1 00:00:19,686 --> 00:00:21,521 FINDING DIRECTION IN THE NIGHT SKY 2 00:00:21,621 --> 00:00:24,691 JAMES: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS. 3 00:00:24,791 --> 00:00:28,395 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. 4 00:00:28,495 --> 00:00:31,197 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI 5 00:00:31,297 --> 00:00:32,565 OBSERVATORY. 6 00:00:32,665 --> 00:00:35,035 WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY TONIGHT. 7 00:00:35,135 --> 00:00:38,071 HEY JAMES, ARE YOU SEEKING DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE? 8 00:00:38,171 --> 00:00:40,807 JAMES: WHY, HAVE I SEEMED MORE AIMLESS THAN USUAL? 9 00:00:40,907 --> 00:00:43,376 DEAN: NO, YOURE DEFINITELY NOT LOST IN SPACE. 10 00:00:43,476 --> 00:00:46,479 I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW THE STARS CAN TELL YOU YOUR DIRECTION. 11 00:00:46,579 --> 00:00:48,782 WHICH WAY IS NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST. 12 00:00:48,882 --> 00:00:51,618 JAMES: AHA, THIS IS A GREAT MONTH TO SHARE OUR TIPS 13 00:00:51,718 --> 00:00:54,020 FOR FINDING POLARIS, AKA, THE NORTH STAR. 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,023 DEAN: AND ALONG THE WAY, WELL SHOW YOU THE BIG DIPPER, 15 00:00:57,123 --> 00:01:01,694 LITTLE DIPPER AND CASSIOPEIA - THE THREE MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS OF THE NORTHERN 16 00:01:01,795 --> 00:01:05,065 SKY. AND WE'LL VISIT A FLYING HORSE TOO. 17 00:01:05,165 --> 00:01:06,299 JAMES: LETS SHOW YOU! 18 00:01:06,399 --> 00:01:09,436 DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO ANY NIGHT THIS 19 00:01:09,536 --> 00:01:11,971 WEEK, AT 9 PM, FACING NORTH. 20 00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:14,040 SINCE WE'RE FACING NORTH, THE NORTH STAR SHOULD 21 00:01:14,140 --> 00:01:16,409 BE THERE SOMEWHERE, BUT WHERE IS IT? 22 00:01:16,509 --> 00:01:19,212 JAMES: CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, THE NORTH STAR 23 00:01:19,312 --> 00:01:21,881 IS NOT THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY. 24 00:01:21,981 --> 00:01:24,417 THAT HONOR BELONGS TO SIRIUS, THE DOG STAR. 25 00:01:24,517 --> 00:01:30,190 IN FACT, POLARIS RANKS ABOUT 48TH IN BRIGHTNESS AND THROUGH CITY LIGHT POLLUTION, ITS JUST 26 00:01:30,290 --> 00:01:31,424 BARELY VISIBLE. 27 00:01:31,524 --> 00:01:34,260 DEAN: WELL, WHAT MAKES POLARIS SO DARNED SPECIAL? 28 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,330 LETS FLY UP THERE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. 29 00:01:37,430 --> 00:01:41,601 JAMES: POLARIS RESIDES ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER OUR NORTH 30 00:01:41,701 --> 00:01:43,236 POLE. 31 00:01:43,336 --> 00:01:46,539 SO AS EARTH ROTATES, THIS CAUSES DAY AND NIGHT AND ALSO THE DAILY MOTION OF 32 00:01:46,639 --> 00:01:47,540 THE STARS. 33 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,009 BUT LOOK, THE NORTH STAR BARELY MOVES! 34 00:01:50,110 --> 00:01:52,479 DEAN: THAT MEANS THIS STAR SHINES IN THE NORTHERN 35 00:01:52,579 --> 00:01:56,516 SKY ALL NIGHT - MAKING IT THE PERFECT STELLAR SENTINEL. 36 00:01:56,616 --> 00:02:01,754 AS THE WORLD TURNS AND THE NIGHT GOES ON, THE STARS APPEAR TO ROTATE IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE 37 00:02:01,855 --> 00:02:03,590 MOTION. 38 00:02:03,690 --> 00:02:07,827 THIS MOTION GIVES US THE APPEARANCE THAT THE SKY SPINS ONCE A DAY WITH A PIVOT POINT AT 39 00:02:07,927 --> 00:02:08,962 POLARIS. 40 00:02:09,062 --> 00:02:11,064 JAMES: OF COURSE ITS THE EARTH THATS SPINNING. 41 00:02:11,164 --> 00:02:12,398 NOT THE SKY! 42 00:02:12,499 --> 00:02:15,401 DEAN: SINCE THE LITTLE DIPPER HAS SOME VERY FAINT 43 00:02:15,502 --> 00:02:17,437 STARS, FINDING THE NORTH STAR CAN BE TOUGH. 44 00:02:17,537 --> 00:02:20,306 BUT NEVER FEAR - THE OTHER DIPPER IS HERE! 45 00:02:20,406 --> 00:02:25,411 THE BIG DIPPER IS MUCH MORE DISTINCT, AND YOU CAN FIND IT IN THE NORTHWESTERN SKY THIS 46 00:02:25,512 --> 00:02:26,980 EVENING. 