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.
WERE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY.
IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE DOG PEOPLE
DEAN: AND CAT PEOPLE
JAMES: WELL, WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
THIS WEEK.
WE HAVE TWO CANINE CONSTELLATIONS
DEAN: AND ONE GIANT FELINE IN THE NIGHT SKY.
JAMES: AND IF YOU'RE NOT A DOG OR CAT PERSON,
MAYBE WE CAN CONVINCE YOU TO BE A JUPITER
PERSON!
DEAN: LET'S SHOW YOU.
DEAN: WHEN YOU FACE SOUTH AFTER DARK YOU'LL
SEE THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY, SIRIUS.
I KNOW THAT JUPITER IS A LITTLE BRIGHTER BUT
IT'S A PLANET, NOT A STAR.
BUT DONT WORRY, WELL GET TO THE LATER.
SIRIUS IS THE NOSE OF THE BIG DOG-CONSTELLATION,
CANIS MAJOR.
HE'S ONE OF ORION'S HUNTING DOGS -- OH YEAH,
THERE'S OUR MAIN MAN, ORION, OVER TO THE DOGS'
RIGHT.
JAMES: IN FACT, YOU CAN USE THE THREE BELT
STARS OF ORION TO FIND SIRIUS.
SHOOT AN ARROW FROM THE BELT TO THE LEFT AND
IT'LL TAKE YOU OVER TO SIRIUS.
DEAN: SIRIUS IS ONE OF OUR CLOSEST STARS.
IT'S ONLY 8.6 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
JAMES: OKAY, THAT' STILL LIKE 50 TRILLION
MILES AWAY, BUT STILL IT'S WAY CLOSER THAN
MOST STARS OUT THERE.
DEAN: AND SIRIUS IS REALLY TWO STARS ORBITING
EACH OTHER.
A BIG WHITE STAR, THAT'S TWICE AS MASSIVE
AS OUR SUN, AND A SMALL WHITE DWARF STAR THAT
HAS ALMOST THE MASS OF OUR SUN, BUT IS ONLY
THE SIZE OF THE EARTH.
JAMES: HIGHER IN THE SOUTHERN SKY IS ANOTHER
BRIGHT STAR CALLED PROCYON.
NOW GET YOUR IMAGINATIONS READY FOR THIS...
PROCYON AND THE STAR NEXT TO IT (NAMED GOMEISA)
MAKE UP THE ENTIRE CONSTELLATION CANIS MINOR,
THE LITTLE DOG.
DEAN: WAIT, TWO STARS?
THAT'S IT?
THAT MUST BE A HOT DOG!
JAMES: ANYWAY PROCYON, LIKE SIRIUS IS A
WHITE STAR THAT'S CLOSE TO EARTH (RELATIVELY
SPEAKING).
IT'S ONLY 11.5 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
ALSO LIKE SIRIUS, PROCYON IS A MULTIPLE STAR
SYSTEM WITH A WHITE DWARF STAR IN TOW.
JAMES: TO FIND OUR FRIENDLY FELINE CONSTELLATION
WE NEED TO FACE EAST.
LOOK FOR A BACKWARD QUESTION MARK OF STARS
FOR A HEAD AND A TRIANGLE OF STARS FOR A REAR.
DEAN: FRIENDLY HA.
THIS IS LEO THE LION, MOST FEARED CREATURE
TO EVER WALK THE FORESTS OF NEMEA.
JAMES: THAT'S IN GREECE.
DEAN: YES, AND LEO WAS FINALLY TAKEN OUT BY
NONE OTHER THAN HERCULES.
AFTER STRANGLING THE BEAST, HERCULES FASHIONED
LEO'S HIDE INTO A COAT.
SO IF YOU EVER SEE PICTURES OF HERCULES WEARING
A LION SKIN, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD LEO.
HEY HERCULES, THAT IS DEFINITELY A BOLD FASHION
STATEMENT!
JAMES: BUT HERE WE SEE LEO IN MORE PEACEFUL
DAYS, LYING CAT-LIKE IN THE SKIES.
THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN LEO IS CALLED REGULUS
AND MEANS LITTLE KING
DEAN: NOW THAT WE'RE HEADING INTO SPRING,
YOU'LL BE SEEING THE KING OF THE STARRY SKIES,
LEO, NIGHTLY.
DEAN: WE'RE NOW LOOKING A LITTLE INTO THE
FUTURE AND IT IS THE NIGHT OF MARCH 13 AT
10PM.
WHEN YOU LOOK EAST-SOUTHEAST, YOULL FIND THE
WANING GIBBOUS MOON ABOVE A REALLY BRIGHT
STAR.
JAMES: THAT "STAR" IS ACTUALLY THE LARGEST
PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM - JUPITER.
LIKE WE MENTIONED EARLIER, SIRIUS IS THE BRIGHTEST
STAR IN THE SKY, BUT JUPITER, AS A PLANET,
OUTSHINES IT ALMOST TWO-FOLD.
DEAN: AND JUPITER IS GETTING CLOSER TO US
EACH NIGHT THIS MONTH UNTIL IT REACHES OPPOSITION
- THE CLOSEST POINT TO THE EARTH - ON APRIL
7TH.
RIGHT NOW, JUPITER IS OVER 420 MILLION MILES
FROM EARTH.
BUT ITS SUCH A HUGE PLANET THAT IT SHINES
ITS REFLECTIVE SUNLIGHT ALL THE WAY TO US.
JAMES: IF YOU MISS SEEING JUPITER NEAR THE
MOON ON MARCH 13TH, GO BACK OUTSIDE AGAIN
ON MARCH 14TH.
THE MOON WILL APPEAR JUST BELOW AND TO THE
LEFT OF JUPITER.
PLUS YOU'LL WANT TO NOTE A BRIGHT BLUE STAR
IN THE AREA.
THIS IS CALLED SPICA THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN
THE CONSTELLATION VIRGO THE MAIDEN.
JAMES: SO DOG PEOPLE, CAT PEOPLE, AND PLANET
PEOPLE - WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE THIS
WEEK.
DEAN: NOT TO MENTION THE MOON!
JAMES: OH YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
THE MOON WILL BE HANGING NEAR JUPITER ON MARCH
13 AND 14.
DEAN: AND YOU CAN SEE THE TWO HUNTING DOGS
OF ORION, CANIS MAJOR AND CANIS MINOR AS WELL
AS ONE BIG CAT, LEO THE LION.
AND IT'S ALL THERE WHEN YOU
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!