STAR GAZERS SG 1814-5M APRIL 2-8, 2018 TAURUS AND GEMINI (NEW SHOW) WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS. I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD OF THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS LIKE LEO, VIRGO, AND ARIES. THESE HEAVENLY SIGNS ARE WELL-KNOWN IN ASTROLOGY, AND WHENEVER YOU CHECK YOUR HOROSCOPE. BUT FOR ASTRONOMERS, THESE CONSTELLATIONS MADE PERFECT PLACE-MARKERS IN THE SKY TO TRACK THE PLANETS.
THAT S RIGHT JAMES. THE SUN, MOON, AND PLANETS ALL SEEM TO PASS THROUGH THE TWELVE CONSTELLATIONS OF THE ZODIAC. THEY SEEMINGLY MAKE A RING AROUND THE EARTH AND SINCE THE PLANETS NEVER WANDER FROM THIS PATH, THE ZODIAC ACTS LIKE A RACETRACK FOR THE PLANETS. WELL, A REALLY SLOW-MOTION RACE TRACK! IT TAKES THE MOON ONE MONTH TO GO THROUGH ALL THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS WHILE SATURN TAKES A WHOPPING 30 YEARS! OKAY, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE INDY 500 UP THERE, BUT THIS WEEK WE THOUGHT WE D FOCUS IN ON TWO ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS THAT ARE EASY TO FIND AT NIGHT: TAURUS AND GEMINI. LET S SHOW YOU! (STOP DROP) OK, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR ABOUT 9:30PM FACING WEST. YOU LL PROBABLY NOTICE TWO THINGS IN THE EVENING SKY. CLOSE TO ME IN THE NORTHWEST IS A REALLY BRIGHT NIGHT LIGHT. IT S SUSPICIOUSLY BRIGHT AND THAT MEANS IT S A PLANET.
THIS IS VENUS AND YOU LL BE SEEING IT EVERY EVENING JUST AFTER SUNSET FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. AND THE OTHER THING THAT WILL DRAW YOUR ATTENTION IS THOSE THREE STARS IN A ROW STANDING NEAR ME IN THE SOUTHWEST. YOU VE BEEN SEEING THIS STAR FORMATION ALL WINTER AND IT IS NONE OTHER THAN ORION S BELT. AROUND THE BELT ARE THE STARS OF ORION WHO, WITH A LITTLE IMAGINATION, SHOULD LOOK LIKE A BIG HUNTER. NOW THAT WE VE COVERED THE BRIGHT STUFF, LET S LOOK FOR A BULL. I M TALKING TAURUS THE BULL. HE IS ABOUT 25 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT OF ORION S BELT. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW TO MEASURE DEGREES IN THE SKY? IT S EASY. JUST MAKE A FIST AND EXTEND IT TO ARM S LENGTH AND THE SIZE OF YOUR FIST IS ABOUT 10 DEGREES. SO ABOUT TWO AND
HALF FISTS TO THE RIGHT OF ORION S BELT, YOU WILL FIND TAURUS. THE CONSTELLATION ITSELF HAS ONE REALLY BRIGHT STAR CALLED ALDEBARAN THAT IS SURROUNDED BY A FAINTER GROUP OF STARS FORMING A V-SHAPE. I SEE IT! THAT V-SHAPE OF STARS IS TAURUS FACE WITH ALDEBARAN ACTING AS THE BULL S EYE. TAURUS THEN HAS TWO LONG HORNS POINTING STRAIGHT UP. SINCE WE HAVE THE POWER OVER SPACE AND TIME, LET S LOOK INTO THE FUTURE. WE RE ADVANCING ONE DAY AT A TIME. NOTICE THAT TAURUS WILL GET LOWER IN THE SKY EACH NIGHT WHILE VENUS GETS CLOSER TO IT. BY THE END OF APRIL, VENUS WILL BE NEAR THE BULL S FACE. SO YOU CAN SAY, VENUS IS IN TAURUS. (STOP) NOW, LOCATING GEMINI IS ALMOST AS EASY AS FINDING TAURUS. WE RE BACK TO THIS WEEK AT 9:30PM FACING WEST. EXCEPT WE NEED TO LOOK A LITTLE HIGHER IN THE SKY. THERE S ORION AND HIS SNAZZY BELT OF THREE STARS BUT TO FIND GEMINI WE NEED TO LOOK OVER HIS HEAD.
THAT S RIGHT DEAN. OVER ORION S HEAD YOU LL FIND TWO BRIGHT STARS - TWIN STARS YOU MIGHT SAY. THOSE ARE THE HEADS OF THE GEMINI TWINS NAMED POLLUX AND CASTOR. THE BODY AND FEET OF THE TWINS POINT DOWN TOWARD ORION. IF WE PUT THE PICTURES IN FOR THESE CONSTELLATIONS IT LOOKS LIKE GEMINI IS DANCING ON ORION S CLUB. THAT S NOT EASY TO DO! IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE FINDING GEMINI, YOU CAN USE ORION S TWO BRIGHTEST STARS TO POINT THE WAY. CONNECT A LINE FROM HIS FOOT-STAR NAMED RIGEL UP TO HIS ARMPIT STAR CALLED BETELGEUSE. IF YOU KEEP GOING IN THAT DIRECTION FOR ANOTHER 30 DEGREES, YOU LL PASS THROUGH GEMINI AND RUN INTO CASTOR. THERE ARE NO PLANETS IN GEMINI BUT ON APRIL 20TH AND 21ST, THE MOON WILL PASS THROUGH ON ITS MONTHLY ROUNDS. (STOP) CLOSE-UP ENDING SO BE SURE TO LOOK FOR TWO ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS THIS WEEK: TAURUS THE BULL AND THE GEMINI TWINS. IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THE V-SHAPE FACE OF TAURUS, REMEMBER TO USE ORION S BELT TO SHOW YOU THE WAY. AND TO FIND GEMINI,
USE ORION S TWO BRIGHTEST STARS, RIGEL AND BETELGEUSE TO POINT YOU TO THE LOCATION OF THE TWINS. LATER IN THE YEAR YOU CAN LOOK FOR THE OTHER ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS LIKE CANCER AND LEO AND VIRGO AND LIBRA AND WELL YOU GET THE IDEA. IN OTHER WORDS BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP! *******************