DEAN:
HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.

I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI
OBSERVATORY.

JAMES:
AND I M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA

SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

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

THIS IS PERFECT STAR-GAZING WEATHER

DEAN:
AND PERFECT FOOTBALL WEATHER.

JAMES:
THE MOST DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF THE WINTER

SKY IS A STAR PATTERN CALLED THE WINTER HEXAGON.

IT COVERS ALMOST HALF THE SKY, INCORPORATES
SIX CONSTELLATIONS AND EIGHT OF THE TWENTY

BRIGHTEST STARS VISIBLE FROM EARTH.

THE WINTER HEXAGON DEFINITELY PUTS ITS STAMP
ON THE SEASON.

DEAN:
BUT IN HONOR OF THE NFL PLAYOFFS AND THE UPCOMING

BIG GAME,
I RECOMMEND CHANGING ITS NAME TO THE WINTER

FOOTBALL.

WHEN YOU STEP OUTSIDE AND SEE THE CLEAR WINTER
SKY, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

LET'S SHOW YOU

JAMES:
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR 9 P.M LOOKING

SOUTH-EAST.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE BRIGHT STARS!

IF YOU CAN BRAVE THE COLD, A RING OF SPARKLING,
MULTICOLORED JEWELS WILL SHINE DOWN ON YOU.

DEAN:
SOME CALL THIS THE WINTER CIRCLE OR WINTER

HEXAGON,
BUT I THINK THESE STARS LOOK LIKE A GIANT

FOOTBALL FLYING THROUGH THE AIR,
POINTY ON TWO ENDS, ROUNDED IN THE MIDDLES.

AND WINTER IS THE SEASON FOR FOOTBALL.

JAMES:
EXACTLY!

AND THE MAIN PLAYER INSIDE THE WINTER FOOTBALL
IS ORION

THE HUNTER.

EASILY RECOGNIZED BY THE THREE STARS THAT
MAKE HIS SNAZZY BELT, ORION STANDS ABOUT HALFWAY

UP IN THE SOUTHEASTERN SKY,
LIKE A HULKING LINEBACKER ABOUT TO MAKE A

TACKLE.

DEAN:
NOW LET'S TAKE A TOUR AROUND THE WINTER FOOTBALL.

BEGIN WITH THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY.

THIS IS THE DOG STAR, NAMED SIRIUS.

IF YOU CONNECT THE DOTS OF ORION'S BELT STARS
AND CONTINUE THAT LINE TO THE LEFT, YOU CAN'T

MISS IT.

SIRIUS IS A BRILLIANT WHITE STAR AND ONE OF
OUR CLOSEST STELLAR NEIGHBORS.

FOLLOWING OUR FOOTBALL THEME,
SIRIUS MARKS THE NOSE OF ONE OF OUR TWO TEAM

MASCOTS, THE BIG DOG, OR CANIS MAJOR.

IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, CANIS MAJOR WAS ONE
OF ORION'S GREAT HUNTING DOGS.

JAMES:
ORION'S OTHER HUNTING DOG, AND OUR OTHER TEAM

MASCOT, CAN BE FOUND UP AND TO THE LEFT OF
SIRIUS - AROUND THE BRIGHT STAR PROCYON.

PROCYON IS A YELLOW-WHITE STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION
CANIS MINOR, THE LITTLE DOG.

DEAN:
KEEP GOING UP AND TO THE LEFT, AND YOU'LL

FIND TWO STARS OF SIMILAR BRIGHTNESS.

THESE ARE THE TWO HEADS OF THE GEMINI TWINS,
POLLUX AND CASTOR.

BOTH TWINS WERE INCREDIBLY ATHLETIC AND WOULD
MAKE A GREAT QUARTERBACK AND WIDE RECEIVER

COMBO.

JAMES:
NOW LET S GO ALONG

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WINTER FOOTBALL.

THE BRIGHT STAR NEAREST THE ZENITH, AND AT
THE TIP OF THE FOOTBALL IS CALLED CAPELLA.

CAPELLA IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION
AURIGA, THE CHARIOTEER.

AURIGA COULD SERVE AS COACH AND CHAUFFEUR
TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM.

GREEK MYTHS DESCRIBED HIM AS THE INVENTOR
OF THE CHARIOT.

BUT HE WAS ALSO GOOD AT GIVING ADVICE AND
CAN LOOK OVER THE FIELD FROM HIS POSITION

HIGH IN THE SKY.

DEAN:
MOVING DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT WE'LL COME TO

A BRIGHT, ORANGE STAR.

THIS IS ALDEBARAN, THE GLOWING EYE OF TAURUS
THE BULL.

NOW I REALIZE THERE IS NO PRO FOOTBALL TEAM
CALLED THE BULLS.

JAMES:
BUT HOW ABOUT THE BUFFALO BILLS?

DEAN:
YEAH CLOSE ENOUGH.

JAMES:
THE LAST STAR IN THE FOOTBALL IS THE BRIGHT

BLUE STAR, RIGEL.

THIS MARKS THE LEFT FOOT OF OUR BUDDY ORION
AND IS ONE OF THE TRULY AMAZING STARS IN OUR

GALAXY.

IT'S AROUND 800 LIGHT YEARS AWAY FROM US AND
IS STILL ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS...IT MUST

BE HUMONGOUS!

DEAN:
FINALLY, YOU'RE BACK AROUND TO SIRIUS.

CONGRATULATIONS!

YOU'VE TRACED THE WINTER FOOTBALL
IN THE SKY.

LOOK FOR IT AFTER DARK FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

DEAN:
BUT WHAT'S THAT BRIGHT STAR IN THE MIDDLE

OF THE FOOTBALL?

JAMES:
THAT'S THE INFAMOUS BETELGEUSE, A RED SUPERGIANT

STAR THAT MAKES EVEN RIGEL
LOOK PUNY.

LET'S COMPARE RIGEL
TO OUR SUN.

IN SIZE THEY'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE.

NOW LET'S COMPARE BETELGEUSE TO RIGEL.

DEAN:
YIKES!

BETELGEUSE IS EVEN LARGER THAN THE EARTH'S
ORBIT.

JAMES:
THAT MEANS THAT IF BETELGEUSE WAS OUR SUN,

WE'D BE ORBITING INSIDE OF IT.

DEAN:
GOOD THING WE'RE FAR, FAR AWAY FROM IT!

JAMES:
SO TONIGHT, TAKE A BREAK FROM THE NFL AND

GO OUT TO SEE THE BIG GAME IN THE SKY.

LOOK FOR THE BRIGHT STARS IN THE WINTER FOOTBALL
- SIRIUS, PROCYON, POLLUX AND CASTOR ON ONE

SIDE

DEAN:
AND CAPELLA, ALDEBARAN AND RIGEL ON THE OTHER

SIDE.

THE WINTER FOOTBALL HAS MORE BIG STARS THAN
ANY PRO TEAM.

AND THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO YOU EVERY NIGHT UNTIL
BASEBALL SEASON WHEN YOU

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!