LOOKING NORTH AND SOUTH THIS SUMMER

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 PLANETAR-IUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

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

THE SUN RISES
IN THE EAST AND SETS IN THE WEST RIGHT?

DEAN:
FOR THE MOST PART.

JAMES:
AND THE MOON, PLANETS, AND STARS RISE IN

THE EAST AND SET
IN THE WEST TOO?

DEAN:
UH HUH.

JAMES:
SO HOW DO THE STARS MOVE IN THE NORTH AND

SOUTH?

DEAN:
OH, I SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING.

WE'RE GONNA DO SOME SPINNING IN THIS EPISODE
AREN'T WE?

JAMES:
YEP.

FIRST,
WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THE STARS AND CONSTEL-LATIONS

YOU CAN FIND WHEN YOU FACE NORTH AND SOUTH
AFTER DARK.

DEAN:
AND THEN WE'LL DEMONSTRATE HOW THE SKY SEEMS

TO MOVE OVER THE COURSE OF THE NIGHT IN EACH
DIRECTION.

HOLD ON TIGHT,
LET'S GET SPINNING!

JAMES:
OKAY WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO 10PM FACING NORTH

ANY NIGHT THIS WEEK.

WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE?

DEAN:
THE BIG DIPPER, OF COURSE!

IT'S ABOUT HALFWAY UP IN THE NORTHWESTERN
SKY.

FOUR BRIGHTER STARS MAKE A CUP AND THREE MORE
MAKE A

CURVED HANDLE.

JAMES:
AND SINCE WE'RE FACING NORTH, THE NORTH STAR,

OR POLARIS SHOULD BE HERE TOO.

IT'S NOT TERRIBLY BRIGHT BUT IT SHOULD BE
AS BRIGHT AS THE BIG

DIPPER STARS.

THERE IT IS, ABOUT HALFWAY UP IN THE SKY.

DEAN:
THE NORTH STAR IS PART OF THE LITTLE DIPPER,

BUT GOOD LUCK TRYING TO FIND THAT.

FOUR OF ITS SEVEN STARS ARE TOO FAINT TO SEE
IN MOST CITIES.

JAMES:
BUT FINDING THE NORTH STAR IS SIMPLE WHEN

YOU HAVE THE BIG DIPPER AROUND.

SIMPLY CONNECT THE DOTS ON THE TWO
SPOON-STARS,

CONTINUE THAT LINE OVER TO THE RIGHT, AND
YOU WILL RUN SMACK-DAB INTO THE NORTH STAR.

DEAN:
AND IF YOU CONTINUE THAT LINE,

HOP OVER TO ANOTHER RECOG-NIZABLE GROUP OF
STARS.

JAMES:
THEY LOOK LIKE THE LETTER W.

DEAN:
YEP AND THIS IS THE CONSTELLATION CASSIOPEIA

THE QUEEN.

I KNOW IT DOESN'T LOOK MUCH LIKE A QUEEN BUT
THE W CAN BE HER CROWN.

JAMES:
OOH, I CAN PICTURE THAT.

BUT THE CROWN LOOKS BENT ON ONE SIDE.

DEAN:
AH, I'LL SHOW YOU WHY AS WE GO FOR A SPIN.

DEAN:
AS THE NIGHT MOVES ON THE STARS IN THE NORTH

MOVE LIKE THIS.

NOTICE THEY SEEM TO ROTATE AROUND A CENTRAL
POINT -

THE NORTH STAR.

IT'S ALSO CALLED POLARIS BECAUSE IT'S OUR
POLE STAR,

THE STAR THAT JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOVE OUR
NORTH POLE.

JAMES:
YEAH, LIKE 432 LIGHT YEARS ABOVE OUR NORTH

POLE.

BUT AS THE EARTH SPINS, THE STARS SEEM TO
MAKE A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CIRCLE AROUND THIS

SPOT.

AS THE NIGHT ROLLS ON, THE BIG DIPPER GETS
LOWER WHILE CASSIOPEIA RISES UP HIGHER.

DEAN:
AS DAYTIME COMES ON, THE STARS ARE STILL THERE.

WE JUST CAN'T SEE THEM WITH ALL THE SUNLIGHT.

BUT THEY CONTINUE TO MOVE AROUND POLARIS AND
AS WE MOVE TOWARD AFTERNOON,

THE BIG DIPPER IS HIGH IN THE SKY AND CASSIOPEIA

BONK!

JAMES:
BONKS HER HEAD ON THE GROUND.

AAAAAH, THAT'S WHY HER CROWN IS BENT.

DEAN:
EXACTLY!

JAMES:
NOW LET'S FACE SOUTH.

IT'S 10PM AND WE HAVE TWO GREAT SUM-MER CONSTELLATIONS
JUST ABOVE THE HORIZON.

SCORPIUS IS ON THE RIGHT AND SAGITTARIUS IS
ON THE LEFT.

DEAN:
YOU CAN RECOGNIZE SCORPIUS BY THE

BRIGHT RED,
SUPERGIANT STAR CALLED ANTARES.

ANTARES CAN BE REALLY TWINKLY WHEN IT'S LOW
IN THE SKY AND THUS STANDS IN FOR THE SCORPION'S

BEATING HEART.

JAMES:
CHASING THE SCORPION IS THE CONSTELLATION

SAGITTARIUS THE ARCHER.

HE'S A CENTAUR,
HALF MAN, HALF HORSE, WITH AN ARROW NOTCHED

IN HIS BOW.

IN REALITY, THE STARS YOU CAN SEE LOOK MORE
LIKE A TEA POT THAN A CENTAUR.

DEAN:
YOU SHOULD ALSO SEE TWO OTHER BRIGHT, NIGHT

LIGHTS AROUND THE CENTAUR.

THOSE ARE THE PLANETS SATURN (TO THE RIGHT)
AND MARS (TO THE LEFT).

JAMES:
COOL!

AND DON'T BE SURPRISED TO SEE THE MOON PASSING
THROUGH.

IT'LL BE NEAR SATURN ON THE NIGHT OF THE 20TH
AND OVER BY MARS ON THE 22ND.

JAMES:
SO IN THE SOUTH LOOK FOR SCORPIUS AND SAGITTARIUS

WITH THE PLANETS SATURN AND MARS HANGING AROUND
THE CENTAUR.

DEAN:
AND IN THE NORTH LOOK FOR THE BIG DIPPER,

POLARIS, AND
CASSIO-PEIA.

HEY JAMES, CAN WE SPIN THE EARTH REALLY FAST
JUST FOR FUN?

JAMES:
AND SHOW DAYS AND NIGHTS FLY BY?

DEAN:
UH HUH.

JAMES:
OKAY, HOLD ON

BOTH: AAAAH!

BOTH:
KEEP LOOKING UP!