1 00:00:20,487 --> 00:00:21,721 CAN YOU SPOT VENUS? 2 00:00:21,821 --> 00:00:25,091 DEAN: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS, IM DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER 3 00:00:25,191 --> 00:00:26,626 FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 4 00:00:26,726 --> 00:00:29,095 JAMES: AND IM JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA 5 00:00:29,195 --> 00:00:31,898 SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. 6 00:00:31,998 --> 00:00:35,535 WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY TONIGHT. 7 00:00:35,635 --> 00:00:39,172 YOU MAY KNOW THAT, OTHER THAN THE MOON, THE PLANET VENUS IS THE BRIGHTEST THING IN THE 8 00:00:39,272 --> 00:00:40,373 NIGHT SKY. 9 00:00:40,473 --> 00:00:41,741 DEAN: WHETHER YOU CALL IT THE MORNING STAR, THE 10 00:00:41,841 --> 00:00:45,345 EVENING STAR, THE FIRST STAR YOU SEE AT NIGHT, OR A U.F.O., 11 00:00:45,445 --> 00:00:47,080 THIS PLANET IS UNMISTAKABLE. 12 00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:48,915 IT IS SO INCREDIBLY BRIGHT! 13 00:00:49,015 --> 00:00:51,151 JAMES: BUT YOU PROBABLY HAVENT SEEN VENUS IN 14 00:00:51,251 --> 00:00:53,153 A WHILE. 15 00:00:53,253 --> 00:00:56,456 THATS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN BEHIND THE SUN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, AND HAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH INVISIBLE. 16 00:00:56,556 --> 00:00:59,159 DEAN: BUT VENUS IS ROUNDING THE SUN AND HEADING 17 00:00:59,259 --> 00:01:04,330 INTO THE EVENING SKIES SOON, AND SO WE WANTED TO ISSUE A CHALLENGE: WHO CAN BE THE FIRST 18 00:01:04,431 --> 00:01:05,598 PERSON TO SEE VENUS? 19 00:01:05,698 --> 00:01:08,868 JAMES: WE WILL GIVE YOU THE TIPS AND TRICKS TO SPOTTING 20 00:01:08,968 --> 00:01:12,672 IT FIRST, SO YOU CAN CLAIM THE TITLE OF VENUSIAN OBSERVER #1. 21 00:01:12,772 --> 00:01:14,140 DEAN: LETS SHOW YOU! 22 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:16,910 DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET UP FOR SATURDAY 23 00:01:17,010 --> 00:01:19,846 OCTOBER 26TH A LITTLE BEFORE SUNSET. 24 00:01:19,946 --> 00:01:24,684 TO SPOT VENUS YOULL NEED IMPECCABLE TIMING, A CLEAR VIEW TO THE SOUTHWESTERN HORIZON, 25 00:01:24,784 --> 00:01:26,019 AND NO CLOUDS. 26 00:01:26,119 --> 00:01:28,955 JAMES: AS THE SUN SETS, THE BRIGHTER STARS WILL POP 27 00:01:29,055 --> 00:01:30,523 OUT. 28 00:01:30,623 --> 00:01:33,460 THE FIRST STAR YOU MAY SEE, JUST ABOVE THE HORIZON, IS NO STAR AT ALL. 29 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,695 IT IS THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAZZLING PLANET VENUS. 30 00:01:35,795 --> 00:01:37,230 DEAN: WELL, THAT WAS EASY. 31 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:39,432 THERE, I SPOTTED VENUS ON SATURDAY 32 00:01:39,532 --> 00:01:41,935 OCTOBER 26 JUST AFTER SUNSET. 33 00:01:42,035 --> 00:01:43,002 CHALLENGE COMPLETED! 34 00:01:43,103 --> 00:01:44,938 JAMES: NOW HOLD ON, DEAN. 35 00:01:45,038 --> 00:01:47,640 IT MIGHT NOT BE QUITE THAT EASY. 36 00:01:47,740 --> 00:01:51,411 THIS WEEK YOU'LL HAVE TO LOOK FOR VENUS AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME OF NIGHT. 37 00:01:51,511 --> 00:01:55,048 IF YOU LOOK TOO EARLY, THE SUN WILL BE UP, AND THE SKY WILL BE TOO BRIGHT. 38 00:01:55,148 --> 00:01:57,417 IF YOU LOOK TOO LATE, VENUS WILL BE BELOW THE TREES. 39 00:01:57,517 --> 00:02:00,920 DEAN: AH, AND OUR SIMULATED SKY IS ALSO GIVING US 40 00:02:01,020 --> 00:02:03,389 THE ABSOLUTE BEST VIEWING CONDITIONS. 41 00:02:03,490 --> 00:02:08,027 IF THERE ARE ANY CLOUDS NEAR THE HORIZON, THEY COULD BLOCK VENUS - NOT TO MENTION TREES 42 00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:09,262 OR BUILDINGS. 43 00:02:09,362 --> 00:02:11,397 JAMES: SO, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOU CAN START TO SEE 44 00:02:11,498 --> 00:02:14,467 VENUS ON SATURDAY, BUT IT WILL DEFINITELY GET EASIER AS THE WEEKS 45 00:02:14,567 --> 00:02:15,668 GO ON. 46 00:02:15,768 --> 00:02:18,138 JAMES: AS WE APPROACH VENUS, WE CAN SEE THAT THIS 47 00:02:18,238 --> 00:02:23,543 PLANET IS ABOUT 7,500 MILES IN DIAMETER - JUST SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN EARTH. 