Download mars, antares, the sting and more

STAR GAZERS
SG 1634 - 5M
AUGUST 22-28, 2016
"MARS, ANTARES, THE STING AND MORE"
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 YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY
TONIGHT. AS SUMMER STARTS HEADING TO FALL, THE SUMMER STARS START FADING AWAY.
DEAN: BUT WE HAVE A WEEK OR TWO TO TAKE IN MY FAVORITE CONSTELLATION OF
SUMMER: SCORPIUS THE SCORPION WITH ITS FLICKERING RED HEART-STAR AND TWO
STINGER STARS.
JAMES: PLUS THE RED PLANET MARS WILL BE HANGING WITH THE SCORPION.
DEAN: AND WE HAVE A BONUS PLANET FOR YOU TO LOOK FOR. SHOULD WE TELL THEM
WHICH ONE?
JAMES: NO, NOT YET. LETS BUILD UP THE SUSPENSE!
DEAN: MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. TO THE STARS!
----STOP & DROP
DEAN: OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO ANY NIGHT THIS WEEK, AT 9:30PM, FACING SOUTH.
TO FIND THE SCORPION, LOOK JUST ABOVE THE HORIZON FOR STARS THAT FORM A
FISHHOOK SHAPE. IT'S A LITTLE TOUGHER TO SEE THE DISTINCT OUTLINE OF THE
CONSTELLATION SINCE THERE ARE TWO VISITING PLANETS AMONG THE NORMAL STARS OF
THE SCORPION. BUT BE PATIENT, WE'LL GET TO THOSE SOON ENOUGH.
JAMES: IT MAY BE TOUGH TO IMAGINE THESE STARS AS A SCUTTLING SCORPION BUT
HOPEFULLY THE PICTURE HELPS. WHEN I LOOK FOR SCORPIUS, THE FIRST THING I NOTICE IS
THE REALLY RED, REALLY TWINKLY STAR AT THE HEART OF THE SCORPION. THIS STAR IS
CALLED ANTARES.
DEAN: IF WE ZOOM IN ON ANTARES WITH A LARGE TELESCOPE WE FIND THAT IT IS NOT JUST
ONE STAR, BUT TWO ORBITING EACH OTHER. THE LARGER ONE IS THE RED STAR WE SEE
WITH THE NAKED EYE. THE SMALLER IS OF A CONTRASTING COLOR AND MOST PEOPLE
THINK IT LOOKS GREEN BUT YOULL NEED A BIG TELESCOPE TO SEE IT.
JAMES: AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE MAIN STAR ANTARES IS GIGANTIC AND DAZZLINGLY
BRIGHT. IF WE PUT ANTARES NEXT TO THE SUN, THIS IS WHAT THEYD LOOK LIKE.
DEAN: YIKES! THE BRIGHTEST STAR-LIKE OBJECT IN SCORPIUS RIGHT NOW ISN'T A STAR.
IT'S THE PLANET MARS AND YOU CAN SEE IT JUST ABOVE THE SCORPION'S HEART-STAR,
ABOVE ANTARES THIS WEEK.
JAMES: THE WORD ANTARES MEANS, RIVAL OF MARS, BUT THIS WEEK ANTARES IS NO MATCH
FOR MARS (WHEN IT COMES TO BRIGHTNESS). THE RED PLANET WILL LOOK ABOUT TWICE AS
BRIGHT AS THE RED STAR.
DEAN: AND YOU WILL NOTICE ONE OTHER DIFFERENCE: WHILE ANTARES WILL TWINKLE,
MARS' LIGHT WILL BE MUCH MORE STEADY. THIS IS A GENERAL RULE - STARS TWINKLE,
PLANETS DONT (AS MUCH).
----STOP - REPOSITION SKY TO CLOSER UP VIEW OF THE SCORPION
JAMES: NOW THAT WEVE INVESTIGATED THE HEART OF THE SCORPION, HOW ABOUT HIS
TAIL? AT THE END OF THE FISHHOOK SHAPE, LOOK FOR TWO STARS THAT ARE VERY CLOSE
TOGETHER. THESE ARE THE STARS SHAULA AND LESATH AND TOGETHER THEY ARE KNOWN
AS, THE STING.
DEAN: MAKES SENSE. ALTHOUGH THESE TWO STARS LOOK CLOSE TOGETHER, THEY ARE
SEPARATED BY TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF MILES. LESATH, THE DIMMER OF THE PAIR IS
ABOUT 580 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH. THE DISTANCE TO SHAULA HOWEVER IS UNKNOWN.
SOME ASTRONOMERS FOUND IT TO BE 700 LIGHT YEARS AWAY AND OTHERS FOUND IT TO BE
ONLY 365 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. EITHER WAY, THE STINGER STARS ONLY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE
CLOSE TOGETHER.
JAMES: I'VE ALSO HEARD THEM CALLED THE CATS EYES SINCE THEY ARE SO DISTINCT. AND
WHILE YOU'RE IN THE AREA, TWO OPEN CLUSTERS LIE NEARBY FOR YOU TO DISCOVER WITH
ONLY A PAIR OF BINOCULARS. THEY'RE CALLED M6 AND M7.
----STOP
JAMES: AND FINALLY WE WILL REVEAL OUR MYSTERY GUEST PLANET FOR TODAY'S SHOW.
DEAN: THE ANTICIPATION HAS BEEN KILLING ME!
JAMES: UH HUH, AND WHEN YOU LOOK ABOVE ANTARES, AND ABOVE MARS, YOU WILL SEE
ANOTHER BRIGHT STEADY LIGHT.
DEAN: SO STEADY IT MUST BE A PLANET, BUT WHICH ONE? LET'S PRETEND WE'RE FOCUSING
A TELESCOPE AND GETTING A CLEAR LOOK. THIS IS THE SIXTH PLANET FROM THE SUN, THE
SECOND LARGEST PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM, KEEPER OF AT LEAST 62 MOONS,
GORGEOUS RINGS, AND WELL…I THINK YOUVE FIGURED IT OUT.
JAMES: THIS IS SATURN, AND IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT THROUGH A TELESCOPE, MAKE IT
YOUR MISSION TO DO SO THIS MONTH. CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL ASTRONOMY CLUB,
PLANETARIUM, OR SCIENCE CENTER AND ASK, HEY ARE YOU GUYS VIEWING SATURN THIS
SEASON? AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE IT.
DEAN: IT IS TRULY BREATH-TAKING. AND IT'S ALL THERE WHEN YOU…
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!
----STOP