JUPITER AT MIDNIGHT
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 YOU WAY AROUND
THE SKY TONIGHT.
IT S ALMOST TIME FOR VIEWING MY FAVORITE
GAS GIANT PLANET AT ITS BIGGEST AND BRIGHTEST.
DEAN: JUPITER, LARGEST PLANET IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM WILL REACH OPPOSITION ON JUNE 10TH
AND THAT MEANS IT WILL SOON BE CLOSEST TO
EARTH FOR THE YEAR.
JAMES: EXACTLY.
NOW THERE IS ONE LITTLE TRICK.
SINCE IT S ALMOST SUMMER, IT DOESN T GET
DARK UNTIL VERY LATE AT NIGHT.
DEAN: SO WE RE GOING TO STAY UP LATE, AND
VIEW THE SKY AT MIDNIGHT.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, WE MIGHT GET AN EXTRA SPECIAL
GUEST PLANET TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE.
JAMES: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
LET S SHOW YOU.
JAMES: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR THE
END OF THIS WEEK AT 10PM FACING SOUTHEAST.
AS THE SUN SETS IN THE WEST, THE BRIGHTER
STARS ARE STARTING TO POP OUT.
DEAN: AS WE GET TOWARD 10:30 AND EVEN 11PM,
IT S FINALLY DARK AND YOU CAN T MISS OUR
FEATURED PLANET SHINING LIKE A CREAM-COLORED
BEACON IN THE NIGHT.
THAT S JUPITER, AND IT IS REALLY BRIGHT!
JAMES: IF WE COMPARE JUPITER TO A STAR, LIKE
ANTARES OVER THERE, BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE
CONSTELLATION SCORPIUS, YOU LL NOTICE JUPITER
DOESN T TWINKLE AS MUCH AS ANTARES.
DEAN: STARS GENERALLY TWINKLE MORE THAN PLANETS.
SO ANTARES WILL SPARKLE RED AND WHITE.
RED AND WHITE.
BUT MOSTLY YOU LL NOTICE THE RED.
JUPITER WILL GIVE OFF A STEADY, CREAM-COLORED
LIGHT.
JAMES: EVEN THOUGH JUPITER IS COMING CLOSER
TO THE EARTH, IT S STILL NOT EXACTLY CLOSE.
JUPITER WILL BE ABOUT 400 MILLION MILES AWAY
FROM YOU.
DEAN: BUT THAT S SIGNIFICANTLY CLOSER THAN
IT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO.
LET S TAKE A LOOK AT THE EARTH AND JUPITER
FROM SPACE.
LET S HEAD ABOVE THE SUN!
DEAN: WE RE LOOKING DOWN AT THE ORBITS OF
THE EARTH AND JUPITER AROUND THE SUN.
THE EARTH IS, ON AVERAGE, 93 MILLION MILES
AWAY FROM THE SUN, WHEREAS JUPITER S AVERAGE
DISTANCE IS 484 MILLION MILES.
JAMES: AS JUPITER AND EARTH ORBIT THE SUN,
THEY CONSTANTLY VARY THEIR DISTANCE FROM EACH
OTHER.
WHEN JUPITER IS AT ITS FARTHEST DISTANCE FROM
US, AND IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN, IT
CAN BE AS FAR AS 580 MILLION MILES AWAY.
DEAN: HOWEVER, ONCE EVERY YEAR, EARTH AND
JUPITER LINE UP ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE SUN
AND THEY ARE A LOT CLOSER.
INSTEAD OF 580 MILLION MILES, THEY RE ONLY
ABOUT 400 MILLION MILES FROM EACH OTHER.
JAMES: WHENEVER THIS HAPPENS WE SAY JUPITER
IS AT OPPOSITION BECAUSE JUPITER IS OPPOSITE
THE SUN IN THE SKY AS SEEN FROM EARTH.
AND WHEN JUPITER IS AT OPPOSITION, IT IS ALWAYS
AT ITS CLOSEST, BRIGHTEST AND BEST FOR VIEWING.
JAMES: I KNOW YOU D LOVE STAYING UP UNTIL
MIDNIGHT DEAN, SO LET S ADVANCE TIME TO
THEN.
DEAN: THANKS! AND THIS ALSO PUTS JUPITER HIGHER
IN THE SKY.
SINCE JUPITER IS NEAR OPPOSITION, IT MAKES
A GREAT SIGHT IN A TELESCOPES.
THROUGH A SMALL TELESCOPE YOU CAN SEE THE
DISC OF THE PLANET AND FOUR MOONS NEARBY.
THOSE ARE IO, EUROPA, GANYMEDE, AND CALLISTO.
JAMES: THROUGH A LARGER TELESCOPE YOU CAN
SEE FEATURES ON THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET.
YOU CAN SEE TWO OR MORE HORIZONTAL STRIPES
AND IF YOU RE REALLY LUCKY, YOU CAN SOMETIMES
MAKE OUT THE GREAT RED SPOT.
DEAN: THE GREAT RED SPOT IS A HUMONGOUS CYCLONE
OF GASSES THAT WELL UP FROM THE INSIDE AND
CHURN THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE PLANET.
RIGHT NOW, THE GREAT RED SPOT IS ABOUT THE
SIZE OF TWO EARTHS.
JAMES: ONE OTHER PLUS OF STAYING UP PAST MIDNIGHT:
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF NEXT
MONTH S FEATURED PLANET: AND IT HAS LOTS
OF RINGS.
THAT STEADY YELLOW LIGHT, CLEARING THE TREETOPS
IS ACTUALLY THE RINGED PLANET SATURN!
DEAN; NO WAY!
JAMES: YES WAY!
DEAN: I M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS
SUMMER WHEN I CAN SEE BOTH OF THESE GIANT
PLANETS IN THE NIGHTTIME SKY.
THIS WEEK, HERE IS YOUR PREVIEW.
JAMES: SO LOOK FOR JUPITER THIS WEEK RISING
IN THE SOUTHEASTERN SKY.
YOU MAY HAVE TO STAY UP A LITTLE LATER THAN
NORMAL, BUT IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT.
DEAN: AND BE SURE TO LOOK AT JUPITER IN A
TELESCOPE THIS MONTH.
YOUR VIEW WON T QUITE BE THIS GOOD.
THIS WAS TAKEN BY SPACECRAFTS THAT FLEW MUCH
CLOSER TO THE PLANET, BUT IT DOESN T TAKE
MUCH MAGNIFICATION TO SEE JUPITER S FOUR
LARGEST MOONS AT OPPOSITION THIS MONTH.
JAMES: JUPITER WILL TIDE YOU OVER UNTIL SATURN
SEASON.
IT S ALL THERE WHEN YOU.
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!