FINDING DIRECTION IN THE NIGHT SKY

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 TONIGHT.

HEY JAMES, ARE YOU SEEKING DIRECTION IN YOUR
LIFE?

JAMES:
WHY, HAVE I SEEMED MORE AIMLESS THAN USUAL?

DEAN:
NO, YOURE DEFINITELY NOT LOST IN SPACE.

I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW THE STARS CAN TELL YOU
YOUR DIRECTION.

WHICH WAY IS NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST.

JAMES:
AHA, THIS IS A GREAT MONTH TO SHARE OUR TIPS

FOR FINDING POLARIS, AKA, THE NORTH STAR.

DEAN:
AND ALONG THE WAY, WELL SHOW YOU THE BIG DIPPER,

LITTLE DIPPER AND CASSIOPEIA -
THE THREE MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS OF THE NORTHERN

SKY.
AND WE'LL VISIT A FLYING HORSE TOO.

JAMES:
LETS SHOW YOU!

DEAN:
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO ANY NIGHT THIS

WEEK, AT 9 PM, FACING NORTH.

SINCE
WE'RE FACING NORTH, THE NORTH STAR SHOULD

BE THERE SOMEWHERE, BUT WHERE IS IT?

JAMES:
CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, THE NORTH STAR

IS NOT THE BRIGHTEST STAR
IN THE SKY.

THAT HONOR BELONGS TO SIRIUS,
THE DOG STAR.

IN FACT, POLARIS RANKS ABOUT 48TH IN BRIGHTNESS
AND THROUGH CITY LIGHT POLLUTION, ITS JUST

BARELY VISIBLE.

DEAN:
WELL, WHAT MAKES POLARIS SO DARNED SPECIAL?

LETS FLY UP THERE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

JAMES:
POLARIS RESIDES ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER OUR NORTH

POLE.

SO AS EARTH ROTATES, THIS CAUSES DAY AND NIGHT
AND ALSO THE DAILY MOTION OF

THE STARS.

BUT LOOK, THE NORTH STAR BARELY MOVES!

DEAN:
THAT MEANS THIS STAR SHINES IN THE NORTHERN

SKY ALL NIGHT - MAKING IT THE PERFECT STELLAR
SENTINEL.

AS THE WORLD TURNS AND THE NIGHT GOES ON,
THE STARS APPEAR TO ROTATE IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE

MOTION.

THIS MOTION GIVES US THE APPEARANCE THAT THE
SKY SPINS ONCE A DAY WITH A PIVOT POINT AT

POLARIS.

JAMES:
OF COURSE ITS THE EARTH THATS SPINNING.

NOT THE SKY!

DEAN:
SINCE THE LITTLE DIPPER HAS SOME VERY FAINT

STARS, FINDING THE NORTH STAR CAN BE TOUGH.

BUT NEVER FEAR - THE OTHER DIPPER IS HERE!

THE BIG DIPPER IS MUCH MORE DISTINCT, AND
YOU CAN FIND IT IN THE NORTHWESTERN SKY THIS

EVENING.

THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND SOME NATIVE AMERICAN
GROUPS CALLED THESE STARS

A BIG BEAR.

BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BEAR WITH A TAIL
LIKE THAT?

IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A RACCOON TO ME.

JAMES:
NEVERTHELESS, WE'RE NOW GOING TO STAR HOP

- AND USE THE MORE NOTABLE STARS OF THE BIG
DIPPER AS POINTERS.

CONNECT THE DOTS OF THE TWO STARS AT
THE END OF THE

BIG DIPPER'S SPOON.

THEY'RE CALLED MERAK AND DUBHE.

CONTINUE THAT LINE UP AND TO THE RIGHT AND
BINGO THEY'LL POINT YOU RIGHT TO POLARIS.

DEAN:
WE'RE NOT DONE WITH THE BIG DIPPER'S POINTER

STARS YET.

IF YOU GO FROM THE
BIG DIPPER TO THE NORTH STAR, KEEP GOING,

BECAUSE YOU WILL THEN RUN INTO
A STAR AT THE TOP

OF A W-SHAPED CONSTELLATION.

THE STARS NAME IS
CAPH AND NOW YOU'VE DISCOVERED CASSIOPEIA

THE QUEEN.

CAN YOU SEE THE BEAUTIFUL, BOASTFUL QUEEN
SITTING ON HER THRONE?

JAMES:
UHHHH

NO!

DEAN:
ME NEITHER, SO I PICTURE THESE STARS

AS HER CROWN GLITTERING IN THE NORTHEASTERN
SKY.

JAMES:
AHHH, THATS BETTER.

AND CASSIOPEIA IS EASY TO FIND AS YOU HOP
ACROSS THE HEAVENS.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BIG DIPPER AND POLARIS
IS THE SAME AS THE DISTANCE FROM POLARIS TO

CASSIOPEIA.

JAMES:
BUT WAIT, THERES MORE.

HOP FROM THE BIG DIPPERS SPOON TO POLARIS

ON TO CASSIOPEIA

AND MAKE ONE
MORE HOP.

THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE CORNER OF A HUGE
SQUARE OF

FOUR STARS.

AND WE'VE LANDED ON ONE CORNER, A STAR CALLED
ALPHERATZ.

DEAN:
THIS IS REALLY THE BODY OF PEGASUS THE

FLYING HORSE.

LET'S SEE
THE PICTURE

WOW, THAT DEFINITELY TAKES SOME IMAGINATION!

I GUESS THAT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A HORSE.

JAMES:
IT MAY BE HARD TO PICTURE, BUT ITS EASY TO

FIND ONCE YOU BEGIN STAR-HOPPING.

AND REMEMBER ALPHERATZ?

THIS STAR NOT ONLY MARKS PEGASUS FLANK BUT
IS ALSO THE HEAD OF THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS

ANDROMEDA.

SHE LOOKS LIKE A LONG, STRETCHED-OUT
LETTER A.

JAMES:
SO THE BIG DIPPER WILL POINT YOU A TON OF

STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS.

FIRST FOLLOW THE END OF THE SPOON TO POLARIS,
THEN ON TO THE W

DEAN:
CASSIOPEIA

JAMES:
THEN TO THE GREAT SQUARE

DEAN:
PEGASUS

AND NOW THAT YOU CAN FIND THE NORTH STAR,
YOU'LL NEVER BE LOST AGAIN!

BOTH:
KEEP LOOKING UP!