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.
THIS WEEK, WE'LL BE YOUR GUIDES TO THE GALAXY.
JAMES: YEP, WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THE MILKY
WAY, SOMETHING I HARDLY EVER GET TO SEE IN
FLORIDA.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN THE MILKY WAY
DEAN?
DEAN: HA, THE ONLY MILKY WAY I SEE IN CINCINNATI
IS FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE AND NOUGAT.
FOR ME, LIGHT POLLUTION IS A BIG PROBLEM.
CITY LIGHTS, ILLUMINATE SIGNS, PARKING LOTS,
BUILDINGS
JAMES: AND ALSO THE NIGHT SKY.
THE MORE LIGHT THAT WE SHINE UP, THE LESS
STAR-LIGHT WE CAN SEE SHINING DOWN.
DEAN: EVEN THOUGH IT'S INVISIBLE FROM CITIES,
JAMES AND I CAN SHARE A SNEAKY TIP TO FIND
THE MILKY WAY IN YOUR SKY.
LET'S SHOW YOU!
JAMES: OKAY, LET'S PRETEND IT'S 9:30 AT NIGHT
AND WE'RE FAR FROM CITY LIGHTS.
DEAN: WOW, IT IS DARK OUT HERE!
JAMES: I KNOW, AND LOOK AT ALL THE STARS YOU
CAN SEE!
DEAN: SO MANY STARS!
YOU CAN'T EVEN COUNT 'EM ALL.
JAMES: WE'RE FACING SOUTHEAST AND YOU CAN
ALSO SEE A BAND OF FAINT LIGHT STRETCHING
FROM THE HORIZON, TO WAY UP HIGH - ALMOST
GOING STRAIGHT OVERHEAD.
THIS IS THE MILKY WAY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MILKY WAY, YOU ARE OBSERVING
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF STARS.
MOST OF THE STARS IN OUR GALAXY ARE STRETCHED
OUT IN A BAND ALL AROUND US.
DEAN: THERE ARE SO MANY STARS IN OUR LINE
OF SIGHT THAT THEY APPEAR AS MILKY CLOUDS.
MOST ANCIENT CULTURES WERE JUST AS FASCINATED
WITH THE MILKY WAY AS THEY WERE WITH ANY PLANET
OR CONSTELLATION.
YOU CAN DEFINITELY SEE WHY.
OUT IN THE COUNTRY IT DOMINATES THE SKY.
DEAN: SOME BRIGHT AND FAMOUS CONSTELLATIONS
CAN BE FOUND ALONG THIS GALACTIC RIVER SUCH
AS CASSIOPEIA THE QUEEN, CYGNUS THE SWAN,
AND SAGITTARIUS THE ARCHER.
JAMES: CASSIOPEIA IS ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE
CONSTELLATIONS.
IN THE SUMMER EVENINGS, SHE SITS ON HER THRONE
IN THE NORTHEASTERN SKY.
DEAN: WHAT?
YOU MEAN THOSE STARS THAT LOOK LIKE THE LETTER
W?
THAT'S A QUEEN?
JAMES: USE YOUR IMAGINATION DEAN.
DEAN: WELL THAT PICTURE CERTAINLY HELPS, BUT
I GUESS I'M IMAGINATION-CHALLENGED.
JAMES: IN THAT CASE, PICTURE THIS W-SHAPE
OF STARS AS CASSIOPEIA'S CROWN SPARKLING WITH
FIVE STELLAR JEWELS.
DEAN: OKAY, NOW THAT I CAN SEE.
DEAN: NOW, KICK BACK AND LOOK HIGH IN THE
SKY.
ALMOST STRAIGHT OVERHEAD YOU'LL SEE THREE
VERY BRIGHT STARS MARKING THE SUMMER TRIANGLE.
THE SUMMER TRIANGLE IS NOT AN OFFICIAL CONSTELLATION
- IT'S REALLY THREE CONSTELLATIONS: LYRA THE
HARP, CYGNUS THE SWAN, AND AQUILA THE EAGLE.
JAMES: LET'S FOCUS ON CYGNUS SINCE IT'S PROBABLY
THE EASIEST TO IDENTIFY BECAUSE OF ITS CROSS-LIKE
SHAPE.
IN FACT IT'S ALSO CALLED THE NORTHERN CROSS.
DEAN: CYGNUS' BRIGHTEST STAR IS DENEB, WHICH
MARKS THE TAIL OF THE SWAN.
CYGNUS IS LOCATED IN AN EXTREMELY RICH PART
OF THE MILKY WAY, SO IMAGINE IT FLYING ALONG
THE GREAT RIVER IN THE SKY.
JAMES: NEAR DENEB, THE MILKY WAY BRANCHES
INTO TWO CHANNELS LEAVING A DARK REGION IN
THE MIDDLE.
THIS IS CALLED THE CYGNUS RIFT.
JAMES: NOW LOOK TOWARD THE SOUTH.
HERE THE MILKY WAY THREADS BETWEEN TWO ZODIACAL
CONSTELLATIONS - SCORPIUS AND SAGITTARIUS.
SCORPIUS THE SCORPION IS EASY TO SPOT WITH
ITS BRIGHT RED STAR FOR A HEART AND ITS CURVED
TAIL-STARS.
THE STARS IN SAGITTARIUS RESEMBLE MORE OF
A TEAPOT THAN A CENTAUR WIELDING A BOW AND
ARROW.
DEAN: WHEN YOU LOOK TOWARD SAGITTARIUS, YOU'RE
PEERING INTO THE CENTER OF OUR GALAXY.
IN THAT DIRECTION, THERE ARE BILLIONS AND
BILLIONS OF STARS, AND AT THE VERY CENTER
LIES A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE.
DEAN: OF COURSE YOU CAN'T SEE THE MILKY WAY
IF YOU'RE A CITY-BOUND STAR GAZER.
LET'S SHOW YOU THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RURAL
SKY
AND A LIGHT POLLUTED SKY.
JAMES: YIKES!
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!
EVEN THOUGH THE MILKY WAY DISAPPEARED, WE
STILL HAVE THREE CONSTELLATIONS CLEARLY VISIBLE
TO GUIDE US.
CASSIOPEIA IN THE NORTHEAST, CYGNUS HIGH OVERHEAD,
AND SAGITTARIUS LOW IN THE SOUTH.
DEAN: AND THAT'S WHERE THE MILKY WAY IS - EVEN
IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT.
ONCE YOU IDENTIFY CASSIOPEIA, CYGNUS, OR SAGITTARIUS,
SCAN THESE REGIONS OF THE SKY WITH BINOCULARS.
WITH JUST A LITTLE MAGNIFICATION, A WEALTH
OF STARS WILL BE REVEALED TO YOU.
JAMES: SO FOLLOW THE MILKY WAY TONIGHT
DEAN: AND START COUNTING THOSE BILLIONS AND
BILLIONS OF STARS AS YOU
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!