1 00:00:20,587 --> 00:00:24,524 JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS. 2 00:00:24,624 --> 00:00:28,361 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA. 3 00:00:28,461 --> 00:00:31,498 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 4 00:00:31,598 --> 00:00:37,137 JAMES: NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 20TH IS THE VERNAL EQUINOX, ALSO KNOWN AS THE OFFICIAL SPRING 5 00:00:37,237 --> 00:00:38,972 OF THE LEAF DAY. 6 00:00:39,072 --> 00:00:43,510 DEAN: MEANWHILE NEXT WEEK SUNDAY, MARCH 25TH MARKS THE OFFICIAL SPRING OF THE YEAR DAY. 7 00:00:43,610 --> 00:00:47,781 JAMES: PLUS, WE HAVE A REALLY COOL PAIRING OF PLANETS AND OUR MOON ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 8 00:00:47,881 --> 00:00:48,782 18TH. 9 00:00:48,882 --> 00:00:50,250 WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? 10 00:00:50,350 --> 00:00:51,551 LET'S SHOW YOU! 11 00:00:51,651 --> 00:00:55,188 JAMES: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY WE CALL SPRING, SPRING? 12 00:00:55,288 --> 00:01:00,460 WELL, THAT WORD SPRING IS SIMPLY SHORT FOR THE PHRASES 'SPRING OF THE LEAF' AND 'SPRING 13 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,328 OF THE YEAR'. 14 00:01:02,429 --> 00:01:05,665 NOW SPRING OF THE LEAF IS PRETTY OBVIOUS BECAUSE AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR LEAVES LITERALLY 15 00:01:05,765 --> 00:01:11,104 DO SPRING UP OUT OF BRANCHES AND GRASS SPRINGS UP OUT OF THE GROUND AND THAT'S WHY WE CALL 16 00:01:11,204 --> 00:01:12,172 SPRING, SPRING. 17 00:01:12,272 --> 00:01:14,808 DEAN: BUT WHAT DOES SPRING OF THE YEAR MEAN? 18 00:01:14,908 --> 00:01:21,014 WELL, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BEFORE 1752 IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA, THE NEW YEAR OFFICIALLY BEGAN 19 00:01:21,114 --> 00:01:23,583 WHEN SPRING BEGAN, ON MARCH 25TH. 20 00:01:23,683 --> 00:01:29,722 OR TO PUT IT QUITE SIMPLY, THE NEW YEAR SPRANG UP AT THE SAME TIME THE LEAVES AND GRASS DID. 21 00:01:29,823 --> 00:01:34,294 JAMES: IN FACT, WHEN GEORGE WASHINGTON AND BEN FRANKLIN WERE YOUNG, THEY AND ALL THE 22 00:01:34,394 --> 00:01:38,798 OTHER AMERICAN COLONISTS WISHED EACH OTHER HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY SPRING ON THE SAME 23 00:01:38,898 --> 00:01:40,667 DAY ON MARCH 25TH. 24 00:01:40,767 --> 00:01:46,539 HOWEVER, WHEN THE ENGLISH CALENDAR WAS REFORMED, PARLIAMENT DECLARED THAT STARTING IN 1752, 25 00:01:46,639 --> 00:01:51,411 THE NEW YEAR WOULD NO LONGER BEGIN IN MARCH, BUT WOULD BE CELEBRATED ON JANUARY 1ST, A 26 00:01:51,511 --> 00:01:54,447 TRADITION BEGUN BY THE ROMANS IN 153 B.C. 27 00:01:54,547 --> 00:01:59,752 DEAN: NOW BOTH SPRINGS ARE RELATED TO THE VERNAL EQUINOX, WHICH HAPPENS THIS YEAR ON 28 00:01:59,853 --> 00:02:03,022 TUESDAY, MARCH 20TH AT 12:16 P.M. 29 00:02:03,123 --> 00:02:04,357 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME. 30 00:02:04,457 --> 00:02:07,760 JAMES: BUT WHAT DOES THE TERM VERNAL EQUINOX REALLY MEAN? 31 00:02:07,861 --> 00:02:12,098 LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING IS REALLY AN ASTRONOMICAL EVENT, WHICH MARKS 32 00:02:12,198 --> 00:02:16,169 ONE OF THE TWO DAYS OF THE YEAR WHEN OUR SUN IS SMACK DAB ON THE CELESTIAL EQUATOR. 33 00:02:16,269 --> 00:02:19,105 DEAN: THE OTHER DAY BEING THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN. 34 00:02:19,205 --> 00:02:24,377 WHEN THIS HAPPENS IN SEPTEMBER, WE CALL IT THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX AND WHEN IT HAPPENS IN 35 00:02:24,477 --> 00:02:26,446 MARCH, WE CALL IT THE VERNAL EQUINOX. 