUTE LITTLE PUPPY.

JAMES:
UNFORTUNATELY THE TWO DOGS ARENT HELPING ORION

WITH THE BULL.

THEY'RE TOO BUSY CHASING AFTER A UNICORN

(THE CONSTELLATION MONOCEROS)
AND A BUNNY RABBIT

(THE CONSTELLATION LEPUS) BY THE BANKS OF
THE COSMIC RIVER

(THE CONSTELLATION ERIDANUS).

DEAN:
AND IN MARCH, YOU MIGHT NOTICE ANOTHER VISITOR

PASSING THROUGH THE ORION FAMILY.

DAY BY DAY, THE MOON WILL MOVE THROUGH TAURUS
AND OVER ORION'S HEAD ON THE 12TH, 13TH, AND

14TH.

SO, TONIGHT AFTER SUNSET, GO TO THE HEAVENLY
MOVIES AND SEE A GIANT HUNTER

BEING TRAMPLED BY A BULL

WITH SEVEN WOMEN ON ITS BACK

WHILE TWO HUNTING DOGS

CHASE AFTER A UNICORN

AND A BUNNY RABBIT

DOWN BY THE RIVER.

JAMES:
WHEW!

THIS IS THE ORION FAMILY OF CONSTELLATIONS
AND THEY GET TOGETHER LIKE THIS EVERY WINTER.

YOU CAN SEE THEM JUST AS YOUR ANCESTORS HAVE
DONE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

WITNESS THEIR LATEST REUNION THIS MONTH
AS YOU

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!