The Saga of the Seven Sisters - Navigating the Night Sky With Astronomer Steve Fentress
Description
Spend some time in a dark location and you'll see the night sky in all its glory. If you pick a night with no moon, the effect triples. Steve Fentress, recently retired director of the Strasenburgh Planetarium in New York, is our guide to the night sky this week. He'll enlighten us about the lore of the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, one of the more remarkable constellations in the sky, as well as a general tour of other notable constellations and their stories across the ages. And... he's even got a planetarium joke! Join us for this surprisingly entertaining look at the great above from a veteran storyteller.
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Main Topic: The Night Sky
Steve's approach to appreciating the night sky focuses on visualization using basic math rather than just facts
Overview of cultural interpretations of constellations and astronomical objects across ancient Chinese, Aboriginal Australian, and Pacific Islander cultures
The 88 modern constellations officially recognized today trace back to ancient Near East, Greek, and 16th-century European traditions
The Pleiades star cluster - one of the most prominent and universally viewed groups of stars
Its seasonal visibility and blue color make it a prime target for binoculars
Appearance ranges from 6 main stars to a sparkling cluster depending on conditions
Known as the "Seven Sisters" across cultures; stories explaining its changing appearance
Popular meteor showers, including the Perseids, Leonids, and Geminids
How meteor showers coincide with Earth's intersecting dust trails left behind by comets
Upcoming highlights: 2024 Perseids and peak viewing times
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Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Steve Fentress
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