48 00:02:23,643 --> 00:02:26,446 ITS OFTEN CALLED OUR SISTER PLANET FOR THIS VERY REASON. 49 00:02:26,546 --> 00:02:29,082 DEAN: HOWEVER, THAT IS WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END, 50 00:02:29,182 --> 00:02:34,120 BECAUSE UNDER A THICK BLANKET OF CARBON DIOXIDE LIES A BATTERED, SWELTERING SURFACE THAT IS 51 00:02:34,220 --> 00:02:35,855 900 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. 52 00:02:35,955 --> 00:02:37,390 JAMES: UM, IS IT GETTING HOT 53 00:02:37,490 --> 00:02:38,725 OUT HERE? 54 00:02:38,825 --> 00:02:40,293 DEAN: ALSO THE AIR PRESSURE, UNDER ALL THAT ATMOSPHERE, 55 00:02:40,393 --> 00:02:43,096 WOULD BE SO INTENSE THAT IT WOULD SQUISH YOU FLAT. 56 00:02:43,196 --> 00:02:44,597 JAMES: I DONT FEEL SO GOOD. 57 00:02:44,697 --> 00:02:47,066 DEAN: AND FINALLY WHEN IT RAINS ON VENUS 58 00:02:47,167 --> 00:02:48,067 JAMES: OH NO 59 00:02:48,168 --> 00:02:49,869 DEAN: IT RAINS SULFURIC ACID. 60 00:02:49,969 --> 00:02:54,841 SO, THAT WOULD LEAVE ANY VISITOR TO VENUS, LIKE JAMES OVER THERE, A MELTED, SQUISHED, 61 00:02:54,941 --> 00:02:56,109 ACIDY PILE OF GOOP. 62 00:02:56,209 --> 00:02:58,645 JAMES: OKAY, I THINK WEVE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH. 63 00:02:58,745 --> 00:03:01,781 LETS GET BACK OUT IN SPACE! 64 00:03:01,881 --> 00:03:04,784 DEAN: THOSE CLOUDS THAT SQUISHED AND RAINED ACID 65 00:03:04,884 --> 00:03:08,188 ON JAMES BACK THERE ARE ALSO WHAT MAKE VENUS SO BRIGHT. 66 00:03:08,288 --> 00:03:09,989 JAMES: THATS RIGHT DEAN. 67 00:03:10,089 --> 00:03:13,026 ALL OF THE PLANETS REFLECT LIGHT FROM THE SUN - THATS WHY WE CAN SEE THEM AT NIGHT. 68 00:03:13,126 --> 00:03:16,996 BUT VENUS ATMOSPHERE IS THE MOST REFLECTIVE OF ANY PLANET. 69 00:03:17,096 --> 00:03:20,600 PLUS VENUS IS RELATIVELY LARGE, AND CAN COME RELATIVELY CLOSE TO EARTH. 70 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:23,136 DEAN: THAT COMBINATION MAKES VENUS SUPER-BRIGHT! 71 00:03:23,236 --> 00:03:26,472 JAMES: WE'RE BACK ON EARTH AGAIN, ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 72 00:03:26,573 --> 00:03:28,508 26TH JUST AFTER SUNSET. 73 00:03:28,608 --> 00:03:31,744 THERES VENUS, JUST BARELY ABOVE THE SOUTHWESTERN HORIZON. 74 00:03:31,844 --> 00:03:34,414 DEAN: VENUS WILL GET EASIER TO SEE AS THE DAYS AND 75 00:03:34,514 --> 00:03:35,815 WEEKS GO ON. 76 00:03:35,915 --> 00:03:38,718 IF WE LOOK AGAIN, DAY BY DAY, HERE IS THE VIEW ON THE 27TH 77 00:03:38,818 --> 00:03:39,719 THE 28TH 78 00:03:39,819 --> 00:03:42,121 AND THE 29TH. 79 00:03:42,222 --> 00:03:46,726 VENUS DIDNT GET MUCH HIGHER ABOVE THE HORIZON BUT OUR FRIEND THE MOON CAME AROUND TO HELP. 80 00:03:46,826 --> 00:03:49,495 JAMES: A SLIM, WAXING CRESCENT MOON WILL BE JUST 81 00:03:49,596 --> 00:03:53,333 ABOVE VENUS ON THE 29TH AND THIS CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR SEARCH. 82 00:03:53,433 --> 00:03:56,836 AND MERCURY WILL BE THERE TOO- BUT IT WILL BE TOUGH TO SPOT. 83 00:03:56,936 --> 00:03:58,638 BONUS POINTS IF YOU SEE IT. 84 00:03:58,738 --> 00:04:00,907 DEAN: SO ACCEPT OUR CHALLENGE AND 85 00:04:01,007 --> 00:04:04,711 TRY TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO SPOT VENUS IN THE NIGHTTIME SKY. 86 00:04:04,811 --> 00:04:07,280 LET US KNOW WHEN YOU SEE VENUS AND SHARE SOME PICTURES 87 00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:10,984 WITH US AT: WWW.STARGAZERS ONLINE.ORG. 88 00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:14,020 JAMES: YOU MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO FIND IT AT THE BEGINNING 89 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:15,588 OF THE WEEK. 90 00:04:15,688 --> 00:04:18,658 BUT IF NOTHING ELSE LOOK FOR THE CRESCENT MOON NEAR VENUS ON THE 29TH. 91 00:04:18,758 --> 00:04:20,159 DEAN: ITS ALL THERE WHEN YOU 92 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:24,260 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!