1 00:00:20,253 --> 00:00:21,721 MOON CONJUNCTION JUNCTION 2 00:00:21,821 --> 00:00:25,458 DEAN: HEY THERE STARGAZERS, I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER 3 00:00:25,558 --> 00:00:27,127 FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 4 00:00:27,227 --> 00:00:29,662 JAMES: AND IM JAMES ALBURY DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA 5 00:00:29,763 --> 00:00:31,164 PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, 6 00:00:31,264 --> 00:00:34,634 FLORIDA AND WERE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 7 00:00:34,734 --> 00:00:37,437 DEAN: LONG-TIME STAR GAZERS OUT THERE MAY KNOW THAT 8 00:00:37,537 --> 00:00:40,673 JAMES GETS VERY EXCITED DURING CONJUNCTIONS. 9 00:00:40,774 --> 00:00:42,675 AND HE AUTOMATICALLY STARTS DANCING. 10 00:00:42,776 --> 00:00:44,611 JAMES: WHENEVER THE MOON APPEARS NEXT TO 11 00:00:44,711 --> 00:00:47,380 A PLANET, OR TWO OR MORE PLANETS COME TOGETHER, 12 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,149 IT'S CALLED A CONJUNCTION. 13 00:00:49,249 --> 00:00:52,652 AND THESE ARE SUCH EXCITING ASTRONOMICAL ALIGNMENTS THAT I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF. 14 00:00:52,752 --> 00:00:54,587 DEAN: AND WITH THAT INFORMATION, 15 00:00:54,687 --> 00:01:00,260 AND THE DREADED ANTICIPATION OF THE DANCE PARTIES TO COME, I HESITATE TO EVEN MENTION 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:01,261 THIS BUT 17 00:01:01,361 --> 00:01:02,262 JAMES: YES??? 18 00:01:02,362 --> 00:01:03,663 DEAN: OVER THE PERIOD OF 19 00:01:03,763 --> 00:01:07,667 TWO SHORT WEEKS, THE MOON WILL APPROACH ALL FIVE OF THE NAKED-EYE 20 00:01:07,767 --> 00:01:08,668 PLANETS. 21 00:01:08,768 --> 00:01:09,669 JAMES: YOU MEAN ? 22 00:01:09,769 --> 00:01:10,670 DEAN: YES, THE MOON WILL 23 00:01:10,770 --> 00:01:12,605 PASS NEAR MERCURY, VENUS, JUPITER, 24 00:01:12,705 --> 00:01:14,040 SATURN, AND FINALLY 25 00:01:14,140 --> 00:01:15,041 JAMES: MARS! 26 00:01:15,141 --> 00:01:16,042 DEAN: YEP. 27 00:01:16,142 --> 00:01:17,977 THAT'S FIVE CONJUNCTIONS BETWEEN 28 00:01:18,078 --> 00:01:20,713 OH MY, WELL 29 00:01:20,814 --> 00:01:21,714 LET'S HEAD TO THE SKY... 30 00:01:21,815 --> 00:01:22,982 DEAN: OH GOOD, YOU'RE ALIVE! 31 00:01:23,083 --> 00:01:24,350 JAMES: OF COURSE, 32 00:01:24,451 --> 00:01:27,954 I'M NOT GOING TO LET A LITTLE SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION GET IN 33 00:01:28,054 --> 00:01:31,591 THE WAY OF SEEING THE FIVE CONJUNCTIONS BETWEEN JULY 14TH 34 00:01:31,691 --> 00:01:32,592 AND 27TH. 35 00:01:32,692 --> 00:01:33,660 DEAN: EXCELLENT! 36 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,596 LETS START ON JULY 14TH FOR CONJUNCTION #1. 