47 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,415 THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND SOME NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS CALLED THESE STARS 48 00:02:29,516 --> 00:02:30,683 A BIG BEAR. 49 00:02:30,783 --> 00:02:33,653 BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BEAR WITH A TAIL LIKE THAT? 50 00:02:33,753 --> 00:02:36,055 IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A RACCOON TO ME. 51 00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:38,291 JAMES: NEVERTHELESS, WE'RE NOW GOING TO STAR HOP 52 00:02:38,391 --> 00:02:42,395 - AND USE THE MORE NOTABLE STARS OF THE BIG DIPPER AS POINTERS. 53 00:02:42,495 --> 00:02:44,430 CONNECT THE DOTS OF THE TWO STARS AT THE END OF THE 54 00:02:44,531 --> 00:02:46,032 BIG DIPPER'S SPOON. 55 00:02:46,132 --> 00:02:48,568 THEY'RE CALLED MERAK AND DUBHE. 56 00:02:48,668 --> 00:02:52,639 CONTINUE THAT LINE UP AND TO THE RIGHT AND BINGO THEY'LL POINT YOU RIGHT TO POLARIS. 57 00:02:52,739 --> 00:02:54,741 DEAN: WE'RE NOT DONE WITH THE BIG DIPPER'S POINTER 58 00:02:54,841 --> 00:02:56,142 STARS YET. 59 00:02:56,242 --> 00:02:58,778 IF YOU GO FROM THE BIG DIPPER TO THE NORTH STAR, KEEP GOING, 60 00:02:58,878 --> 00:03:01,181 BECAUSE YOU WILL THEN RUN INTO A STAR AT THE TOP 61 00:03:01,281 --> 00:03:03,516 OF A W-SHAPED CONSTELLATION. 62 00:03:03,616 --> 00:03:07,420 THE STARS NAME IS CAPH AND NOW YOU'VE DISCOVERED CASSIOPEIA 63 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:08,888 THE QUEEN. 64 00:03:08,988 --> 00:03:12,025 CAN YOU SEE THE BEAUTIFUL, BOASTFUL QUEEN SITTING ON HER THRONE? 65 00:03:12,125 --> 00:03:13,026 JAMES: UHHHH 66 00:03:13,126 --> 00:03:14,127 NO! 67 00:03:14,227 --> 00:03:16,062 DEAN: ME NEITHER, SO I PICTURE THESE STARS 68 00:03:16,162 --> 00:03:18,932 AS HER CROWN GLITTERING IN THE NORTHEASTERN SKY. 69 00:03:19,032 --> 00:03:20,600 JAMES: AHHH, THATS BETTER. 70 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:24,571 AND CASSIOPEIA IS EASY TO FIND AS YOU HOP ACROSS THE HEAVENS. 71 00:03:24,671 --> 00:03:29,275 THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BIG DIPPER AND POLARIS IS THE SAME AS THE DISTANCE FROM POLARIS TO 72 00:03:29,375 --> 00:03:30,276 CASSIOPEIA. 73 00:03:30,376 --> 00:03:32,078 JAMES: BUT WAIT, THERES MORE. 74 00:03:32,178 --> 00:03:34,614 HOP FROM THE BIG DIPPERS SPOON TO POLARIS 75 00:03:34,714 --> 00:03:36,316 ON TO CASSIOPEIA 76 00:03:36,416 --> 00:03:38,151 AND MAKE ONE MORE HOP. 77 00:03:38,251 --> 00:03:40,753 THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE CORNER OF A HUGE SQUARE OF 78 00:03:40,853 --> 00:03:42,088 FOUR STARS. 79 00:03:42,188 --> 00:03:44,757 AND WE'VE LANDED ON ONE CORNER, A STAR CALLED ALPHERATZ. 80 00:03:44,857 --> 00:03:47,393 DEAN: THIS IS REALLY THE BODY OF PEGASUS THE 81 00:03:47,493 --> 00:03:48,695 FLYING HORSE. 82 00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:50,163 LET'S SEE THE PICTURE 83 00:03:50,263 --> 00:03:52,665 WOW, THAT DEFINITELY TAKES SOME IMAGINATION! 84 00:03:52,765 --> 00:03:55,301 I GUESS THAT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A HORSE. 85 00:03:55,401 --> 00:03:57,670 JAMES: IT MAY BE HARD TO PICTURE, BUT ITS EASY TO 86 00:03:57,770 --> 00:03:59,706 FIND ONCE YOU BEGIN STAR-HOPPING. 87 00:03:59,806 --> 00:04:01,507 AND REMEMBER ALPHERATZ? 88 00:04:01,608 --> 00:04:06,579 THIS STAR NOT ONLY MARKS PEGASUS FLANK BUT IS ALSO THE HEAD OF THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS 89 00:04:06,679 --> 00:04:07,814 ANDROMEDA. 90 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:09,916 SHE LOOKS LIKE A LONG, STRETCHED-OUT LETTER A. 91 00:04:10,016 --> 00:04:13,186 JAMES: SO THE BIG DIPPER WILL POINT YOU A TON OF 92 00:04:13,286 --> 00:04:15,321 STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS. 93 00:04:15,421 --> 00:04:18,891 FIRST FOLLOW THE END OF THE SPOON TO POLARIS, THEN ON TO THE W 94 00:04:18,992 --> 00:04:19,892 DEAN: CASSIOPEIA 95 00:04:19,993 --> 00:04:21,227 JAMES: THEN TO THE GREAT SQUARE 96 00:04:21,327 --> 00:04:22,795 DEAN: PEGASUS 97 00:04:22,895 --> 00:04:25,632 AND NOW THAT YOU CAN FIND THE NORTH STAR, YOU'LL NEVER BE LOST AGAIN! 98 00:04:25,732 --> 00:04:29,732 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!