1 00:00:02,335 --> 00:00:27,727 DEAN: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS, I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 2 00:00:27,827 --> 00:00:32,465 JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, 3 00:00:32,565 --> 00:00:33,700 FLORIDA. 4 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,603 WE RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 5 00:00:36,703 --> 00:00:40,807 TWO MONTHS AGO WE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU CAN SEE FIVE PLANETS WITH THE NAKED EYE. 6 00:00:40,907 --> 00:00:41,808 QUICK DEAN! 7 00:00:41,908 --> 00:00:43,410 NAME THE FIVE NAKED EYE PLANETS. 8 00:00:43,510 --> 00:00:46,479 DEAN: UH, MERCURY, VENUS, MARS, JUPITER, AND SATURN. 9 00:00:46,579 --> 00:00:47,480 JAMES: VERY GOOD. 10 00:00:47,580 --> 00:00:48,481 DEAN: THANK YOU. 11 00:00:48,581 --> 00:00:50,083 THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 12 00:00:50,183 --> 00:00:52,585 JAMES: BACK IN AUGUST YOU COULD SEE ALL FIVE OF THEM IN THE EVENING SKY. 13 00:00:52,685 --> 00:00:56,589 DEAN: WELL, THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND THIS MONTH THEYRE SPREAD OUT A BIT. 14 00:00:56,689 --> 00:00:59,192 JAMES: YOU CAN STILL SEE THREE OF THE PLANETS IN THE EVENING SKY. 15 00:00:59,292 --> 00:01:02,228 DEAN: BUT TWO OF THEM HAVE WANDERED INTO THE MORNING SKY. 16 00:01:02,328 --> 00:01:07,067 JAMES: WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THE SKY AT TWO DIFFERENT TIMES - JUST AFTER SUNSET AND 17 00:01:07,167 --> 00:01:08,401 JUST BEFORE SUNRISE. 18 00:01:08,501 --> 00:01:11,471 DEAN: AND TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY AROUND THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 19 00:01:11,571 --> 00:01:15,675 DEAN: OKAY, WERE GOING TO START AT MY TIME OF DAY: EVENING. 20 00:01:15,775 --> 00:01:18,745 WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO OCTOBER 8TH JUST AFTER SUNSET. 21 00:01:18,845 --> 00:01:24,551 IT'LL BE REALLY EASY TO FIND OUR THREE EVENING PLANETS AND EVEN BEFORE IT GETS COMPLETELY 22 00:01:24,651 --> 00:01:26,386 DARK, YOU CAN SEE #1. 23 00:01:26,486 --> 00:01:28,288 JAMES: IT'S NOT A PLANE. 24 00:01:28,388 --> 00:01:29,856 IT'S NOT A UFO. 25 00:01:29,956 --> 00:01:32,759 THE BRIGHTEST STAR-LIKE OBJECT IN THE SKY IS THE PLANET VENUS. 26 00:01:32,859 --> 00:01:38,264 IN FACT, VENUS IS OVER 8 TIMES BRIGHTER THAN THE SECOND BRIGHTEST PLANET RIGHT NOW - WHICH 27 00:01:38,364 --> 00:01:40,033 WE WON'T SEE UNTIL THE MORNING SKY. 28 00:01:40,133 --> 00:01:44,003 DEAN: THROUGH A TELESCOPE, VENUS SHOWS A SURPRISING OUTLINE. 29 00:01:44,104 --> 00:01:45,839 IT'S EGG-SHAPED! 30 00:01:45,939 --> 00:01:50,343 AS VENUS ORBITS BETWEEN US AND THE SUN, IT GOES THROUGH PHASES, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S OFF 31 00:01:50,443 --> 00:01:54,147 TO THE SIDE OF THE SUN AT OVER 120 MILLION MILES AWAY. 32 00:01:54,247 --> 00:01:59,986 JAMES: AS WE KEEP WATCHING THE SKY UNTIL 8PM WE SEE MORE STARS POP INTO VIEW. 33 00:02:00,086 --> 00:02:04,791 VENUS IS FOLLOWING THE SUN AND SETTING IN THE WEST, AND OUR NEXT PLANET, ALTHOUGH MUCH 34 00:02:04,891 --> 00:02:06,493 FAINTER, WILL TAKE ITS PLACE. 35 00:02:06,593 --> 00:02:08,495 DEAN: THIS IS SATURN! 36 00:02:08,595 --> 00:02:13,032 IT MAY LOOK LIKE AN ORDINARY YELLOW STAR, BUT IT IS THE FARTHEST PLANET YOU CAN SEE 37 00:02:13,133 --> 00:02:17,137 WITH THE NAKED EYE AT ALMOST 1 BILLION MILES FROM EARTH. 38 00:02:17,237 --> 00:02:19,806 PLUS WHEN WE ZOOM IN WITH A TELESCOPE 39 00:02:19,906 --> 00:02:21,708 CHECK OUT THE VIEW. 40 00:02:21,808 --> 00:02:24,010 THOSE RINGS ARE JUST DIVINE! 