Download five minute episode script

STAR GAZERS
SG 1638 - 5M
SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2016
"FINDING DIRECTION"
(LIKE SG 1236 ENTITLED CELESTIAL NAVIGATION WITH A SPOON AND A W)
JAMES: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS. I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA
PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.
DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. WERE HERE
TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY TONIGHT. HEY JAMES, ARE YOU SEEKING
DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE?
JAMES: WHY, HAVE I SEEMED MORE AIMLESS THAN USUAL?
DEAN: NO I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW THE STARS CAN TELL YOU WHERE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST,
AND WEST ARE.
JAMES: OH, THIS IS A GREAT MONTH TO SHARE OUR TIPS FOR FINDING POLARIS, AKA, THE
NORTH STAR.
DEAN: EXACTLY, AND ALONG THE WAY, WE'LL SHOW YOU THE BIG DIPPER, LITTLE DIPPER
AND CASSIOPEIA -THE THREE MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS OF THE NORTHERN SKY, AND VISIT A
FLYING HORSE TOO.
----STOP & DROP
DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO ANY NIGHT THIS WEEK, AT 9 PM, FACING NORTH.
SINCE WE'RE FACING NORTH, THE NORTH STAR SHOULD BE THERE SOMEWHERE, BUT
WHERE IS IT?
JAMES: CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, THE NORTH STAR IS NOT THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN
THE SKY. THAT HONOR BELONGS TO SIRIUS, THE DOG STAR. IN FACT, POLARIS RANKS ABOUT
48TH IN BRIGHTNESS, AND THROUGH CITY LIGHT POLLUTION, ITS JUST BARELY VISIBLE.
DEAN: WELL, WHAT MAKES POLARIS SO DARNED SPECIAL? LET'S FLY UP THERE TO TAKE A
CLOSER LOOK.
----STOP & FLY
JAMES: POLARIS RESIDES ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER OUR NORTH POLE. SO AS THE EARTH
ROTATES, CAUSING DAY AND NIGHT AND THE DAILY MOTIONS OF THE STARS, THE NORTH
STAR BARELY MOVES.
DEAN: THAT MEANS THIS STAR SHINES IN THE NORTHERN SKY ALL NIGHT - MAKING IT THE
PERFECT STELLAR SENTINEL. AS THE WORLD TURNS AND THE NIGHT GOES ON, THE STARS
APPEAR TO ROTATE IN A COUNTERCLOCKWISE MOTION. THIS MOTION GIVES US THE
APPEARANCE THAT THE SKY SPINS ONCE A DAY WITH A PIVOT POINT AT POLARIS.
JAMES: OF COURSE IT'S THE EARTH THAT'S SPINNING, NOT THE SKY!
----STOP - BACK TO THE HORIZON
DEAN: SINCE THE LITTLE DIPPER HAS SOME VERY FAINT STARS, FINDING THE NORTH STAR
CAN BE TOUGH. BUT NEVER FEAR - THE OTHER DIPPER IS HERE! THE BIG DIPPER IS MUCH
MORE DISTINCT AND YOU CAN FIND IT ABOUT TO SCOOP THE GROUND IN EARLY EVENING.
THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND SOME NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS CALLED THESE STARS A BIG
BEAR. BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BEAR WITH A TAIL LIKE THAT? IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A
RACCOON TO ME.
JAMES: ANYWAY, WE'RE NOW GOING TO STAR HOP - USE THE MORE NOTABLE STARS OF THE
BIG DIPPER AS POINTERS. CONNECT THE DOTS OF THE TWO STARS AT THE END OF THE BIG
DIPPER'S SPOON. THEY'RE CALLED MERAK AND DUBHE. CONTINUE THAT LINE UP AND TO THE
RIGHT AND BINGO THEY'LL POINT YOU RIGHT TO POLARIS.
DEAN: WE'RE NOT DONE WITH THE BIG DIPPER'S POINTER STARS YET. IF YOU GO FROM THE
BIG DIPPER TO THE NORTH STAR, KEEP GOING, BECAUSE YOU WILL RUN INTO A STAR AT THE
TOP OF A W-SHAPED CONSTELLATION. THE STAR'S NAME IS CAPH AND NOW YOU'VE
DISCOVERED CASSIOPEIA THE QUEEN. CAN YOU SEE THE BEAUTIFUL, BOASTFUL QUEEN
SITTING ON HER THRONE?
JAMES: UHHHH… NO!
DEAN: ME NEITHER, SO I PICTURE THESE STARS AS HER CROWN GLITTERING IN THE
NORTHEASTERN SKY.
JAMES: AHHH, THATS BETTER. AND CASSIOPEIA IS EASY TO FIND AS YOU HOP ACROSS THE
HEAVENS. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BIG DIPPER AND POLARIS IS THE SAME AS THE
DISTANCE FROM POLARIS TO CASSIOPEIA.
----STOP
JAMES: BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. HOP FROM THE BIG DIPPER'S SPOON TO POLARIS…ON TO
CASSIOPEIA…AND MAKE ONE MORE HOP. THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE CORNER OF A HUGE
SQUARE OF FOUR STARS. AND WE'VE LANDED ON ONE CORNER, A STAR CALLED ALPHERATZ.
DEAN: THIS IS REALLY THE BODY OF PEGASUS THE FLYING HORSE. LET'S SEE THE
PICTURE…WOW, THAT DEFINITELY TAKES SOME IMAGINATION! HE'S FLYING UPSIDE-DOWN!
JAMES: IT MAY BE HARD TO PICTURE, BUT IT'S EASY TO FIND ONCE YOU START STARHOPPING. AND REMEMBER ALPHERATZ? THIS STAR NOT ONLY MARKS PEGASUS' FLANK BUT
IS ALSO THE HEAD OF THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS ANDROMEDA. SHE LOOKS LIKE A LONG,
STRETCHED-OUT LETTER "A".
----STOP - CLOSE-UP ENDING
JAMES: SO THE BIG DIPPER WILL POINT YOU TO A TON OF STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS.
FIRST, FOLLOW THE END OF THE SPOON TO POLARIS, THEN ON TO THE W…
DEAN: CASSIOPEIA…
JAMES: THEN TO THE GREAT SQUARE…
DEAN: PEGASUS…AND, NOW THAT YOU CAN FIND THE NORTH STAR, YOU'LL NEVER BE LOST
AGAIN!
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!
----STOP