1 00:00:20,820 --> 00:00:22,355 PLANETS IN THE KITCHEN! 2 00:00:22,455 --> 00:00:24,391 DEAN: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS! 3 00:00:24,491 --> 00:00:27,427 I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINATTI OBSERVATORY. 4 00:00:27,527 --> 00:00:31,931 JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, 5 00:00:32,032 --> 00:00:33,466 FLORIDA. 6 00:00:33,566 --> 00:00:35,502 THIS WEEK, WE'RE GOING TO HELP YOU PUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM IN PERSPECTIVE. 7 00:00:35,602 --> 00:00:37,070 DEAN: THAT'S RIGHT, JAMES. 8 00:00:37,170 --> 00:00:40,607 OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS SO LARGE WITH RESPECT TO THE SIZE OF THE PLANETS, 9 00:00:40,707 --> 00:00:45,145 THAT MOST PEOPLE, OURSELVES INCLUDED, HAVE NEVER REALLY HAD A CLEAR CONCEPT 10 00:00:45,245 --> 00:00:46,679 OF THE SCALE OF THE UNIVERSE. 11 00:00:46,780 --> 00:00:50,450 JAMES: TO SAY THAT SPACE IS BIG IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. 12 00:00:50,550 --> 00:00:52,986 HOW OFTEN DO WE THINK THAT THOSE BEAUTIFUL SPARKLING POINTS 13 00:00:53,086 --> 00:00:57,257 OF LIGHT IN THE SKY ARE ACTUALLY SUNS LIKE OUR SUN, YET THEY'RE SO FAR AWAY 14 00:00:57,357 --> 00:00:59,092 THAT THEY APPEAR AS MERE POINTS OF LIGHT? 15 00:00:59,192 --> 00:01:02,896 DEAN: AND HOW OFTEN DO WE THINK OF THE DIFFERENCES IN SIZES BETWEEN 16 00:01:02,996 --> 00:01:07,133 THE VARIOUS PLANETS AS THEY DRIFT ACROSS OUR EVENING AND MORNING SKIES? 17 00:01:07,233 --> 00:01:10,703 JAMES: EVEN WITH ALL THE EASY ACCESS WE HAVE TO INFORMATION ABOUT 18 00:01:10,804 --> 00:01:14,441 THE UNIVERSE, MANY OF US STILL DONT REALLY RELATE TO THE SIZE AND DISTANCE 19 00:01:14,541 --> 00:01:16,242 OF THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO THE NIGHT SKY. 20 00:01:16,342 --> 00:01:19,379 DEAN: SO, WE HAVE A NEAT DEMONSTRATION THAT CAN HELP, AND 21 00:01:19,479 --> 00:01:23,283 YOU CAN DO IT AT HOME, USING EVERY DAY OBJECTS YOU CAN FIND IN YOUR KITCHEN. 22 00:01:23,383 --> 00:01:25,251 JAMES: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? 23 00:01:25,351 --> 00:01:26,653 LET'S SHOW YOU! 24 00:01:26,753 --> 00:01:30,824 DEAN: OK, LET'S FIRST TALK ABOUT JUPITER, EARTH AND OUR SUN. 25 00:01:30,924 --> 00:01:33,259 JUPITER IS OUR LARGEST PLANET, BUT WHAT DOES THAT 26 00:01:33,359 --> 00:01:34,727 REALLY MEAN? 27 00:01:34,828 --> 00:01:38,731 WE CAN EASILY LOOK UP THE FACT THAT WE COD FIT 1300 EARTHS INSIDE 28 00:01:38,832 --> 00:01:43,369 JUPITER, OR IT WOD TAKE 1.3 MILLION EARTHS TO FILL UP OUR SUN. 29 00:01:43,470 --> 00:01:46,372 JAMES: OR TAKE THEIR DISTANCES FOR EXAMPLE. 30 00:01:46,473 --> 00:01:49,709 IF YOU DROVE IN A CAR FROM THE SUN TO THE EARTH AT 70 MILES 31 00:01:49,809 --> 00:01:54,214 PER HOUR, IT WOD TAKE YOU ALMOST 150 YEARS TO MAKE THE TRIP. 32 00:01:54,314 --> 00:01:56,950 FURTHERMORE, IT WOD TAKE YOU ALMOST 800 YEARS TO DRIVE 33 00:01:57,050 --> 00:02:01,321 FROM THE SUN TO JUPITER AND ALMOST 6000 YEARS TO DRIVE FROM THE SUN TO PLUTO. 34 00:02:01,421 --> 00:02:04,791 DEAN: BUT NUMBERS ARE EASILY FORGOTTEN, SO IF YOU REALLY WANT 35 00:02:04,891 --> 00:02:09,329 TO RELATE TO THE COSMOS, IT'S BEST TO THINK OF IT IN EVERY DAY TERMS AND WHAT 36 00:02:09,429 --> 00:02:11,798 COULD BE MORE EVERY DAY THAN YOUR KITCHEN. 