DEAN:
Hey there Star Gazers, I m Dean Regas, astronomer

with 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.

DEAN:
And this week, to share some space jokes - specifically

about the Moon, since you ll be able to
see it after dark each night next week.

JAMES:
Dean is a total

luna-tic about bad jokes so just humor him.

DEAN:
We have some gems like, What holds up the

Moon?

JAMES:
What?

DEAN:
Moon-beams, of course...

I ve got a million of them.

JAMES:
Well, more like 5 or 6 of them.

But as we wax on about the Moon, and show
you what s up in the sky, we know that your

interest will not wane.

DEAN: Let s show you!

JAMES: How does the Moon cut his hair?

DEAN: I know.

E-clips-it!

JAMES:
One of the worst jokes ever.

But that makes me think about eclipses, and
we hope you saw the last lunar eclipse on

January 31, 2018.

DEAN:
It was awesome!

When the Moon completely enters the shadow
of the Earth it turns all shades of gray

and orange.

JAMES:
If you missed it, the next will be visible

in the United States on January 20 of next
year.

Lunar eclipses can only occur at full Moons
and only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon line

up just right.

DEAN:
You know, James, the Moon s parents were

really worried about him.

JAMES: Oh is this another joke?

DEAN:
Yep.

Every New Moon he disappeared.

His dad panicked but his mom understood.

She reassured him, Don t worry honey,
it s just a phase he s going through.

JAMES:
Bravo Mr. Regas.

Bravo.

But that reminds me, you can only have a solar
eclipse during a new Moon and the next really

good solar eclipse in the U.S. will be on
October 14, 2023.

JAMES:
Hey Dean, why couldn t the astronauts stay

overnight on the Moon?

DEAN: Why?

JAMES: Because it was full

DEAN: Now you re getting in the swing of
it!

JAMES: Anyway, we will have our next full
Moon on

March 1st.

You can see it rising in the east just as
the Sun sets in the west that day.

DEAN:
Okay James, how do you know when the Moon s

going broke?

JAMES: How?

DEAN:
It s down to its last quarter.

When the Moon appears half-way lit up we actually
call that a quarter moon.

It sounds confusing since how can a half moon
be a quarter?

But the name really refers to its motion around
the Earth.

JAMES:
On the night of February 22 you can see the

right half of the Moon lit up.

We call that first quarter since it has traveled
one-quarter of the way around the Earth,

from its new moon phase.

That night, the first quarter Moon will be
in the constellation Taurus and near the Seven

Sisters star cluster.

DEAN:
On the morning of March 9th, you ll see

the
left half of the Moon

illuminated.

We call that third quarter or last quarter
and it ll be near

the planet Mars.

Yep, we went a long way
for that joke

JAMES:
So Dean, what did you think of the restaurant

on the Moon?

DEAN:
Meh, the food was great

but it has
no atmosphere

JAMES:
It s true.

Unlike the Earth, the Moon has no significant
atmosphere.

So when the Apollo astronauts visited the
Moon they had to wear spacesuits like these.

Hey there s Buzz Aldrin.

Hi Buzz!

DEAN:
He can t hear you.

There s no air out there.

However, Buzz and 11 other
astronauts walked on the surface of the Moon

between 1969 and 1972.

Buzz Aldrin
described the Moon as, Magnificent Desolation,

and it certainly is desolate.

Everywhere you look are dark colored rocks
and more dark colored rocks.

I know the Moon seems bright, but most of
the moon rocks are the color of asphalt.

JAMES:
On the last three Apollo missions, astronauts

brought up Moon rovers to drive across the
lunar surface.

The rovers were battery-powered and could
reach a top speed of 8 miles per hour.

You can t drive that slow on Earth or else

DEAN: Or else what?

JAMES: Or else you ll have to Apollo-gize.

DEAN: Nice!

JAMES: So every night this week, check out
the Moon after dark.

DEAN:
Get a group together and Moon-gaze with friends

and family.

And if you want to
organize the best star party ever, we have

some words of advice.

JAMES: You better plan-et!

DEAN: Definitely don t Moon it.

BOTH: Keep looking up!