37 00:01:36,696 --> 00:01:40,366 THIS WILL BE THE TOUGHEST OF THE FIVE SINCE WERE DEALING WITH MERCURY HERE. 38 00:01:40,467 --> 00:01:43,636 MERCURY NEVER STRAYS FAR FROM THE SUN AND SO YOU CAN ONLY 39 00:01:43,736 --> 00:01:45,805 SEE IT JUST, AND I MEAN JUST 40 00:01:45,905 --> 00:01:47,040 AFTER SUNSET. 41 00:01:47,140 --> 00:01:49,742 JAMES: LOOK WEST AS THE SUN DIPS BELOW THE HORIZON 42 00:01:49,843 --> 00:01:52,946 FOR THE SLIMMEST CRESCENT MOON YOU'LL EVER SEE. 43 00:01:53,046 --> 00:01:55,115 JUST BELOW IT IS A TINY DOT. 44 00:01:55,215 --> 00:01:56,583 THAT DOT IS THE PLANET MERCURY. 45 00:01:56,683 --> 00:01:59,552 DEAN: CONJUNCTION #2 WILL OCCUR ON THE VERY 46 00:01:59,652 --> 00:02:01,254 NEXT NIGHT. 47 00:02:01,354 --> 00:02:05,792 JULY 15TH JUST AFTER SUNSET THE MOON WILL APPROACH THE DAZZLING PLANET VENUS. 48 00:02:05,892 --> 00:02:08,328 JAMES: VENUS AND THE MOON MAKE A LOVELY PAIR 49 00:02:08,428 --> 00:02:09,696 IN THE TWILIGHT. 50 00:02:09,796 --> 00:02:12,866 BUT KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THEM BECAUSE AS THE NIGHT ROLLS ON, 51 00:02:12,966 --> 00:02:14,534 AND THE SUN SETS IN THE WEST, 52 00:02:14,634 --> 00:02:18,771 THE MOON WILL GET EVEN CLOSER TO VENUS BEFORE THEY BOTH GO BELOW THE HORIZON. 53 00:02:18,872 --> 00:02:23,209 DEAN: NOW WERE FACING SOUTHWEST AT 10:30PM AND YOU 54 00:02:23,309 --> 00:02:25,945 CANT MISS SPOTTING JUPITER ABOUT HALFWAY UP IN THE SKY. 55 00:02:26,045 --> 00:02:28,281 IT IS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT! 56 00:02:28,381 --> 00:02:33,920 JUPITER IS BY FAR THE LARGEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND SHINES LIKE A STEADY, CREAM-COLORED 57 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:35,021 STAR. 58 00:02:35,121 --> 00:02:37,423 JAMES: LET'S ADVANCE OUR TIME, DAY BY DAY, 59 00:02:37,524 --> 00:02:38,424 NIGHT BY NIGHT. 60 00:02:38,525 --> 00:02:41,561 ON JULY 16TH 17TH 61 00:02:41,661 --> 00:02:42,695 AND 18TH 62 00:02:42,795 --> 00:02:45,198 THE MOON STARTS APPEARING CLOSER TO JUPITER. 63 00:02:45,298 --> 00:02:47,567 ON JULY 19TH, ITS CLOSER STILL. 64 00:02:47,667 --> 00:02:48,568 AND 65 00:02:48,668 --> 00:02:49,769 DEAN: I FEEL A CONJUNCTION 66 00:02:49,869 --> 00:02:50,770 #3 COMING ON! 67 00:02:50,870 --> 00:02:51,871 JAMES: ON JULY 20TH, 68 00:02:51,971 --> 00:02:53,273 WE'VE GOT A CONJUNCTION! 69 00:02:53,373 --> 00:02:54,741 DEAN: SO COOL! 70 00:02:54,841 --> 00:02:57,710 NOW I KNOW THE MOON AND JUPITER LOOK LIKE THEY'RE CLOSE TOGETHER. 71 00:02:57,810 --> 00:03:01,247 BUT THE MOON IS ABOUT 240,000 MILES FROM EARTH, 72 00:03:01,347 --> 00:03:05,952 WHILE JUPITER IS A WHOPPING 465 MILLION MILES AWAY. 73 00:03:06,052 --> 00:03:09,055 DEAN: OKAY, TWO MORE CONJUNCTIONS TO GO. 74 00:03:09,155 --> 00:03:10,890 WE'RE FACING SOUTH AT 11:30PM. 75 00:03:10,990 --> 00:03:12,525 JAMES: THE FAINTER OF THE 76 00:03:12,625 --> 00:03:15,328 TWO PLANETS IN THIS PART OF THE SKY IS ON THE RIGHT. 