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“Starry Night is an excellent
aid for exploring the heavens...a superb, well documented program that
will transform you into an expert in no time.”
--ZDNet, 5 star rating
"There are few experiences as invigorating as being out in the countryside standing under a canopy of star on a still night. Starry Night conveys that feeling better than any other desktop planetarium"
--New York Times
StarGazer
Each week most PBS stations air Star
Gazer with Jack Horkheimer, the world's first and only weekly TV series
on naked-eye astronomy. The images on this page illustrate the show for
the week of Monday,
March 26, 2001.
How To Use the Moon and Your Fingers To Measure Distances In The Night Sky
Measuring angles in the sky…The separation between the two brightest stars in Orion (Rigel and Betelgeuse) is about 18.5 degrees while Jupiter and Saturn are about 10 degrees apart. By holding out an extended hand at arm’s length, you should be able to just cover Jupiter and Saturn.
The moon is about ˝ degree in width, or about 1/20th of the separation between Jupiter and Saturn. This view is from March 29, when the Moon passes by Jupiter and Saturn. The moon is actually a crescent on this day, but it is shown here as full to better display its size.
