THE GOAT, THE FROG, AND MARS

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 FOR THE CINCINNATI

OBSERVATORY.

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

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, STAR GAZERS ALL
AROUND THE WORLD KICKED BACK AT NIGHT AND

TRIED TO MAKE SENSE OF THE UNIVERSE.

JAMES:
THE MORE THEY WATCHED THE SKY, THE MORE THEY

STARTED TO GET TO KNOW THE STARS.

DEAN:
I KNOW THE STARS MAY LOOK LIKE DOTS, BUT MAYBE

YOU CAN SEE SHAPES AND PATTERNS
IN THEM.

JAMES:
TAKE THAT GROUP OF STARS BEHIND US.

IF YOU CONNECT THE DOTS MAYBE IT LOOKS LIKE
A BIG, GOOFY GRIN.

DEAN:
OR WITH A LOT OF IMAGINATION, IT COULD BE

A SEA-GOAT.

JAMES: A WHAT?

DEAN:
SEA.

GOAT.

HALF GOAT.

HALF FISH.

I KNOW IT S TOTALLY OBVIOUS, BUT WE LL
SHOW YOU WHERE TO FIND IT, ALONG WITH A RED

PLANET OF WAR AND A STAR SOME PEOPLE SWORE
WAS A FROG.

JAMES:
WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?

LET S SHOW YOU.

DEAN:
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET UP FOR ANY NIGHT

THIS WEEK FACING SOUTH AT 8PM.

OH YEAH, I CAN DEFINITELY SEE IT.

JAMES:
SEE WHAT?

ALL I SEE IS A BUNCH OF FAINT DOTS WITH TWO
BRIGHTER DOTS

THROWN IN.

DEAN:
EXACTLY!

THERE S A SEA-GOAT, A FROG, AND A GOD OF
WAR.

JAMES:
YOU VE BEEN WATCHING THE SKY TOO LONG, MAN!

DEAN: THAT IS TRUE.

JAMES:
I MEAN, I CAN SEE MARS UP THERE PLAIN AS NIGHT.

IT S THE BRIGHTEST AND REDDIST LIGHT IN
THE SOUTHERN SKY

AFTER DARK.

MARS WAS CLOSEST TO US IN JULY, BUT IS STILL
SUPER-BRIGHT AND

SUPER-NOTICEABLE.

DEAN:
AND MARS WILL HELP US FIND THE SEA GOAT IN

A MINUTE, BUT LET S FLY IN FOR A CLOSER
LOOK TO SEE WHY MARS IS THE GOD OF WAR.

DEAN:
IT NORMALLY TAKES A ROCKET ABOUT SIX TO SEVEN

MONTHS TO TRAVEL FROM EARTH TO MARS.

BUT WE LL GET YOU THERE IN A FEW SECONDS.

JAMES:
THE ANCIENTS NOTICED MARS LOOKED REDDER THAN

MOST OTHER THINGS IN THE SKY.

SO, THEY ASSOCIATED IT WITH BLOOD AND WAR.

AS WE APPROACH THE RED PLANET WE LL FIRST
NOTICE THAT IT S NOT SUPER RED.

IT LOOKS MORE ORANGE, BROWN, PINK
AND RUSTY.

AND THAT S BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF IRON
IN THOSE ROCKS, AND THEY HAVE ACTUALLY RUSTED

OVER TIME.

DEAN:
CURRENTLY WE HAVE TWO ROVERS ROLLING ON MARS

AND SEVERAL ORBITING SPACECRAFTS.

THE LATEST ADDITION WILL BE THE INSIGHT MISSION
WHICH ARRIVES AT MARS IN NOVEMBER.

DEAN:
BACK ON EARTH, MARS WILL APPEAR NEAR A SECOND-MAGNITUDE

STAR NAMED DENEB ALGIEDI.

JAMES:
LONG-TIME STAR GAZERS MAY RECOGNIZE THE NAME

DENEB SINCE THAT IS THE NAME OF A BRIGHT
SUMMER STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION CYGNUS THE

SWAN.

DENEB MEANS TAIL.

SO, IS THIS THE TAIL OF THE SEA GOAT?

AND IF SO IS IT A FISH TAIL, OR A GOAT TAIL?

DEAN:
WELL, LET S OUTLINE THE STARS IN THIS CONSTELLATION

AND WE CAN SEE ALL OF CAPRICORNUS.

NOW IF YOU CAN T SEE
A SEA-GOAT, YOU RE NOT ALONE.

BUT MARS CAN AT LEAST ALERT YOU TO THE PRESENCE
OF THIS STAR PATTERN, THAT LOOKS LIKE A SMILE,

OR LARGE BOOMERANG.

JAMES:
AND WHEN WE THROW IN THE ANCIENT GREEK MYTHOLOGICAL

PICTURE, WE SEE THAT CAPRICORNUS HAS THE HEAD
OF A GOAT, AND THE TAIL OF A FISH.

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE GOD PAN WHO COULD
CHANGE INTO ANY ANIMAL.

DEAN:
ONE DAY WHEN PAN WAS WADING IN A STREAM A

TERRIFYING MONSTER NAMED TYPHON CAME ALONG.

IN A PAN-IC...

JAMES: NICE!

DEAN:
PAN, CHANGED FORM.

THE PART OF HIS BODY ABOVE THE WATER TURNED
INTO A GOAT AND THE PART BELOW TURNED INTO

A FISH.

JAMES: TALK ABOUT A DUAL-PERSONALITY!

JAMES:
SO NOW THAT WE GOT THE SEA-GOAT OUT OF THE

WAY DEAN, TELL ME ABOUT THE FROG IN
THE SKY.

DEAN:
OKAY, THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL FROG CONSTELLATIONS,

BUT THE ARABIC ASTRONOMERS HAD A FROGGY NICKNAME
FOR THE LONE, BRIGHT STAR IN THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST.

THERE YOU LL SEE THE FIRST-MAGNITUDE, AND
FUN-TO-PRONOUNCE STAR, FOMALHAUT.

OFFICIALLY, FOMALHAUT IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR
IN THE CUTE CONSTELLATION PISCIS AUSTRALIS,

THE SOUTHERN FISH.

JAMES: AWW, IT LOOKS A LIKE A LITTLE GOLDFISH.

DEAN:
YES, BUT THE ARABIC NICKNAME FOR THIS STAR

WAS, THE FIRST FROG.

JAMES:
SO, THERE S A LOT TO SEE IN THE SKY TONIGHT.

LOOK FOR MARS NEAR THE TAIL-STAR OF CAPRICORNUS
THE

SEA-GOAT.

DEAN:
THEN HOP OVER TO FOMALHAUT AND SEE IF YOU

SEE A FROG AND ITS GREENISH COLOR.

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!