1 00:00:20,186 --> 00:00:21,688 TIME TRAVELING WITH THE BIG DIPPER 2 00:00:21,788 --> 00:00:24,090 JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS. 3 00:00:24,190 --> 00:00:27,727 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. 4 00:00:27,827 --> 00:00:30,530 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI 5 00:00:30,630 --> 00:00:31,765 OBSERVATORY. 6 00:00:31,865 --> 00:00:34,167 WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 7 00:00:34,267 --> 00:00:38,671 THE BIG DIPPER IS ONE OF THE EASIEST STAR PATTERNS TO FIND IN THE NIGHT SKY. 8 00:00:38,772 --> 00:00:40,340 JAMES: THE BIG DIPPER 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,943 IS IN A GREAT LOCATION FOR VIEWING THIS MONTH, AND I ALWAYS LOVE FINDING IT. 10 00:00:44,044 --> 00:00:46,913 IT MAKES ME THINK OF THE ASTRONOMICALLY VAST DISTANCES FROM 11 00:00:47,013 --> 00:00:47,914 EARTH TO STARS. 12 00:00:48,014 --> 00:00:49,849 DEAN: EXACTLY. 13 00:00:49,949 --> 00:00:53,119 ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS ABOUT THE BIG DIPPER IS THAT THE STARS ARE AT JUST THE RIGHT DISTANCE 14 00:00:53,219 --> 00:00:55,221 FROM US THAT THE LIGHT WE SEE COMING 15 00:00:55,321 --> 00:00:58,024 FROM THEM TAKES A LIFETIME TO GET HERE. 16 00:00:58,124 --> 00:00:59,392 WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? 17 00:00:59,492 --> 00:01:01,428 LET'S TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE AND TIME! 18 00:01:01,528 --> 00:01:04,931 DEAN: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR JUST AFTER SUNSET 19 00:01:05,031 --> 00:01:07,567 NEXT WEEK, AND IF YOU LOOK TOWARD THE NORTH YOU'LL SEE 20 00:01:07,667 --> 00:01:10,703 THE SEVEN BRIGHT STARS THAT MAKE UP THE BIG DIPPER. 21 00:01:10,804 --> 00:01:15,108 WHEN YOU CONNECT THE FOUR STARS TO MAKE A SPOON AND THE THREE OTHER STARS FOR A HANDLE, 22 00:01:15,208 --> 00:01:18,711 YOU CAN EASILY IMAGINE THIS GIANT SPOON AMONG THE STARS. 23 00:01:18,812 --> 00:01:21,448 JAMES: THE BIG DIPPER STARS ARE SO INCREDIBLY FAR 24 00:01:21,548 --> 00:01:25,251 AWAY THAT WE HAVE TO MEASURE THEIR DISTANCE WITH A SPECIAL TERM, 25 00:01:25,351 --> 00:01:27,887 A MEASURE OF DISTANCE THAT WE CALL A LIGHT YEAR. 26 00:01:27,987 --> 00:01:31,191 JAMES: A LIGHT YEAR IS SIMPLY HOW FAR LIGHT TRAVELS 27 00:01:31,291 --> 00:01:36,196 IN ONE YEAR, WHICH IS A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY SIX TRILLION MILES; 28 00:01:36,296 --> 00:01:40,467 WHICH FURTHER MEANS THAT IF THERE WAS A STAR SIX TRILLION MILES AWAY FROM US, 29 00:01:40,567 --> 00:01:43,503 WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT THE STAR NOT AS IT EXISTS NOW, 30 00:01:43,603 --> 00:01:46,005 BUT AS IT EXISTED ONE YEAR AGO. 31 00:01:46,106 --> 00:01:49,242 SO WHEN YOU LOOK INTO SPACE, YOU RE ALSO LOOKING BACK IN TIME. 32 00:01:49,342 --> 00:01:51,244 DEAN: WHOA, THAT S DEEP MAN. 33 00:01:51,344 --> 00:01:55,582 SO, WHEN WE SEE THE STARS OF THE BIG DIPPER WE CAN DO SOME TIME TRAVELING. 34 00:01:55,682 --> 00:01:58,351 DEAN: TAKE THE DIMMEST STAR IN THE BIG DIPPER, NAMED 35 00:01:58,451 --> 00:01:59,752 MEGREZ FOR EXAMPLE. 36 00:01:59,853 --> 00:02:02,355 MEGREZ IS 58 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY; 37 00:02:02,455 --> 00:02:07,594 WHICH MEANS THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT MEGREZ, WE SEE IT AS IT ACTUALLY EXITED 58 YEARS AGO 38 00:02:07,694 --> 00:02:09,062 - IN 1960. 39 00:02:09,162 --> 00:02:12,732 THAT WAS THE YEAR DAVID DUCHOVNY (AGENT MULDER FROM THE TV SHOW 40 00:02:12,832 --> 00:02:14,367 X-FILES) WAS BORN. 41 00:02:14,467 --> 00:02:16,769 JAMES: ALIOTH, THE FIRST STAR IN THE HANDLE OF THE 42 00:02:16,870 --> 00:02:20,907 BIG DIPPER AND PHECDA, A STAR AT THE BASE OF THE SPOON ARE BOTH ABOUT 43 00:02:21,007 --> 00:02:22,942 83 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. 