JAMES:
HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.

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

DEAN:
AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI

OBSERVATORY.

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

THE ANCIENT STAR GAZERS HAD A LOT OF IMAGINATION.

JAMES:
WHEN THEY LOOKED AT THE STARS, THEY CONNECTED

THE DOTS AND PICTURED PEOPLE, ANIMALS, RIVERS,
AND EVEN ENTIRE SCENES.

DEAN:
AND IN THE FALL EVENING SKY, IF YOU HAVE AN

ANCIENT IMAGINATION YOU CAN SEE A KING AND
A QUEEN

JAMES:
A PRINCE AND A PRINCESS

DEAN:
TWO MONSTERS AND

JAMES:
A FLYING HORSE.

DEAN:
IT'S GONNA GET CROWDED UP THERE BUT WE CAN

WALK YOU THROUGH IT.

JAMES:
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET UP FOR 9 PM FACING

NORTHEAST.

ABOUT HALFWAY-UP IN THE SKY YOU' LL FIND THE
FIVE, FAMILIAR STARS THAT LOOK LIKE A

LETTER W.

DEAN:
THIS IS THE BEAUTIFUL QUEEN CASSIOPEIA.

NOW STRETCH YOUR IMAGINATIONS A LITTLE AND
SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE OUT A QUEEN OF ETHIOPIA

SITTING ON HER THRONE.

JAMES:
SORRY, I GUESS I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH IMAGINATION.

BUT ONCE YOU FIND HER, SHE IS THE CENTRAL
CHARACTER OF

OUR STORY.

DEAN:
LEGEND HAS IT THAT CASSIOPEIA BRAGGED ABOUT

HER BEAUTY WAY TOO MUCH.

IN FACT ONE DAY SHE SAID
(NOW GET THIS),

SHE SAID, I'M MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ALL THE
MERMAIDS IN THE OCEAN.

JAMES:
YIKES!

THAT GOT POSEIDON, THE GOD OF THE SEA, SUPER-MAD.

HE CONFRONTED CASSIOPEIA'S HUSBAND, KING CEPHEUS,
WHOSE FIVE FAINTER

STARS ARE UP AND TO
THE LEFT OF HIS WIFE.

THE STARS LOOK LIKE AN UPSIDE-DOWN HOUSE.

DEAN:
FOR INSULTING THE GODS, CASSIOPEIA HAD TO

GIVE UP HER ONE AND ONLY DAUGHTER,
THE PRINCESS ANDROMEDA, AS A SACRIFICE.

BASICALLY, THEY HAD TO CHAIN ANDROMEDA TO
A BIG ROCK IN THE OCEAN,

AND LET POSEIDON'S PET SEA MONSTER EAT HER.

JAMES:
YOU CAN FIND ANDROMEDA TO THE RIGHT OF CASSIOPEIA.

HER STARS LOOK MORE LIKE A SKINNY LETTER A.

DEAN:
A FOR ANDROMEDA.

JAMES:
EXACTLY.

JAMES:
ANDROMEDA ALSO HOUSES THE CLOSEST SPIRAL GALAXY

TO OUR MILKY WAY.

IT'S CALLED THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY BECAUSE YOU
CAN FIND IT NEAR HER RIGHT

HIP-STAR.

OF COURSE IF YOU LIVE
IN A LIGHT POLLUTED AREA, YOU WON'T BE ABLE

TO SEE THIS GALAXY.

HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE OUT IN THE COUNTRY YOU
MIGHT SEE IT LOOKING LIKE A LITTLE CLOUD,

BARELY VISIBLE TO
THE NAKED EYE.

DEAN:
WITH BINOCULARS YOU CAN RESOLVE A LOT MORE

OF ITS CLOUDY NATURE, AND WITH A TELESCOPE
YOU CAN SEE IT AS A LONG, FUZZY BLUR.

THIS IS A GALAXY, WITH ONE TRILLION STARS,
THAT YOU CAN'T SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE.

SPACE IS SCARY-BIG!

JAMES:
NOW BEFORE THE

SEA MONSTER MAKES HIS APPEARANCE WE MUST INTRODUCE
OUR HERO, PERSEUS.

AS THE STORY GOES, PERSEUS, THAT VERY MORNING,
SLEW THE WICKED GORGON MEDUSA.

DEAN:
SHE'S THE ONE WITH SNAKES FOR HAIR AND TURNS

YOU TO STONE WITH JUST ONE LOOK.

JAMES:
LOOKING AT HER REFLECTION IN HIS SHIELD, PERSEUS

CHOPPED OFF HER HEAD, THEN PUT THE HEAD IN
A BAG FOR SAFE KEEPING.

DEAN:
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, AS HE WAS FLYING THROUGH

THE AIR
(ON HIS WINGED SANDALS), WITH THE INFAMOUS

BAG AT HIS SIDE, PERSEUS HAPPENED TO SPY A
YOUNG MAIDEN IN DISTRESS.

JAMES:
OUR PRINCESS, ANDROMEDA!

NOW WE'RE FACING EAST AT 10PM AND PERSEUS
APPEARS ON THE SCENE.

YOU CAN FIND HIM AS A SQUIGGLE OF
STARS BELOW ANDROMEDA'S FEET.

DEAN:
THE SEA MONSTER,

A CONSTELLATION NAMED CETUS, IS JUST RISING
IN THE EAST-SOUTHEAST.

I THINK HIS STARS LOOK LIKE A RECLINER CHAIR.

JAMES:
THAT DOESN'T SEEM

SO SCARY.

DEAN:
ANYWAY, PERSEUS YELLS TO ANDROMEDA, CLOSE

YOUR EYES!

THEN HE CLOSES HIS EYES, REACHES INTO THE
BAG AND PULLS OUT MEDUSA'S SEVERED HEAD, SHOWS

IT TO THE SEA MONSTER WHO TAKES ONE LOOK
AT IT AND, POOF TURNS

TO STONE.

JAMES:
PERSEUS SAVES THE DAY!

JAMES:
WOW, WHAT A STARRY STORY.

A KING, A QUEEN,
A PRINCE AND PRINCESS, TWO MONSTERS AND OOPS,

WE FORGOT THE FLYING HORSE.

DEAN:
OH YEAH!

PEGASUS WAS, SUPPOSEDLY, BORN FROM THIS EPIC
BATTLE.

AS PERSEUS HELD OUT MEDUSA'S HEAD -
THIS IS GROSS NOW - SOME OF

HER BLOOD FELL INTO
THE WATER, AND TURNED MAGICALLY INTO PEGASUS

THE FLYING HORSE.

JAMES:
OH COME ON!

THAT IS
TOO WEIRD!

DEAN:
AGREED.

BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF IMAGINATION WE'RE DEALING
WITH WHEN WE LEARN ABOUT THE CONSTELLATIONS

AND WHEN YOU...

BOTH:
KEEP LOOKING UP!