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 PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE,
FLORIDA.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY.
HEY DEAN, WHAT'S SCARIER?
A DRAGON OR A SCORPION?
DEAN: WHAT?
SCORPION?
WHERE?
JAMES: OH RIGHT, I FORGOT ABOUT YOUR DEEP-SEATED
FEAR OF SCORPIONS HEH, HEH, WELL DON'T WORRY,
THIS SCORPION IS HANGING OUT IN THE SUMMER
STARS, UP THERE IN THE SOUTHERN SKY.
DEAN: WHEW! AND THE DRAGON MUST BE THE CONSTELLATION
DRACO THE DRAGON WHO FLIES HIGH IN THE NORTHERN
SKY IN THE SUMMER.
JAMES: YEP, PLUS WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO FIND
THE PLANETS JUPITER AND SATURN.
DEAN: LET'S SHOW YOU THE DRAGON AND THE SCORPION.
JAMES: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET FOR ANY NIGHT
THIS WEEK AT 11PM FACING SOUTH.
SCORPIUS IS ONE OF THE FEW CONSTELLATIONS
THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE ITS NAMESAKE.
DEAN: SCORPIUS SCUTTLES JUST ABOVE THE SOUTHERN
HORIZON AS A LONG FISH-HOOK SHAPE OF STARS.
THE CURVE MARKS THE SCORPION'S TAIL AND STINGER.
YOU MIGHT NEED MORE IMAGINATION TO SEE HIS
BODY AND CLAWS, BUT THERE'S HIS RED BEATING
HEART - THE RED SUPERGIANT STAR ANTARES.
JAMES: ANTARES HAS INSPIRED OBSERVERS FOR
THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
IT MEANS 'RIVAL OF MARS' BECAUSE IT IS SIMILAR
IN COLOR TO THE RED PLANET.
BUT IT'S NOTHING LIKE MARS.
FIRST, ANTARES IS A STAR AND MARS IS A PLANET.
SECOND, ANTARES IS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN
STARS IN THE GALAXY.
THIS IS WHAT ANTARES WOULD LOOK LIKE NEXT
TO OUR SUN.
MARS WOULD BE TOO SMALL TO SHOW ON THE SCREEN.
YIKES, THAT'S A HUGE STAR!
DEAN: IN MYTHOLOGY, SCORPIUS WAS THE SLAYER
OF ORION.
OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW ABOUT ORION'S BELT OF
THREE STARS, BUT SCORPIUS HAS THREE STARS
ALMOST IN A ROW.
YOU CAN FIND THEM AT THE CLAWS OF THE SCORPION.
OKAY, THEY'RE NOT QUITE LINED UP LIKE ORION'S
BELT, BUT STILL THEY'RE EASY TO FIND.
THEIR NAMES ARE GRAFFIAS ON THE TOP DSCHUBBA
IN THE MIDDLE AND PI SCORPII ON THE BOTTOM.
JAMES: YOU JUST WANTED TO SAY DSCHUBBA DIDN'T
YOU?
DEAN: YOU KNOW IT!
PLUS DSCHUBBA IS A VARIABLE STAR.
THAT MEANS IT CHANGES ITS BRIGHTNESS FROM
TIME TO TIME.
DEAN: OKAY NOW LET'S LOOK TO THE NORTHERN
SKY AND GO DRAGON-HUNTING!
DRACO THE DRAGON LURKS IN THE NORTH WITH HER
TAIL BEGINNING BETWEEN THE BIG DIPPER ON THE
LEFT AND THE NORTH STAR RIGHT THERE.
JAMES: IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THE
NORTH STAR, USE THE BRIGHTER STARS IN THE
BIG DIPPER TO POINT THE WAY.
SHOOT AN ARROW FROM THE TWO STARS AT THE END
OF THE BIG DIPPER'S SPOON AND CONTINUE THAT
TO THE RIGHT AND BINGO!
YOU'LL RUN INTO THE NORTH STAR.
DEAN: YOU'LL NEED A DARK SKY TO SEE THE DRAGON'S
TAIL THAT COILS AROUND THE LITTLE DIPPER,
SO LET'S ZOOM INTO THE DRAGON'S HEAD WHICH
HOLDS THE BRIGHTEST STARS IN THIS MONSTER
CONSTELLATION.
DEAN: THREE SEMI-BRIGHT STARS MARK HIS HEAD
IN A NEAT TRIANGLE - THEY ARE, IN ORDER OR
BRIGHTNESS ELTANNIN RASTABAN AND GRUMIUM AND
IF YOU'RE IN A DARKER SKY, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE
TO MAKE OUT A FOURTH.
JAMES: YOU JUST WANTED TO SAY RASTABAN DIDN'T
YOU?
DEAN: YEP.
I LIKE MY QUIRKY STAR NAMES.
JAMES: TO THE BABYLONIANS, DRACO WAS THE SHE-DRAGON
TIAMAT.
SHE'S SAID TO HAVE HAD A BODY SEVEN MILES
LONG AND A MOUTH AS BIG AS THE SKY.
ALONG CAME A GOD NAMED MARDUK WHO SLEW THE
GREAT BEAST WITH A BOW AND ARROW.
MARDUK THEN SLICED THE DRAGON IN HALF - ONE
HALF BECOMING THE EARTH, AND THE OTHER BECOMING
THE HEAVENS ABOVE.
DEAN: OKAY, SO NOW WE WANT TO LOOK FOR TWO
PLANETS IN THE NIGHT SKY.
THE FIRST ONE IS EASY TO FIND BECAUSE ITS
SO BRIGHT.
FACE SOUTHWEST AFTER DARK AND YOU'LL SEE JUPITER.
JAMES: IT'S THE BRIGHTEST STARLIKE OBJECT
IN THE NIGHT SKY RIGHT NOW.
THEN LOOK SOUTH AGAIN, JUST ABOVE THE SCORPIONS
TAIL, AND YOU'LL SEE A BRIGHT YELLOW STAR.
DEAN: IT SHOULDNT TWINKLE AS MUCH AS THE OTHER
STARS BECAUSE IT IS IN FACT THE PLANET SATURN.
AH, MY FAVORITE!
I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT AGAIN.
SO GET OUTSIDE EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK.
JAMES: AND DON'T FORGET TO LOOK FOR SCORPIUS
THE SCORPION IN THE SOUTHERN SKY - NOT AT
YOUR FEET!
DEAN: AAH!
DON'T DO THAT!
JAMES: AND SEE DRACO THE DRAGON IN THE NORTHERN
SKY BETWEEN THE BIG AND LITTLE DIPPER.
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!