77 00:03:15,428 --> 00:03:17,830 IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE A STEADY, YELLOW-COLORED STAR. 78 00:03:17,931 --> 00:03:22,101 IF IT WASN'T ALMOST 850 MILLION MILES AWAY IT WOULD EASILY OUTSHINE 79 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:23,069 ANY OTHER PLANET. 80 00:03:23,169 --> 00:03:24,370 DEAN: THIS FAR-FLUNG PLANET 81 00:03:24,470 --> 00:03:26,172 IS SATURN. 82 00:03:26,272 --> 00:03:29,609 AND IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH TO THE NAKED EYE, BUT IT LOOKS UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME IN 83 00:03:29,709 --> 00:03:30,877 A TELESCOPE. 84 00:03:30,977 --> 00:03:33,246 JAMES: DEAN IS SO EXCITED TO SEE SATURN THAT HE ALMOST 85 00:03:33,346 --> 00:03:34,480 DANCES! 86 00:03:34,581 --> 00:03:37,150 DEAN: IF WE ADVANCE THE DATE TO JULY 24TH THE MOON 87 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:38,685 COZIES UP NEXT TO SATURN. 88 00:03:38,785 --> 00:03:40,720 JAMES: SO THAT LEAVES CONJUNCTION #5. 89 00:03:40,820 --> 00:03:43,423 DEAN: YES, AND FOR THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT 90 00:03:43,523 --> 00:03:45,191 BRIGHT, REDDISH LIGHT IN THE SOUTHEAST. 91 00:03:45,291 --> 00:03:46,526 ITS BRIGHTER THAN MERCURY. 92 00:03:46,626 --> 00:03:47,527 BRIGHTER THAN SATURN. 93 00:03:47,627 --> 00:03:49,395 BRIGHTER THAN EVEN JUPITER RIGHT NOW. 94 00:03:49,495 --> 00:03:51,164 IT IS THE PLANET MARS. 95 00:03:51,264 --> 00:03:53,866 JAMES: MARS IS MAKING ITS CLOSEST APPROACH TO EARTH 96 00:03:53,967 --> 00:03:56,402 ON JULY 27, AND THAT MEANS ALL 97 00:03:56,502 --> 00:03:59,739 THIS MONTH AND NEXT MONTH, IT WILL LOOK SUPER-BRIGHT IN THE SKY. 98 00:03:59,839 --> 00:04:02,175 DEAN: I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED JULY 27 BECAUSE ON 99 00:04:02,275 --> 00:04:03,176 THAT NIGHT 100 00:04:03,276 --> 00:04:04,177 JAMES: NO WAY! 101 00:04:04,277 --> 00:04:05,645 DEAN: YES WAY! 102 00:04:05,745 --> 00:04:07,814 THE FULL MOON SLIDES OVER AND WILL BE JUST ABOVE THE RED PLANET. 103 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:10,750 JAMES: SO NOT ONLY WILL MARS BE AT ITS BRIGHTEST, 104 00:04:10,850 --> 00:04:12,151 IT WILL HAVE THE FULL MOON NEARBY. 105 00:04:12,252 --> 00:04:13,419 DEAN: YES SIR! 106 00:04:13,519 --> 00:04:14,954 DEAN: SO THAT'S FIVE 107 00:04:15,054 --> 00:04:17,123 MOON-PLANET CONJUNCTIONS IN 13 NIGHTS OF VIEWING. 108 00:04:17,223 --> 00:04:19,525 THE MOON TOUR PASSES BY MERCURY ON JULY 14 109 00:04:19,626 --> 00:04:21,160 JAMES: VENUS ON JULY 15 110 00:04:21,261 --> 00:04:22,962 DEAN: JUPITER ON JULY 20 111 00:04:23,062 --> 00:04:24,330 JAMES: SATURN ON JULY 24... 112 00:04:24,430 --> 00:04:26,599 DEAN: AND MARS ON JULY 27. 113 00:04:26,699 --> 00:04:28,001 AND YOU CAN SEE IT ALL WHEN YOU 114 00:04:28,101 --> 00:04:32,101 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!