36 00:02:26,546 --> 00:02:31,818 JAMES: MOST PEOPLE TODAY DON'T KEEP TRACK OF THE SUN AND ITS MOVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE 37 00:02:31,918 --> 00:02:36,589 SEASONS LIKE OUR ANCESTORS DID, BUT IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO WATCH THE SUN CHANGE ITS PLACE 38 00:02:36,689 --> 00:02:39,826 ON THE HORIZON EVERY DAY FROM EQUINOX TO EQUINOX. 39 00:02:39,926 --> 00:02:43,796 DEAN: STARTING THIS WEEK, IF YOU MAKE NOTE OF WHERE THE SUN RISES AND SETS ON THE HORIZON 40 00:02:43,897 --> 00:02:49,135 EACH DAY USING LANDMARKS (LIKE TREES OR BUILDINGS), YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE SUN WILL RISE JUST 41 00:02:49,235 --> 00:02:53,840 A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF EAST EACH DAY AND WILL SET A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF 42 00:02:53,940 --> 00:02:55,708 WEST EACH DAY. 43 00:02:55,808 --> 00:03:00,380 JAMES: THE SUN WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWARD WEEK AFTER WEEK UNTIL JUNE 21ST, THE FIRST 44 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:05,185 DAY OF SUMMER (THE SUMMER SOLSTICE), WHEN IT WILL RISE ITS FARTHEST NORTH OF EAST AND 45 00:03:05,285 --> 00:03:07,187 SET ITS FARTHEST NORTH OF WEST. 46 00:03:07,287 --> 00:03:12,325 DEAN: AFTER WHICH IT WILL START TO MOVE SOUTHWARD WEEK AFTER WEEK UNTIL ONCE AGAIN IT WILL RISE 47 00:03:12,425 --> 00:03:18,031 DUE EAST AND SET DUE WEST ON THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN IN SEPTEMBER. 48 00:03:18,131 --> 00:03:21,301 JAMES: ALRIGHT, LET S SEE WHAT THE PLANETS ARE DOING ON THE EQUINOX. 49 00:03:21,401 --> 00:03:26,773 JAMES: OK, WE VE GOT OUR SKIES SET TO SUNSET ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 18TH. 50 00:03:26,873 --> 00:03:31,311 IF YOU LOOK DUE WEST JUST AFTER SUNSET, NEAR THE HORIZON YOU LL SEE THE SLIMMEST CRESCENT 51 00:03:31,411 --> 00:03:33,379 MOON YOU VE PROBABLY EVER SEEN. 52 00:03:33,479 --> 00:03:37,350 IT MAY BE TOUGH TO SPOT DUE TO THE GLARE OF THE SUN, BUT WE HAVE A WAY OF HELPING YOU 53 00:03:37,450 --> 00:03:39,152 FIND IT. 54 00:03:39,252 --> 00:03:42,522 DEAN: JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE CRESCENT MOON, YOU LL SEE TWO BRIGHT STAR-LIKE OBJECTS. 55 00:03:42,622 --> 00:03:47,393 THE BRIGHTER ONE IS THE DAZZLING PLANET VENUS AND THE DIMMER ONE FURTHER TO THE RIGHT IS 56 00:03:47,493 --> 00:03:49,128 THE PLANET MERCURY. 57 00:03:49,229 --> 00:03:53,166 JAMES: IF YOU LOOK AT EITHER PLANET THROUGH A TELESCOPE, YOU RE IN FOR A TREAT. 58 00:03:53,266 --> 00:03:56,502 SINCE VENUS IS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM FROM US RIGHT NOW, WE LL BE 59 00:03:56,603 --> 00:03:58,871 ABLE TO SEE MOST OF ITS DAYTIME SIDE. 60 00:03:58,972 --> 00:04:01,074 THEREFORE, VENUS WILL BE IN THE GIBBOUS PHASE. 61 00:04:01,174 --> 00:04:06,246 DEAN: MERCURY ON THE OTHER HAND IS ABOUT TO PASS BETWEEN US AND THE SUN, SO WE LL BE 62 00:04:06,346 --> 00:04:08,214 SEEING MORE OF ITS NIGHTTIME SIDE. 63 00:04:08,314 --> 00:04:12,685 SO, IF YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH A TELESCOPE, MERCURY WILL BE IN A CRESCENT PHASE. 64 00:04:12,785 --> 00:04:14,621 JAMES: WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT! 65 00:04:14,721 --> 00:04:17,190 A SPRING TIME PAIRING OF ASTRONOMICAL PROPORTIONS! 66 00:04:17,290 --> 00:04:21,094 DEAN: SO HAPPY SPRING OF THE LEAF AND HAPPY OLD FASHIONED NEW YEAR. 67 00:04:21,194 --> 00:04:25,194 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!