WHERE DID THE BIG DIPPER GO?

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 FOR THE CINCINNATI

OBSERVATORY.

WE RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY.

HEY JAMES, WHAT IS THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE STAR
PATTERN IN THE SKY?

JAMES:
THAT WOULD, OF COURSE, BE THE SMILING DEAN

REGAS ASTERISM.

DEAN:
WELL, OBVIOUSLY.

PUT ANY NUMBER STARS TOGETHER AND YOU MIGHT
IMAGINE THAT.

AND WE CAN T FORGET THE JAMES ALBURY, HERCULES
CONSTELLATION.

JAMES: WELL, DUH?

DEAN: BUT I THINK THE EASIEST TO IDENTIFY
IS THE BIG DIPPER.

JAMES:
DEFINITELY!

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THOSE SEVEN SEMI-BRIGHT
STARS THAT GRAB YOUR ATTENTION.

DEAN:
AND THE BIG DIPPER IS UP ALMOST ALL YEAR-ROUND.

JAMES:
EMPHASIS ON THE ALMOST

DEAN:
YES, AND THERE IS ONE SEASON WHERE THE BIG

DIPPER DIPS SO LOW IN THE NORTHERN SKY THAT
IT MAY BECOME INVISIBLE.

JAMES:
AND THAT SEASON IS NOW.

WE RE GOING TO HEAD OUT TO THE STARS AND
SHOW YOU WHERE NOT TO LOOK FOR THE BIG DIPPER

IN THE SKY.

DEAN: AND WHEN YOU CAN SEE IT AGAIN.

DEAN:
I KNOW IT MAY SEEM WEIRD THAT WE RE DOING

A SHOW ON WHAT NOT
TO LOOK FOR IN THE NIGHT SKY.

BUT WE DON T WANT YOU TO FREAK OUT WHEN
YOU STEP OUTSIDE AND NOT SEE THE BIG DIPPER.

JAMES:
THE BIG DIPPER IS ALWAYS SOMEWHERE IN THE

NORTHERN SKY.

WE CALL IT CIRCUMPOLAR - SINCE IT CAN BE SEEN
MAKING A COMPLETE CIRCLE AROUND POLARIS, A.K.A.

THE NORTH STAR.

DEAN:
WHEN YOU FACE NORTH AND WATCH THE STARS LONG

ENOUGH, YOU LL NOTICE THAT THEY MOVE IN
A SLOW COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CIRCLE AROUND ONE

POINT.

JAMES:
THAT PIVOT POINT IS THE NORTH STAR.

ANY CONSTELLATIONS NEAR THE NORTH STAR MAKE
A TINY CIRCLE AROUND IT.

LIKE THE CONSTELLATIONS URSA MINOR (WHICH
INCLUDES THE LITTLE DIPPER STARS), CASSIOPEIA

THE QUEEN, AND URSA MAJOR (WHICH INCLUDES
THE STARS FROM THE BIG DIPPER).

DEAN:
BUT THE BIG DIPPER CAN GET LOW IN THE SKY

IN ITS NIGHTLY JOURNEY AROUND POLARIS.

SO, WHILE MOST NIGHTS YOU CAN SEE THE BIG
DIPPER SOMEWHERE IN THE NORTHERN SKY, FOR

ABOUT TWO MONTHS,
IT CAN SKIM ACROSS THE HORIZON AND BE BLOCKED

BY TREES, BUILDINGS, OR THE GROUND ITSELF.

JAMES:
AND SO, ON NOVEMBER EVENINGS, YOU WILL HAVE

A HARD TIME FINDING THE BIG DIPPER.

MAN,
THAT S A BUMMER!

DEAN:
NOW THIS ANNUAL DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BIG DIPPER

IS DESCRIBED IN SOME NATIVE AMERICAN MYTHS.

INSTEAD OF A BIG SPOON, THEY SAW A BIG BEAR.

NOW THE NORMAL PICTURE OF THE BEAR SHOWS THE
BODY WITH

A LONG STRETCHED OUT TAIL.

JAMES:
BUT OTHER NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS PICTURED

IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.

THE IROQUOIS TRIBES SAW THE FOUR STARS IN
THE SPOON AS THE BEAR, AND THE THREE STARS

IN THE HANDLE AS THREE HUNTERS.

DEAN:
THE FIRST HUNTER IS CARRYING A BOW

AND ARROW.

THE SECOND IS CARRYING A POT.
AND THE THIRD IS CARRYING STICKS TO MAKE A

FIRE.

JAMES:
LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE SECOND HUNTER.

THE BRIGHT STAR IS CALLED MIZAR, BUT IF YOU
SQUINT, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEE A DIMMER STAR

ABOVE IT.

THAT IS THE STAR ALCOR AND IT CAN BE SEEN
WITH THE NAKED EYE TOO.

MIZAR CAN BE THE HUNTER AND ALCOR IS THE POT
ON HIS SHOULDER.

JAMES:
AS THE NIGHT MOVES ON, IT LOOKS LIKE THE HUNTERS

ARE CHASING THE BEAR.

LEGEND HAS IT THAT WHEN THE BEAR IS TOO LOW
IN THE SKY AND BECOMES INVISIBLE, THAT THE

HUNTER FINALLY CAUGHT HIM.
AND THIS HAPPENS ON THE EVENINGS OF OCTOBER

AND NOVEMBER EVERY YEAR.

DEAN:
AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TREES EVERY OCTOBER

AND NOVEMBER IN THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES?

STORY-TELLERS WOULD POINT TO THE CHANGING
LEAVES AS EVIDENCE OF THE COSMIC BATTLE.

JAMES:
EXACTLY!

NOW THIS MAY BE A LITTLE GROSS BUT

THEY WOULD SAY THAT THE FIRST HUNTER HAD SHOT
AND KILLED THE BEAR, AND ITS BLOOD FELL FROM

THE SKY AND TURNED THE LEAVES ON THE TREES
ORANGE AND BROWN AND RED.

DEAN:
AND THAT S WHY YOU CAN T SEE THE BIG DIPPER

IN THE NIGHT SKY
THIS FALL.

BUT DON T WORRY,
IT WILL BE BACK.

JAMES:
IN FACT, IF YOU STAY UP PAST MIDNIGHT YOU

CAN SEE IT STANDING ON ITS HANDLE.

DEAN:
AND EVERY SPRING THE BEAR COMES BACK TO LIFE,

THE HUNTERS RESUME THEIR CHASE, AND THE LEAVES
RETURN TO THE TREES.

JAMES:
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE IN THE STARS.

IT S ALL THERE WHEN YOU

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!