STAR GAZER
THE INTERNATIONAL EDITION

STAR GAZER is seen nationally on most PBS stations. There is a five minute and a one minute version available each week. If it is not currently on your PBS station we suggest you contact your local PBS programming director and let them know it is available free to all PBS stations. Visit http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html for help in locating your local PBS station. You may take STAR GAZER off satellite for personal use, classroom use, astronomy club use, etc. without written permission.

Satellite feed info:

GE 3 - PBS Transponder 512 - Digital Only!

OneHour Feed STAH 909
Friday February 19, 2010, 1100-1200/SD06
Includes episodes 1009, 1010, 1011, 1012, 1013

Star Gazer is also available from NASA CORE. A videotape of the current month is available from NASA CORE (Contact us for current price)

NASA Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE)
Lorain County JVS-CORE
15181 Route 58 South
Oberlin, OH 44074

Phone: (440) 775-1400
Fax: (440) 775-1460
E-mail: NASA_order@lcjvs.net
http://www.nasa.gov/education/core

---

Notice : These are working drafts of the scripts for STAR GAZER.
Changes may well be made as production requires.

---

"Star Gazer" is available with iTunes,
for downloading with Quicktime
and we're now on YouTube

STAR GAZER 5 MINUTE

Episode # 10-09 / 1682nd Show
To Be Aired : Monday 3/1/2010 through
Sunday 3/7/2010

"Fun Facts And Things To Do
On The First Day Of Spring"

Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers. This year the first moment of spring officially arrives at 1:32 p.m. Eastern time or your local equivalent, on Saturday March 20th because at that precise moment our Sun will lie smack dab on the celestial equator which officially marks the first moment of spring for the northern hemisphere. So happy spring to everybody above the equator. But if we could go back in time to just before the American Revolution I'd also wish you Happy New Year! Let me explain.

O.K., if someone asked you why is spring called spring? Would you have the right answer? Well simply put we use the word spring because it is an abbreviation for the two phrases "spring of the leaf" and "spring of the year". Now "spring of the leaf" is pretty obvious because at this time of year in the northern hemisphere leaves literally do spring up out of branches and grass and flowers spring up out of the ground. That's why we call spring, spring. But why was this time also called "the spring of the year"? Well before 1752 in England and America the new year actually began close to the first day of spring, on March 25th. Or to put it quite simply the new year sprang up at the same time the leaves and the grass did.

In fact when George Washington and Ben Franklin were young whippersnappers they and all American colonists wished each other happy new year and happy spring on the same day, March 25th until English Parliament declared that beginning in 1752 the new year would no longer begin in March but would be celebrated on January 1st, which was actually a tradition begun by the Romans in 153 b.c.

But lest we forget, the first moment of spring is strictly speaking an astronomical event which marks one of the two days when our Sun lies smack dab on the celestial equator, the other day being the first day of autumn. You see these are the only two days of the year when the Sun rises exactly due east and sets due west and were just two of several astronomical events our ancient ancestors used to help them determine the seasons, and when to plant and harvest various crops. Today the first day of spring barely gets a mention in the media.

But you can see for yourself just how dramatic the arrival of spring is visually if you drive to and from work on a due east / west highway at sunrise and sunset. Because on the first day of spring and autumn the Sun will rise and set directly over the yellow line in the middle of the road. Try it yourself. Starting next week if you go to work around sunrise on a due east / west highway notice just how close the Sun rises to the center of the road each day and then as it gets closer to March 20th watch it rise even closer to the yellow line until on Saturday the 20th it will rise directly over the yellow line. And vice versa, watch the Sun set closer and closer to the yellow line as you drive home on a due west highway. Ladies and gentlemen, start your Sun visors now! Happy spring to you and yours, and Happy New Year, Ben and George. Keep looking up!

How did you like this episode?
Please give us your comments. (Click Here)

For GRAPHICS for this script (Click) Here

"Star Gazer" is available with iTunes,
for downloading with Quicktime
and we're now on YouTube

"Fun Facts And Things To Do
On The First Day Of Spring"

Horkheimer: This year spring officially begins at 1:32 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday March 20th, which is the precise moment our Sun crosses the celestial equator. But our Sun crosses the celestial equator not only on the first day of spring but also on the first day of autumn, which makes for a strange phenomenon. You see on these two days only the Sun will rise exactly due east and set due west, which means that if you are driving east at sunrise on a due east highway the sun will rise directly over the yellow line in the middle of the road and vice versa will set directly over the yellow line on a due west highway. If it doesn't your highway is not true due east and west. Ladies and gentlemen start your sun visors now. Happy first day of spring on March 20th and keep looking up!

How did you like this episode?
Please give us your comments. (Click Here)

For GRAPHICS for this script (Click) Here

* This week's Sky At A Glance and Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.
This week's Sky At A Glance displays current week only.

Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode of Star Gazer

Return to the [STAR GAZER Main Page]