44 00:02:23,042 --> 00:02:28,515 SO WHEN WE LOOK AT ALIOTH AND PHECDA TONIGHT, WE SEE THE LIGHT THAT LEFT THOSE STARS IN 45 00:02:28,615 --> 00:02:32,051 1935, THREE YEARS BEFORE OUR FAVORITE STAR GAZER, JACK 46 00:02:32,152 --> 00:02:33,186 HORKHEIMER WAS BORN. 47 00:02:33,286 --> 00:02:34,754 DEAN: MIZAR, THE STAR AT 48 00:02:34,854 --> 00:02:38,691 THE BEND OF THE BIG DIPPER S HANDLE IS 78 LIGHT YEARS AWAY; 49 00:02:38,791 --> 00:02:43,429 WHICH MEANS THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT MIZAR, WE SEE IT AS IT ACTUALLY EXISTED 78 YEARS 50 00:02:43,530 --> 00:02:47,100 AGO, IN 1940 - THE SAME YEAR THAT PATRICK STEWART 51 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,969 (STAR TREK CAPTAIN JEAN-LUC PICARD) WAS BORN. 52 00:02:50,069 --> 00:02:52,438 JAMES: INDEED, AND THAT'S NOT ALL. 53 00:02:52,539 --> 00:02:57,477 THE LAST STAR IN THE HANDLE, ALKAID IS SO FAR AWAY, THAT THE LIGHT THAT LEFT IT BEGAN 54 00:02:57,577 --> 00:03:00,113 ITS JOURNEY 104 YEARS AGO IN 55 00:03:00,213 --> 00:03:03,583 1914, THE SAME YEAR THE PANAMA CANAL OPENED. 56 00:03:03,683 --> 00:03:06,386 DEAN: THE LAST TWO STARS ARE THE POINTER STARS, 57 00:03:06,486 --> 00:03:08,121 MERAK AND DUBHE. 58 00:03:08,221 --> 00:03:12,025 IF YOU CONNECT A LINE FROM MERAK TO DUBHE AND KEEP GOING, IT WILL POINT YOU TO THE 59 00:03:12,125 --> 00:03:13,960 NORTH STAR. 60 00:03:14,060 --> 00:03:19,032 MERAK IS 80 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH, BUT DUBHE, THE ONE CLOSER TO THE NORTH STAR IS A WHOPPING 61 00:03:19,132 --> 00:03:21,768 123 LIGHT YEARS FROM US. 62 00:03:21,868 --> 00:03:22,869 JAMES: YEP! 63 00:03:22,969 --> 00:03:25,438 THE LIGHT YOU SEE FROM DUBHE LEFT IT IN 1895. 64 00:03:25,538 --> 00:03:29,842 AND WHAT HAPPENED IN 1895 YOU MIGHT ASK? 65 00:03:29,943 --> 00:03:33,213 KATHARINE LEE BATES WROTE THE SONG, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 66 00:03:33,313 --> 00:03:35,515 DEAN: LOOKING AT THE STARS OF THE BIG DIPPER CAN 67 00:03:35,615 --> 00:03:37,984 REALLY MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A TIME TRAVELER. 68 00:03:38,084 --> 00:03:42,589 SO IN 2053, WE'LL GET TO SEE THE LIGHT THAT LEFT MIZAR 69 00:03:42,689 --> 00:03:43,856 THE YEAR I WAS BORN. 70 00:03:43,957 --> 00:03:46,859 AND BY MY CALCULATIONS JAMES, YOU'LL BE 71 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:47,860 WHAT 72 00:03:47,961 --> 00:03:48,861 86 THAT YEAR? 73 00:03:48,962 --> 00:03:50,096 JAMES: YEP! 74 00:03:50,196 --> 00:03:51,431 I'LL BE GETTING READY FOR HALLEY'S COMET TO RETURN 75 00:03:51,531 --> 00:03:52,765 IN ABOUT 8 MORE YEARS. 76 00:03:52,865 --> 00:03:54,167 DEAN: YEAH 77 00:03:54,267 --> 00:03:57,971 THE YEAR 2061 WILL BE HERE IN NO TIME - COSMICALLY SPEAKING! 78 00:03:58,071 --> 00:04:01,207 JAMES: SO, NEXT TIME YOU LOOK UP AT THE BIG DIPPER 79 00:04:01,307 --> 00:04:05,445 REMIND YOURSELF, IF YOU'RE STILL YOUNG, THAT SOME DAY YOU WILL SEE THESE STARS AS THEY 80 00:04:05,545 --> 00:04:06,546 ACTUALLY 81 00:04:06,646 --> 00:04:08,114 EXISTED WHEN YOU FIRST APPEARED ON THIS PLANET. 82 00:04:08,214 --> 00:04:10,650 DEAN: AND IF YOU'RE NOT SO YOUNG, DELIGHT IN THE 83 00:04:10,750 --> 00:04:15,154 THOUGHT THAT YOU ARE LOOKING BACK AT SOME OF THE FEW THINGS THAT APPEAR EXACTLY AS THEY 84 00:04:15,255 --> 00:04:16,222 WERE IN THOSE 85 00:04:16,322 --> 00:04:18,825 SUNLIT DAYS AND STAR-FILLED NIGHTS OF YOUTH. 86 00:04:18,925 --> 00:04:19,993 JAMES: HAPPY STAR GAZING 87 00:04:20,093 --> 00:04:20,960 DEAN: AND 88 00:04:21,060 --> 00:04:21,961 HAPPY TIME TRAVELING! 89 00:04:22,061 --> 00:04:26,061 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!