JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS.
I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA
PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA.
DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM
THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.
JAMES: WELL MY FRIENDS, WERE GETTING CLOSE
TO THAT ANNUAL ABOMINATION I LIKE TO CALL
DAYLIGHT SHIFTING TIME.
DEAN: DON'T YOU MEAN, DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?
JAMES: SAME THING, AND I DON'T LIKE IT.
DEAN: COME ON JAMES, ITS NOT THAT BAD.
JAMES: SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!
MOVING MY CLOCK FORWARD MAKES ME HAVE TO WAKE
UP AN HOUR EARLIER.
DEAN: BUT, I THOUGHT YOU LIKED WAKING UP EARLY
- TO LOOK AT THE STARS?
JAMES: YEAH, BUT EVEN US EARLY BIRDS HAVE
OUR LIMITS, YOU KNOW.
DEAN (LAUGHING): WHAT JAMES IS GRIPING ABOUT
IS SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE FIND ANNOYING
ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR, AND IT CAN ACTUALLY
IMPACT STAR GAZING.
JAMES: FORTUNATELY, WE DONT HAVE TO MOVE OUR
CLOCKS FORWARD UNTIL MARCH 12TH, AND WE HAVE
A REALLY GROOVY OCCULTATION OF ALDEBARAN BY
THE MOON LATER THIS WEEK.
DEAN: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
LETS SHOW YOU.
DEAN: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME IS THAT TIME OF
YEAR BETWEEN THE SECOND SUNDAY OF MARCH, AND
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF NOVEMBER, WHEN EVERYONE
MOVES THEIR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR.
JAMES: NOT EVERYONE DOES IT, BUT A LOT OF
PEOPLE DO.
THE PURPOSE OF US COLLECTIVELY CHANGING THE
TIME ON OUR CLOCKS ONE HOUR FORWARD IS SO
THAT THE EVENING DAYLIGHT LASTS LONGER.
THIS IN TURN SACRIFICES THE SUNRISE TIME.
DEAN: DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, THE AMOUNT
OF DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS WE EXPERIENCE GRADUALLY
CHANGES DUE TO THE CURVATURE AND TILT OF THE
EARTH.
EVEN IF WE DIDN'T CHANGE THE TIME ON OUR CLOCKS,
WE WOULD STILL NOTICE THAT THE DAYLIGHT HOURS
IN THE SUMMER WOULD BE LONGER AND THE NIGHTTIME
HOURS SHORTER.
JAMES: THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE DURING THE WINTER
MONTHS.
HERE'S WHERE THE ISSUE LIES.
FOR THOSE FOLKS LIKE DEAN WHO LIVE AT MORE
NORTHERN LATITUDES, THE AMOUNT OF DAYLIGHT
AND DARKNESS THEY EXPERIENCE DURING THE YEAR
CAN VARY DRAMATICALLY.
DEAN: BUT FOR PEOPLE LIKE JAMES, WHO LIVE
CLOSER TO THE EQUATOR, DAY LIGHT SAVING TIME
ISN'T AS USEFUL.
LET'S SHOW YOU.
JAMES: THE EARTH TILTS AT ROUGHLY 23.5 DEGREES
WITH RESPECT TO OUR PATH AROUND THE SUN.
DURING THE EQUINOXES IN MARCH AND SEPTEMBER,
NEITHER THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, NOR THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE IS POINTING MORE TOWARD THE SUN.
THIS GIVES US 12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND 12
HOURS OF DARKNESS; HENCE THE TERM EQUINOX,
WHICH MEANS EQUAL NIGHT.
DEAN: HOWEVER, WHEN WE'RE CLOSE TO THE SOLSTICES
IN SUMMER AND WINTER, THE HEMISPHERES OF THE
EARTH ARE POINTING MORE TOWARD, OR AWAY FROM
THE SUN.
BECAUSE OUR PLANET IS ROUND, PEOPLE WHO LIVE
AT EXTREMELY NORTHERN OR SOUTHERN LATITUDES
SEE A WHOLE LOT OF DAYLIGHT IN THE SUMMER
AND VERY LITTLE SUNLIGHT IN THE WINTER.
JAMES: THE PROBLEM IS, IN THE SUMMER MONTHS,
THE SUN RISES SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE MOST PEOPLE
WAKE UP IN THE MORNING.
SO, TO COMPENSATE, WE ALL COLLECTIVELY MOVE
OUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR AND THUS, AS A
SOCIETY, WE AGREE TO WAKE UP AN HOUR EARLIER.
THAT WAY, WE CAN HAVE MORE DAYLIGHT IN THE
EVENING HOURS BEFORE WE GO TO SLEEP.
DEAN: FOR US ASTRONOMERS, DAYLIGHT SAVING
TIME DELAYS WHEN WE CAN BEGIN OUR EVENING
OBSERVATIONS, WHICH IS PROBABLY ANOTHER THING
THAT ADDS TO JAMES' FRUSTRATION.
JAMES (FRUSTRATED): YEAH!
SPEAKING OF WHICH, LETS' SEE WHAT THE MOON
AND ALDEBARAN ARE DOING THIS WEEK.
JAMES: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET UP FOR SATURDAY,
MARCH 4TH AT 7:30 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
WERE LOOKING HIGH IN THE SKY FACING SOUTHWEST.
TIMING IS IMPORTANT FOR THIS ONE BECAUSE THE
ALMOST-FIRST QUARTER MOON IS AMONG THE STARS
OF TAURUS THE BULL.
DEAN: ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 4TH, THE MOON
IS GOING TO GET TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE TO ALDEBARAN,
THE STAR THAT MARKS THE EYE OF TAURUS.
JAMES: LET'S ADVANCE TIME ONE HOUR AT TIME,
AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT AS EACH HOUR PASSES,
THE MOON GETS CLOSER AND CLOSER TO ALDEBARAN,
UNTIL SUDDENLY
DEAN: WHERE DID ALDEBARAN GO?
JAMES: YEP
THE MOON IS GOING TO OCCULT ALDEBARAN!
FOR THOSE OF US LIVING IN THE EASTERN TIME
ZONE, THE MOON WILL BE IN THE WESTERN SKY
DURING THE OCCULTATION.
DEAN: YEP, THAT MEANS EVERYONE IN NORTH AMERICA
WILL BE ABLE TO SEE IT, PRESUMING THE CLOUDS
STAY OUT OF THE WAY.
JAMES: SO THERE YOU HAVE IT, ONE LAST REALLY
COOL CELESTIAL EVENT BEFORE WE HAVE TO MOVE
OUR CLOCKS FORWARD AN HOUR.
DEAN: AND IT'S ALL THERE FOR YOU TO SEE WHEN
YOU
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!