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: IF YOU'VE WATCHED OUR SHOW OVER THE
YEARS, YOU KNOW THAT ONE OF OUR MOST FREQUENTLY

REFERENCED STAR PATTERNS IS THE BIG DIPPER.

DEAN: THAT'S RIGHT, JAMES.

BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS ONE STAR PATTERN
HAS BEEN CALLED DIFFERENT THINGS, DEPENDING

ON WHERE AND WHEN IT WAS OBSERVED?

JAMES: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

LET'S SHOW YOU!

JAMES: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR ABOUT
AN HOUR AFTER SUNSET, FACING NORTH.

HIGH IN THE SKY YOU'LL SEE SEVEN BRIGHT STARS
THAT FORM THE FAMILIAR PATTERN OF THE BIG

DIPPER.

THE FOUR STARS, DUBHE, MERAK, PHECDA AND MEGREZ
MAKE THE BOWL.

DEAN: RIGHT NEXT TO THEM ARE THE THREE STARS
ALIOTH, MIZAR AND ALKAID.

THEY MARK THE HANDLE.

THE BIG DIPPER HOWEVER IS NOT A CONSTELLATION.

ASTRONOMERS REFER TO IT AS AN ASTERISM; WHICH
IS A PATTERN OF BRIGHT STARS IN A MUCH LARGER

CONSTELLATION.

JAMES: THE BIG DIPPER HAS HAD MANY ALIASES
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE ANCIENT MAYA SAW IT AS THE
GIANT MACAW AND CELESTIAL TROUBLE MAKER, VUCUB-CAQUIX.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, HE WAS PLACED IN THE
SKY BY THE HERO TWINS HUNAHPU AND XBALANQUE

AFTER THE MACAW ARROGANTLY CLAIMED THAT HE
WAS THE SUN AND THE MOON.

DEAN: IN CHINA, THE SEVEN STARS OF THE BIG
DIPPER FORM THE RIGHT WALL OF THE PURPLE FORBIDDEN

ENCLOSURE, A CELESTIAL BARRIER THAT SURROUNDS
THE NORTH CELSTIAL POLE.

JAMES: IN GERMANY, IT'S CALLED GROSER WAGEN
(GRO ER WAGEN) OR THE GREAT WAGON, IN FINLAND

ITS CALLED THE OTAVA OR SALMON NET.

DEAN: IN IRELAND, IT'S A FARMERS PLOW, IN
NORTHERN ENGLAND, IT'S SOMETIMES CALLED THE

BUTCHER'S CLEAVER.

IN FRANCE, IT'S A CASSEROLE AND IN HOLLAND,
IT'S A SAUCE PAN.

JAMES: MY FAVORITE REFERENCE TO THE BIG DIPPER
COMES FROM AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY.

WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN WAS HELPING SLAVES TO
ESCAPE, SHE USED A TECHNIQUE CALLED THE UNDERGROUND

RAILROAD.

FAMILIES WOULD ESCAPE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT AND TRAVEL TO SAFE HOUSES ON THEIR WAY

NORTH; THEIR ULTIMATE DESTINATION BEING SOUTHERN
CANADA, WHERE THERE WAS NO SLAVERY.

DEAN: SINCE PEOPLE OF THAT TIME DIDN'T HAVE
GPS DEVICES LIKE WE DO TODAY, OR READILY AVAILABLE

COMPASSES TO FIND GEO-MAGNETIC NORTH, THEY
RELIED ON THE STARS TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE.

BACK IN THE 19TH CENTURY, PEOPLE KNEW THE
NIGHT SKY VERY WELL, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE

STREET LIGHTS TO WASH OUT THE STARS.

JAMES: THEREFORE, TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORTHWARD
BEARINGS, THEY TOLD EACH OTHER TO LOOK FOR

THE DRINKING GOURD AND KEEP IT IN FRONT OF
YOU.

THAT PIECE OF ADVICE LED MANY PEOPLE TO FREEDOM,
AND THEY EVEN MADE A TRAVELING SONG CALLED

FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD, WHERE THE LYRICS
OF THE SONG MENTIONED MANY OF THE LANDMARKS

TRAVELERS WOULD ENCOUNTER ON THEIR WAY TO
THE OHIO RIVER; THE DESIGNATED PICK-UP POINT.

DEAN: THE STARS OF THE BIG DIPPER ARE BETWEEN
75 AND 100 LIGHT YEARS FROM US, AND IF YOU

HAVE REALLY GOOD EYESIGHT, YOU CAN SEE ONE
OF THE MOST FAMOUS VISUAL BINARIES IN THE

NIGHT SKY.

JAMES: RIGHT NEXT TO THE STAR MIZAR, THE STAR
WHICH MARKS THE BEND IN THE BIG DIPPER'S HANDLE,

YOU WILL SEE A SMALL, FAINT COMPANION STAR
NAMED ALCOR.

THESE TWO STARS ARE COLLECTIVELY CALLED THE
HORSE AND RIDER AND WERE OFTEN USED AS A TEST

OF A PERSONS EYESIGHT.

DEAN: SPEAKING OF EYESIGHT, IF YOU HAVE A
TELESCOPE HANDY, THERE ARE TWO SPECTACULAR

SPIRAL GALAXIES VISIBLE NEAR THE STAR ALKAID;
WHICH IS AT THE END OF THE DIPPER'S HANDLE.

M101, THE PINWHEEL GALAXY IS JUST TO THE NORTH
OF ALKAID AND M51.

THE WHIRLPOOL GALAXY IS JUST TO ITS SOUTH.

JAMES: NO CONVERSATION ABOUT THE BIG DIPPER
WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT SHOWING HOW YOU

CAN FIND ITS NEIGHBORING CONSTELLATIONS USING
ITS STARS.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN FIND POLARIS (THE NORTH
STAR) BY DRAWING A STRAIGHT LINE FROM MERAK

TO DUBHE AND CONTINUING THAT LINE APPROXIMATELY
FIVE TIMES THE DISTANCE SPANNED BETWEEN MERAK

AND DUBHE.

DEAN: YOU CAN FIND BOOTES THE HERDSMAN BY
DRAWING AN ARC FROM ALIOTH, TO MIZAR AND THEN

ALKAID.

EVENTUALLY YOU WILL ENCOUNTER ARCTURUS, THE
BRIGHTEST STAR IN BOOTES.

JAMES: YOU CAN FIND LEO THE LION DIRECTLY
OVERHEAD THIS TIME OF YEAR BY DRAWING A LINE

FROM PHECDA TO MEGREZ AND BEYOND.

DEAN: AND YOU CAN FIND THE GEMINI TWINS BY
DRAWING A LINE FROM MEGREZ TO MERAK AND BEYOND.

JAMES: SO THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THE DRINKING GOURD, CASSEROLE, WAGON, PLOW,
CLEAVER, MACAW, DIPPER IN ALL ITS GLORY.

DEAN: AND IT'S WAITING IN THE SKY JUST FOR
YOU, WHEN YOU

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!