JAMES: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.

I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA
PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE
CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.

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

I KNOW WE NORMALLY FOCUS ON WHAT'S UP IN THE
EVENING SKY.

JAMES: THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S OFTEN MORE CONVENIENT
FOR PEOPLE TO VIEW THE SKY AFTER WORK OR RIGHT

BEFORE BEDTIME.

PLUS MOST PEOPLE ARE NIGHT OWLS LIKE DEAN.

BUT THIS WEEK, WE'RE GOING TO WAKE UP EARLY
AND CHECK OUT THE SKY BEFORE DAWN.

DEAN: THAT'S RIGHT JAMES.

WE'RE SETTING OUR ALARMS, WAKING UP EARLY,
SEEING THE STARS, AND THEN GOING RIGHT BACK

TO SLEEP.

JAMES: NO WAY!

YOU HAVE TO STAY UP AT LEAST UNTIL SUNRISE.

DEAN: OKAY, BUT DONT EXPECT ME TO BE MY USUAL
BUBBLY, AND EFFERVESCENT SELF.

JAMES: HA!

JUST DONT HIT THE SNOOZE ON THIS SHOW, BECAUSE
WE HAVE A REALLY BRIGHT PLANET TO WATCH FOR.

DEAN: OH YEAH!

OKAY, NOW I'M EXCITED BECAUSE WE GET TO WAKE
UP WITH VENUS.

LET'S SHOW YOU.

JAMES: OKAY, WE'RE UP BRIGHT AND EARLY, READY
TO GREET THE DAY.

IT'S ABOUT 90 MINUTES BEFORE SUNRISE AND WE'RE
FACING EAST.

DEAN, STOP YAWNING!

DEAN: I'M AWAKE.

I'M AWAKE.

JAMES: THE WORLD AROUND YOU IS STILL ASLEEP.

IT'S SO QUIET AND PEACEFUL AND THERE ARE SOME
AMAZING STARS TO OBSERVE.

DEAN: I HAVE TO ADMIT, THIS IS PRETTY COOL.

AND THE FIRST THING THAT CATCHES MY EYE IS
A REALLY, REALLY BRIGHT OBJECT JUST ABOVE

THE EASTERN HORIZON.

THAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS THE DAZZLING
PLANET VENUS.

WAY BRIGHTER THAN ANY STAR, VENUS DEFINITELY
COMMANDS YOUR ATTENTION.

JAMES: AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WE WERE
OBSERVING VENUS IN THE EVENING SKY.

SO SHE WAS THE FIRST STAR YOU SAW JUST AFTER
SUNSET LOW IN THE WESTERN SKY.

BACK THEN SHE WAS THE EVENING STAR.

DEAN: BUT A FEW MONTHS AGO, SHE SWITCHED OVER
TO THE MORNING SKY AND CAN BE SEEN JUST BEFORE

SUNRISE IN THE EASTERN SKY.

SO NOW SHE'S THE MORNING STAR.

SAME PLANET - DIFFERENT TIME OF DAY.

DEAN: WHEN WE LOOK AT VENUS IN A TELESCOPE
THIS WEEK, IT'LL LOOK MORE LIKE A HALF-MOON.

VENUS REFLECTS A LOT OF SUNLIGHT TOWARD EARTH
AND FROM THIS ANGLE, THIS WEEK, WE CAN SEE

HALF OF THE DAYTIME SIDE AND HALF OF THE NIGHTTIME
SIDE OF VENUS.

JAMES: IF WE WANT TO FLY TO THE PLANET, AND
SEE THE WHOLE THING, IT WOULD BE QUITE A TRIP.

VENUS IS OVER 75 MILLION MILES FROM EARTH
THIS WEEK.

UNFORTUNATELY, FROM ABOVE, THERE WOULDN'T
BE A LOT TO SEE.

DEAN: VENUS IS PERPETUALLY COVERED IN CLOUDS.

THE CLOUDS REFLECT A LOT OF SUNLIGHT AND TRAP
IN A WHOLE LOT OF HEAT.

SO VENUS, ALTHOUGH FARTHER FROM THE SUN THAN
MERCURY, IS THE HOTTEST PLANET.

JAMES: THATS RIGHT!

THE SURFACE OF VENUS SWELTERS AT AROUND 900
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT!

DEAN: VENUS WILL BE HANGING OUT BETWEEN THREE
CONSTELLATIONS.

ARIES THE RAM WILL BE ABOVE VENUS, PISCES
THE FISH WILL BE UP AND TO THE RIGHT, AND

THE HEAD OF CETUS THE SEA MONSTER IS JUST
BELOW HER.

IF YOU CANT MAKE OUT A RAM, TWO FISH TIED
TOGETHER WITH STRING, AND A VICIOUS SEA MONSTER,

YOU'RE NOT ALONE.

THEY ARE TOUGH TO IMAGINE.

JAMES: LET'S ADVANCE TIME DAY BY DAY TO SEE
WHAT HAPPENS.

ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 18, THE WANING MOON
IS COMING INTO THE SCENE.

AND ON JUNE 19 ITS A WANING CRESCENT AND IS
APPEARING A LITTLE CLOSER TO VENUS.

AND ON JUNE 20, WOW, IT'LL BE REALLY CLOSE
TO VENUS.

SO CLOSE I THINK WE CAN CONSIDER IT A CONJUNCTION.

DEAN: JAMES LOVES A GOOD CONJUNCTION.

BUT I THINK IT MIGHT LOOK EVEN BETTER ON THE
MORNING OF JUNE 21.

YOU'LL SEE AN EVEN SLIMMER CRESCENT MOON WITH
VENUS UP AND TO THE RIGHT.

AS WE MOVE OUR TIME TO 5:30 AND EVENTUALLY
TO SUNRISE, THE MOON AND VENUS RISE UP, AS

THE SKY BRIGHTENS.

JAMES: AND YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEE THEM BOTH
ALL THE WAY TO SUNRISE, AND MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE

BIT BEYOND.

VENUS IS THAT BRIGHT!

JAMES: SO GET UP EARLY THIS WEEK TO CHECK
OUT VENUS BEFORE DAWN.

DEAN: EVEN IF YOU'RE A NIGHT OWL, IT IS TOTALLY
WORTH SEEING IT WITH THE MOON NEARBY.

JAMES: AND NOW THAT YOU'VE WATCHED A SUNRISE
ON JUNE 21, GUESS WHAT?

IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

DEAN: AWESOME!

I'M GLAD I WOKE UP EARLY.

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START A SEASON!

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!