37 00:02:11,898 --> 00:02:15,301 JAMES: SO, THE NEXT TIME YOU PICK UP AN ORANGE, PRETEND 38 00:02:15,401 --> 00:02:16,569 THAT IT'S THE SUN. 39 00:02:16,669 --> 00:02:19,672 THEN, TAKE A SALT SHAKER AND SPRINKLE SOME SALT IN YOUR 40 00:02:19,772 --> 00:02:21,274 HAND. 41 00:02:21,374 --> 00:02:24,310 IF YOU CAN PICK UP JUST ONE OF THOSE GRAINS OF SALT, THAT WILL REPRESENT 42 00:02:24,410 --> 00:02:25,578 THE EARTH. 43 00:02:25,678 --> 00:02:27,747 DEAN: THEN, TO PLACE THEM AT THEIR PROPER DISTANCES, 44 00:02:27,847 --> 00:02:31,417 PUT THAT BIT OF SALT 30 FEET AWAY FROM THE ORANGE. 45 00:02:31,518 --> 00:02:34,587 THAT IS THE SIZE AND SCALE OF THE EARTH AND THE SUN. 46 00:02:34,687 --> 00:02:37,056 DEAN: NOW TAKE A BLACK BEAN. 47 00:02:37,157 --> 00:02:41,294 THIS LITTLE BLACK BEAN REPRESENTS THE PLANET JUPITER, CIRCLING 200 48 00:02:41,394 --> 00:02:44,264 FEET AWAY, OR ONE CITY BLOCK AWAY FROM THE ORANGE. 49 00:02:44,364 --> 00:02:46,566 JAMES: THE PLANET SATURN, WOULD BE ANOTHER BLACK 50 00:02:46,666 --> 00:02:50,103 BEAN, TWO CITY BLOCKS AWAY (OR 400 FEET FROM THE ORANGE). 51 00:02:50,203 --> 00:02:55,508 DEAN: PLUTO, EVERYONE'S FAVORITE DWARF PLANET, WOD BE ONE SPECK OF FINELY GROUND PEPPER, 52 00:02:55,608 --> 00:02:57,744 10 CITY BLOCKS FROM THE ORANGE. 53 00:02:57,844 --> 00:03:01,214 JAMES: BUT OUR SUN IS JUST ONE OF BILLIONS OF STARS IN A 54 00:03:01,314 --> 00:03:03,149 FAMILY WE CALL OUR GALAXY. 55 00:03:03,249 --> 00:03:09,822 ON THIS SAME SCALE, THE SUN'S CLOSEST NEIGHBOR, ALPHA CENTAURI, IS ANOTHER ORANGE, 1300 MILES 56 00:03:09,923 --> 00:03:11,224 AWAY! 57 00:03:11,324 --> 00:03:13,927 DEAN: AND ALL THE OTHER STARS ARE FRUITS OF DIFFERENT SIZES 58 00:03:14,027 --> 00:03:17,330 AND ON THE AVERAGE ARE 2000 MILES APART. 59 00:03:17,430 --> 00:03:20,433 SO TO MAKE OUR GALAXY, THE MILKY WAY, WE WILL NEED 60 00:03:20,533 --> 00:03:25,004 200 TO 400 BILLION ORANGES, GRAPEFRUITS, CANTALOUPES AND PUMPKINS. 61 00:03:25,104 --> 00:03:29,609 IF YOU COD AMASS THAT MUCH FRUIT, YOU'D THEN NEED TO DISTRIBUTE IT OVER 62 00:03:29,709 --> 00:03:34,414 A SPACE 20 MILLION MILES IN DIAMETER.AND THAT'S JUST ONE GALAXY! 63 00:03:34,514 --> 00:03:38,551 JAMES: BUT, TO SHOW THE NUMBER OF STARS IN ALL THE GALAXIES IN THE VISIBLE 64 00:03:38,651 --> 00:03:42,322 UNIVERSE, IT WOULD TAKE MORE ORANGES, GRAPEFRUITS, MELONS AND PUMPKINS 65 00:03:42,422 --> 00:03:45,325 THAN HAVE EVER GROWN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME! 66 00:03:45,425 --> 00:03:49,362 THERE MAY BE TWO TRILLION GALAXIES IN OUR UNIVERSE, EACH WITH 67 00:03:49,462 --> 00:03:50,930 BILLIONS OF STARS IN THEM. 68 00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:55,268 DEAN: AND REMEMBER, OUR SUN IS JUST ONE OF THOSE ORANGES, WITH IT'S 69 00:03:55,368 --> 00:04:01,140 8 MAJOR PLANETS AND 5 DWARF PLANETS, ALL MERE SPECKS OF SALT, PEPPER 70 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:04,978 AND BLACK BEANS, CIRCLING LESS THAN 15 CITY BLOCKS AWAY. 71 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:08,681 JAMES: OR THINK OF IT LIKE THIS THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN YOUR KITCHEN. 72 00:04:08,781 --> 00:04:13,152 IF WE COULD FIT OUR ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SUN AND ALL IT'S PLANETS, INCLUDING 73 00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:17,757 THE DISTANCES BETWEEN THEM, INSIDE A COFFEE CUP, OUR GALAXY WOULD BE THE SIZE 74 00:04:17,857 --> 00:04:19,626 OF NORTH AMERICA! 75 00:04:19,726 --> 00:04:23,796 DEAN: NOW THAT'S A CUP OF JOE THAT'LL REALLY WAKE YOU UP IN THE MORNING AS YOU BOTH: KEEP 76 00:04:23,896 --> 00:04:27,896 LOOKING UP!