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.

TWO MONTHS AGO WE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU CAN
SEE FIVE PLANETS WITH THE NAKED EYE.

QUICK DEAN!

NAME THE FIVE NAKED EYE PLANETS.

DEAN: UH, MERCURY, VENUS, MARS, JUPITER, AND
SATURN.

JAMES: VERY GOOD.

DEAN: THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

JAMES: BACK IN AUGUST YOU COULD SEE ALL FIVE
OF THEM IN THE EVENING SKY.

DEAN: WELL, THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND THIS MONTH
THEYRE SPREAD OUT A BIT.

JAMES: YOU CAN STILL SEE THREE OF THE PLANETS
IN THE EVENING SKY.

DEAN: BUT TWO OF THEM HAVE WANDERED INTO THE
MORNING SKY.

JAMES: WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THE SKY AT
TWO DIFFERENT TIMES - JUST AFTER SUNSET AND

JUST BEFORE SUNRISE.

DEAN: AND TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY AROUND THE
SOLAR SYSTEM.

DEAN: OKAY, WERE GOING TO START AT MY TIME
OF DAY: EVENING.

WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO OCTOBER 8TH JUST AFTER
SUNSET.

IT'LL BE REALLY EASY TO FIND OUR THREE EVENING
PLANETS AND EVEN BEFORE IT GETS COMPLETELY

DARK, YOU CAN SEE #1.

JAMES: IT'S NOT A PLANE.

IT'S NOT A UFO.

THE BRIGHTEST STAR-LIKE OBJECT IN THE SKY
IS THE PLANET VENUS.

IN FACT, VENUS IS OVER 8 TIMES BRIGHTER THAN
THE SECOND BRIGHTEST PLANET RIGHT NOW - WHICH

WE WON'T SEE UNTIL THE MORNING SKY.

DEAN: THROUGH A TELESCOPE, VENUS SHOWS A SURPRISING
OUTLINE.

IT'S EGG-SHAPED!

AS VENUS ORBITS BETWEEN US AND THE SUN, IT
GOES THROUGH PHASES, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S OFF

TO THE SIDE OF THE SUN AT OVER 120 MILLION
MILES AWAY.

JAMES: AS WE KEEP WATCHING THE SKY UNTIL 8PM
WE SEE MORE STARS POP INTO VIEW.

VENUS IS FOLLOWING THE SUN AND SETTING IN
THE WEST, AND OUR NEXT PLANET, ALTHOUGH MUCH

FAINTER, WILL TAKE ITS PLACE.

DEAN: THIS IS SATURN!

IT MAY LOOK LIKE AN ORDINARY YELLOW STAR,
BUT IT IS THE FARTHEST PLANET YOU CAN SEE

WITH THE NAKED EYE AT ALMOST 1 BILLION MILES
FROM EARTH.

PLUS WHEN WE ZOOM IN WITH A TELESCOPE

CHECK OUT THE VIEW.

THOSE RINGS ARE JUST DIVINE!

JAMES: BY 9PM, VENUS HAS COMPLETELY SET AND
SATURN IS GETTING LOWER.

THAT LEAVES JUST ONE MORE PLANET IN THE EVENING
SKY.

RUBY-RED MARS.

OKAY, IT'S NOT THAT RED, BUT WHEN YOU COMPARE
IT TO THE OTHER STARS AND PLANETS, YOU'LL

SEE WHY IT STANDS OUT.

DEAN: MARS WAS A LOT CLOSER TO US EARLIER
IN THE YEAR.

IN FACT IT GOT AS CLOSE AS ABOUT 47 MILLION
MILES TO THE EARTH.

MAN, IT WAS BRIGHT BACK THEN!

JAMES: NOW, MARS IS OVER 100 MILLION MILES
AWAY.

IT'S STILL BRIGHT, AND ITS STILL REDDISH,
AND VERY EASY TO FIND IN THE EVENING SKY.

DEAN: OH YEAH, AND THIS WEEK THE WAXING CRESCENT
MOON WILL BE PASSING THROUGH OUR PLANET PARADE.

DONT MISS THAT!

JAMES: NOW WERE UP JUST BEFORE DAWN - MY TIME
OF DAY!

WE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT AND IT IS NOW OCTOBER
9 AND THE SUN IS ABOUT TO RISE.

DEAN, WAKE UP!

DEAN: I'M AWAKE.

I'M AWAKE.

JAMES: SO FAR, PLANET HUNTING HAS BEEN PRETTY
EASY.

FINDING VENUS, SATURN, AND MARS IN THE EVENING
SKY WAS A PIECE OF CAKE.

BUT TO SEE JUPITER AND MERCURY

WELL, IT COULD BE TOUGH.

DEAN: YOU'LL NEED A CLEAR VIEW TO THE EASTERN
HORIZON.

NO TREES.

NO BUILDINGS IN YOUR WAY. AND YOU'LL HAVE
TO TIME IT JUST RIGHT.

IF YOU LOOK TOO EARLY, THE PLANETS WILL STILL
BE BELOW THE GROUND.

IF YOU'RE TOO LATE, THE SUN WILL RISE AND
WASH THEM OUT.

JAMES: ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR LOCAL
SUNRISE SHOULD BE BEST.

AS THE SKY GETS LIGHTER YOU MIGHT SPY TWO
DISTINCT LIGHTS LOW IN THE EAST.

THE FAINTER ONE IS MINISCULE MERCURY, SHINING
AT YOU FROM OVER 110 MILLION MILES.

DEAN: THE BRIGHTER ONE IS JUPITER COMING TO
YOU FROM ALMOST 600 MILLION MILES ACROSS THE

SOLAR SYSTEM.

JAMES: NOW HERE'S THE COOL PART.

GET UP EACH MORNING NEXT WEEK TO SEE HOW THEY
MOVE.

HERE IS OCTOBER 10TH

AND OCTOBER 11TH. (james dances)

DEAN: JAMES' DANCING IS INDICATING, YOU GUESSED
IT, A CONJUNCTION! AND THIS JUPITER-MERCURY

CONJUNCTION SHOULD BE A NICE ONE IN THE PRE-DAWN
SKY!

DEAN: SO CHECK OUT THE FIVE NAKED-EYE PLANETS

JAMES: VENUS, SATURN, AND MARS IN THE EVENING

DEAN: AND JUPITER AND MERCURY IN THE MORNING.

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!