41 00:02:24,110 --> 00:02:29,582 JAMES: BY 9PM, VENUS HAS COMPLETELY SET AND SATURN IS GETTING LOWER. 42 00:02:29,682 --> 00:02:32,552 THAT LEAVES JUST ONE MORE PLANET IN THE EVENING SKY. 43 00:02:32,652 --> 00:02:34,420 RUBY-RED MARS. 44 00:02:34,521 --> 00:02:38,958 OKAY, IT'S NOT THAT RED, BUT WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO THE OTHER STARS AND PLANETS, YOU'LL 45 00:02:39,058 --> 00:02:40,260 SEE WHY IT STANDS OUT. 46 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,863 DEAN: MARS WAS A LOT CLOSER TO US EARLIER IN THE YEAR. 47 00:02:43,963 --> 00:02:47,901 IN FACT IT GOT AS CLOSE AS ABOUT 47 MILLION MILES TO THE EARTH. 48 00:02:48,001 --> 00:02:50,003 MAN, IT WAS BRIGHT BACK THEN! 49 00:02:50,103 --> 00:02:54,307 JAMES: NOW, MARS IS OVER 100 MILLION MILES AWAY. 50 00:02:54,407 --> 00:02:58,311 IT'S STILL BRIGHT, AND ITS STILL REDDISH, AND VERY EASY TO FIND IN THE EVENING SKY. 51 00:02:58,411 --> 00:03:03,783 DEAN: OH YEAH, AND THIS WEEK THE WAXING CRESCENT MOON WILL BE PASSING THROUGH OUR PLANET PARADE. 52 00:03:03,883 --> 00:03:05,351 DONT MISS THAT! 53 00:03:05,451 --> 00:03:09,622 JAMES: NOW WERE UP JUST BEFORE DAWN - MY TIME OF DAY! 54 00:03:09,722 --> 00:03:14,093 WE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT AND IT IS NOW OCTOBER 9 AND THE SUN IS ABOUT TO RISE. 55 00:03:14,194 --> 00:03:15,161 DEAN, WAKE UP! 56 00:03:15,261 --> 00:03:16,162 DEAN: I'M AWAKE. 57 00:03:16,262 --> 00:03:17,430 I'M AWAKE. 58 00:03:17,530 --> 00:03:19,899 JAMES: SO FAR, PLANET HUNTING HAS BEEN PRETTY EASY. 59 00:03:19,999 --> 00:03:24,237 FINDING VENUS, SATURN, AND MARS IN THE EVENING SKY WAS A PIECE OF CAKE. 60 00:03:24,337 --> 00:03:26,706 BUT TO SEE JUPITER AND MERCURY 61 00:03:26,806 --> 00:03:27,974 WELL, IT COULD BE TOUGH. 62 00:03:28,074 --> 00:03:30,410 DEAN: YOU'LL NEED A CLEAR VIEW TO THE EASTERN HORIZON. 63 00:03:30,510 --> 00:03:31,878 NO TREES. 64 00:03:31,978 --> 00:03:34,981 NO BUILDINGS IN YOUR WAY. AND YOU'LL HAVE TO TIME IT JUST RIGHT. 65 00:03:35,081 --> 00:03:38,851 IF YOU LOOK TOO EARLY, THE PLANETS WILL STILL BE BELOW THE GROUND. 66 00:03:38,952 --> 00:03:41,955 IF YOU'RE TOO LATE, THE SUN WILL RISE AND WASH THEM OUT. 67 00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:46,626 JAMES: ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR LOCAL SUNRISE SHOULD BE BEST. 68 00:03:46,726 --> 00:03:52,098 AS THE SKY GETS LIGHTER YOU MIGHT SPY TWO DISTINCT LIGHTS LOW IN THE EAST. 69 00:03:52,198 --> 00:03:57,337 THE FAINTER ONE IS MINISCULE MERCURY, SHINING AT YOU FROM OVER 110 MILLION MILES. 70 00:03:57,437 --> 00:04:03,042 DEAN: THE BRIGHTER ONE IS JUPITER COMING TO YOU FROM ALMOST 600 MILLION MILES ACROSS THE 71 00:04:03,142 --> 00:04:04,043 SOLAR SYSTEM. 72 00:04:04,143 --> 00:04:06,446 JAMES: NOW HERE'S THE COOL PART. 73 00:04:06,546 --> 00:04:09,816 GET UP EACH MORNING NEXT WEEK TO SEE HOW THEY MOVE. 74 00:04:09,916 --> 00:04:11,985 HERE IS OCTOBER 10TH 75 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:14,120 AND OCTOBER 11TH. (james dances) 76 00:04:14,220 --> 00:04:19,559 DEAN: JAMES' DANCING IS INDICATING, YOU GUESSED IT, A CONJUNCTION! AND THIS JUPITER-MERCURY 77 00:04:19,659 --> 00:04:23,162 CONJUNCTION SHOULD BE A NICE ONE IN THE PRE-DAWN SKY! 78 00:04:23,263 --> 00:04:26,499 DEAN: SO CHECK OUT THE FIVE NAKED-EYE PLANETS 79 00:04:26,599 --> 00:04:29,102 JAMES: VENUS, SATURN, AND MARS IN THE EVENING 80 00:04:29,202 --> 00:04:31,271 DEAN: AND JUPITER AND MERCURY IN THE MORNING. 81 00:04:31,371 --> 00:04:35,371 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!