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 TONIGHT.

AS SUMMER STARTS HEADING TO FALL, THE SUMMER
STARS START FADING AWAY.

DEAN: BUT WE HAVE A WEEK OR TWO TO TAKE IN
MY FAVORITE CONSTELLATION OF SUMMER: SCORPIUS

THE SCORPION WITH ITS FLICKERING RED HEART-STAR
AND TWO STINGER STARS.

JAMES: PLUS THE RED PLANET MARS WILL BE HANGING
WITH THE SCORPION.

DEAN: AND WE HAVE A BONUS PLANET FOR YOU TO
LOOK FOR.

SHOULD WE TELL THEM WHICH ONE?

JAMES: NO, NOT YET.

LETS BUILD UP THE SUSPENSE!

DEAN: MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.

TO THE STARS!

DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO ANY NIGHT
THIS WEEK, AT 9:30PM, FACING SOUTH.

TO FIND THE SCORPION, LOOK JUST ABOVE THE
HORIZON FOR STARS THAT FORM A FISHHOOK SHAPE.

IT'S A LITTLE TOUGHER TO SEE THE DISTINCT
OUTLINE OF THE CONSTELLATION SINCE THERE ARE

TWO VISITING PLANETS AMONG THE NORMAL STARS
OF THE SCORPION.

BUT BE PATIENT, WE'LL GET TO THOSE SOON ENOUGH.

JAMES: IT MAY BE TOUGH TO IMAGINE THESE STARS
AS A SCUTTLING SCORPION BUT HOPEFULLY THE

PICTURE HELPS.

WHEN I LOOK FOR SCORPIUS, THE FIRST THING
I NOTICE IS THE REALLY RED, REALLY TWINKLY

STAR AT THE HEART OF THE SCORPION.

THIS STAR IS CALLED ANTARES.

DEAN: IF WE ZOOM IN ON ANTARES WITH A LARGE
TELESCOPE WE FIND THAT IT IS NOT JUST ONE

STAR, BUT TWO ORBITING EACH OTHER.

THE LARGER ONE IS THE RED STAR WE SEE WITH
THE NAKED EYE.

THE SMALLER IS OF A CONTRASTING COLOR AND
MOST PEOPLE THINK IT LOOKS GREEN BUT YOULL

NEED A BIG TELESCOPE TO SEE IT.

JAMES: AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE MAIN STAR ANTARES
IS GIGANTIC AND DAZZLINGLY BRIGHT.

IF WE PUT ANTARES NEXT TO THE SUN, THIS IS
WHAT THEYD LOOK LIKE.

DEAN: YIKES!

THE BRIGHTEST STAR-LIKE OBJECT IN SCORPIUS
RIGHT NOW ISN'T A STAR.

IT'S THE PLANET MARS AND YOU CAN SEE IT JUST
ABOVE THE SCORPION'S HEART-STAR, ABOVE ANTARES

THIS WEEK.

JAMES: THE WORD ANTARES MEANS, RIVAL OF MARS,
BUT THIS WEEK ANTARES IS NO MATCH FOR MARS

(WHEN IT COMES TO BRIGHTNESS).

THE RED PLANET WILL LOOK ABOUT TWICE AS BRIGHT
AS THE RED STAR.

DEAN: AND YOU WILL NOTICE ONE OTHER DIFFERENCE:
WHILE ANTARES WILL TWINKLE, MARS' LIGHT WILL

BE MUCH MORE STEADY.

THIS IS A GENERAL RULE - STARS TWINKLE, PLANETS
DONT (AS MUCH).

JAMES: NOW THAT WEVE INVESTIGATED THE HEART
OF THE SCORPION, HOW ABOUT HIS TAIL?

AT THE END OF THE FISHHOOK SHAPE, LOOK FOR
TWO STARS THAT ARE VERY CLOSE TOGETHER.

THESE ARE THE STARS SHAULA AND LESATH AND
TOGETHER THEY ARE KNOWN AS, THE STING.

DEAN: MAKES SENSE.

ALTHOUGH THESE TWO STARS LOOK CLOSE TOGETHER,
THEY ARE SEPARATED BY TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS

OF MILES.

LESATH, THE DIMMER OF THE PAIR IS ABOUT 580
LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH.

THE DISTANCE TO SHAULA HOWEVER IS UNKNOWN.

SOME ASTRONOMERS FOUND IT TO BE 700 LIGHT
YEARS AWAY AND OTHERS FOUND IT TO BE ONLY

365 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.

EITHER WAY, THE STINGER STARS ONLY LOOK LIKE
THEY ARE CLOSE TOGETHER.

JAMES: I'VE ALSO HEARD THEM CALLED THE CATS
EYES SINCE THEY ARE SO DISTINCT.

AND WHILE YOU'RE IN THE AREA, TWO OPEN CLUSTERS
LIE NEARBY FOR YOU TO DISCOVER WITH ONLY A

PAIR OF BINOCULARS.

THEY'RE CALLED M6 AND M7.

JAMES: AND FINALLY WE WILL REVEAL OUR MYSTERY
GUEST PLANET FOR TODAY'S SHOW.

DEAN: THE ANTICIPATION HAS BEEN KILLING ME!

JAMES: UH HUH, AND WHEN YOU LOOK ABOVE ANTARES,
AND ABOVE MARS, YOU WILL SEE ANOTHER BRIGHT

STEADY LIGHT.

DEAN: SO STEADY IT MUST BE A PLANET, BUT WHICH
ONE?

LET'S PRETEND WE'RE FOCUSING A TELESCOPE AND
GETTING A CLEAR LOOK.

THIS IS THE SIXTH PLANET FROM THE SUN, THE
SECOND LARGEST PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

KEEPER OF AT LEAST 62 MOONS, GORGEOUS RINGS,
AND WELL I THINK YOUVE FIGURED IT OUT.

JAMES: THIS IS SATURN, AND IF YOU HAVE NOT
SEEN IT THROUGH A TELESCOPE, MAKE IT YOUR

MISSION TO DO SO THIS MONTH.

CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL ASTRONOMY CLUB, PLANETARIUM,
OR SCIENCE CENTER AND ASK, HEY ARE YOU GUYS

VIEWING SATURN THIS SEASON?

AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE IT.

DEAN: IT IS TRULY BREATH-TAKING.

AND IT'S ALL THERE WHEN YOU

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!