MONSTERS IN THE SKY

DEAN:
HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.

I M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM 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.

IT IS ALMOST HALLOWEEN, SO DEAN AND I THOUGHT
WE D SHARE OUR FAVORITE MONSTERS

IN THE SKY.

DEAN:
THESE ARE THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS THAT

STRUCK TERROR IN THE HEARTS OF OUR ANCESTORS.

AND THEY INCLUDE A DRAGON,
A SEA MONSTER, AND A WOMAN WITH SNAKES

FOR HAIR.

JAMES:
AND FINALLY WE LL SHOW YOU THE STAR CLUSTER

THAT SIGNALED THE DAY OF THE DEAD.

LET S SHOW YOU

JAMES:
WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR OCTOBER 31 FACING

NORTH AT 8:30PM.

WE RE GOING DRAGON-HUNTING AND LOOKING FOR
DRACO THE DRAGON.

DEAN:
THERE S OUR GUIDE STAR HALFWAY UP IN

THE NORTH POLARIS AKA THE NORTH STAR.

IT S NOT TERRIBLY BRIGHT BUT YOU SHOULD
BE ABLE TO SPY IT FROM MOST LOCATIONS.

THE DRAGON S SINUOUS BODY IS NEARBY

JAMES:
BUT THE DRAGON S HEAD HOLDS THE BRIGHTEST

STARS IN THIS MONSTER CONSTELLATION.

LOOK FOR THREE STARS IN A NEAT TRIANGLE.

AND IF YOU RE IN A DARKER SKY, YOU MIGHT
BE ABLE TO MAKE OUT A FOURTH STAR MAKING

IT A REAL BLOCK-HEAD!

DEAN:
CAREFUL JAMES!

DON T UPSET THE DRAGON.

THE ANCIENT BABYLONIANS REFERRED TO DRACO
AS THE

SHE-DRAGON TIAMAT WHO TERRORIZED CREATION.

SHE S SAID TO HAVE A BODY SEVEN MILES LONG
AND A MOUTH AS BIG AS THE SKY.

ALONG CAME A GOD NAMED MARDUK WHO SLEW THE
GREAT BEAST.

MARDUK THEN SLICED THE DRAGON IN HALF
ONE HALF BECOMING THE EARTH, AND THE OTHER,

THE HEAVENS ABOVE.

JAMES:
LET S LOOK HALFWAY UP IN THE NORTHEASTERN

SKY NOW FOR THE CONSTELLATION PERSEUS.

HE S A TOUGHIE TO FIND SINCE THE STARS DON T
LOOK LIKE AN ARMOR-CLAD HERO WITH WINGED SANDALS.

DEAN:
WITH A LOT OF IMAGINATION, WE CAN SEE PERSEUS

HOLDING SOMETHING IN HIS OUTSTRETCHED ARM.

TO THE ANCIENT GREEKS IT S THE STAR ALGOL
A.K.A.

THE WINKING EYE OF MEDUSA.

JAMES:
SHE S THE GORGON WITH SNAKES FOR HAIR.

DEAN:
BUT OTHER CULTURES HAD SOME VERY FRIGHTENING

NAMES FOR THIS STAR, LIKE:
THE SPECTRE S HEAD, GHOST S HEAD, SATAN S

HEAD, THE DOUBLE EYE, AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE,
PILED UP CORPSES.

JAMES:
WHY SUCH SCARY NAMES?

DEAN:
ALGOL IS NO ORDINARY STAR - IT S A SPECIAL

TYPE OF STAR
CALLED AN ECLIPSING VARIABLE.

ALGOL IS REALLY TWO STARS THAT ORBIT
EACH OTHER.

WHEN THE BIGGER, DIMMER STAR BLOCKED THE LIGHT
OF THE SMALLER BRIGHTER STAR THE ANCIENTS

NOTICED.

DURING THESE ECLIPSES ALGOL DIMS LIKE CLOCKWORK
EVERY

2.87 DAYS.

SO, SEE IF YOU CAN SEE THE WINKING EYE OF
MEDUSA THIS MONTH

IT WON T TURN YOU TO STONE.

JAMES:
PERSEUS IS USING MEDUSA S HEAD TO SAVE PRINCESS

ANDROMEDA FROM A BRINY BEHEMOTH THE SEA
MONSTER, CETUS.

LOOK FARTHER TO THE SOUTHEAST,
AND MAYBE YOU CAN MAKE OUT THE SEA MONSTER.

DEAN:
HIS OUTLINE LOOKS MORE LIKE A RECLINER CHAIR.

JAMES:
NEVERTHELESS, THIS WAS POSEIDON S VICIOUS

PET SEA MONSTER WHO WE SEE TURNED TO
STONE BY

DEAN:
MEDUSA S HEAD!

JAMES:
ALGOL STRIKES AGAIN!

DEAN:
MANY CULTURES SELECTED NOVEMBER 1 AS A SPECIAL

DAY TO HONOR THEIR DEARLY DEPARTED.

IT MARKS A HALFWAY POINT BETWEEN FALL
AND WINTER,

PLUS THE COOLEST STAR CLUSTER DOES SOMETHING
SPECIAL THAT NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT.

JAMES:
THE SEVEN SISTERS, OR PLEIADES, ARE AN OPEN

CLUSTER OF STARS VISIBLE IN THE EAST.

AT FIRST GLANCE
THEY LOOK LIKE A

LITTLE CLOUD,
BUT UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION YOU MAY BE ABLE

TO MAKE OUT THE INDIVIDUAL STARS IN
THE CLUSTER.

DEAN:
A SHARP-EYED FIRST GRADER TOLD ME THEY LOOKED

LIKE A
DINKY DIPPER.

JAMES:
THIS "DINKY DIPPER" FEATURES HEAVILY IN ALL

HALLOW S EVE CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE
-

WHEN THEY ARE HIGHEST AT MIDNIGHT.

MAYA, AZTECS, PERUVIANS, JAPANESE, AND HINDUS
ALL HAD FESTIVALS FOR THE DEAD NEAR NOVEMBER

1ST,
IN HONOR OF THE

SEVEN SISTERS.

DEAN:
AS THE NIGHT ROLLS ON, THE PLEIADES RISE HIGHER

AND HIGHER IN THE SKY.
AND AT LOCAL MIDNIGHT THEY REACH THEIR HIGHEST

POINT.

IN FACT, FROM THE YUCATAN PENINSULA,
THE SEVEN SISTERS WOULD BE

STRAIGHT OVERHEAD - THE GREAT MAYAN PYRAMIDS
WOULD POINT DIRECTLY AT THE CLUSTER.

JAMES:
SO, LOOK FOR DRACO

THE DRAGON IN THE NORTHERN SKY.

DEAN:
MEDUSA S HEAD, ALGOL,

IN THE NORTHEAST.

JAMES:
CETUS THE SEA MONSTER IN THE SOUTHEAST.

DEAN:
AND, IF YOU DARE, STAY UP UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO

SEE THE SEVEN SISTERS RIDE ACROSS A SPOOKY
SKY.

JAMES:
HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!