WEBVTT 00:00:07.890 --> 00:00:10.730 Howdy Star Gazers and welcome to this episode 00:00:10.730 --> 00:00:14.369 of Star Trails. Drew here, and I'll be your guide 00:00:14.369 --> 00:00:18.250 to the night sky for the week starting July 27th 00:00:18.250 --> 00:00:22.670 through August 2nd. This week dual meteor showers 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:25.789 have the potential to light up the sky. Mars, 00:00:26.010 --> 00:00:29.429 dances with the moon, and a recent supernova 00:00:29.429 --> 00:00:32.969 may be visible depending on where you live. And 00:00:32.969 --> 00:00:35.929 later in the show, another ground -breaking discovery 00:00:35.929 --> 00:00:39.369 has likely solved one of the long -standing mysteries 00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:43.090 of the constellation Orion. Whether you're tuning 00:00:43.090 --> 00:00:46.070 in from the backyard, the balcony, or just your 00:00:46.070 --> 00:00:49.250 imagination, I'm glad you're here. So find a 00:00:49.250 --> 00:00:52.189 cozy spot, let your eyes adjust, and let's see 00:00:52.189 --> 00:00:56.640 what the sky holds for us this week. Tonight 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.299 and tomorrow a very thin waxing crescent moon 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:03.920 glides through the western evening sky. Tonight 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.400 it appears just a few degrees from Mars and by 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.780 the 28th it is shifted slightly to lie southeast 00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:14.379 of the red planet. This makes for a simple but 00:01:14.379 --> 00:01:17.879 beautiful binocular and naked eye pairing shortly 00:01:17.879 --> 00:01:21.180 after sunset. By the end of the week the moon 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:24.719 reaches its first quarter phase, rising at sunset 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:27.980 and dominating the early evening sky, before 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:31.480 continuing to wax toward full in early August. 00:01:32.659 --> 00:01:35.439 Late July brings a celestial double feature. 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:39.719 The Southern Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:43.500 peak during the night of July 29 into the early 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:47.590 hours of July 30. Under pre -dawn darkness, these 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:51.450 two showers can combine for as many as 25 meteors 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:54.909 per hour, with the Capricornids often producing 00:01:54.909 --> 00:01:58.930 slower moving fireballs. With a low moon just 00:01:58.930 --> 00:02:01.569 after first quarter, the dimmer meteors should 00:02:01.569 --> 00:02:04.750 still be visible, especially if you face south 00:02:04.750 --> 00:02:08.810 under clear skies. From your backyard around 00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:12.490 sunset, Mars, as we've already mentioned, glows 00:02:12.490 --> 00:02:15.590 in the western sky, sinking lower each night 00:02:15.590 --> 00:02:19.849 as it transitions from Leo into Virgo. Saturn 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:22.770 climbs the eastern horizon later in the evening 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:26.629 and becomes an inviting target after 10 p .m., 00:02:26.629 --> 00:02:29.740 rising higher throughout the night. In the pre 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:33.139 -dawn eastern sky, Venus and Jupiter make for 00:02:33.139 --> 00:02:36.800 a stunning duo, with Venus blazing brightly and 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:40.759 Jupiter steadily climbing beside it. This pairing 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:43.639 continues into early August, setting the stage 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:46.539 for a dramatic conjunction around mid -month. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:50.219 Let's talk about some constellations and deep 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:54.189 -sky objects. as night falls look east to spot 00:02:54.189 --> 00:02:57.629 Aquila the eagle soaring higher with its brilliant 00:02:57.629 --> 00:03:01.229 star Altair, forming one of the vertices of the 00:03:01.229 --> 00:03:04.789 famous summer triangle, along with stars Vega 00:03:04.789 --> 00:03:09.870 and Deneb. By about 11pm, that triangle is high 00:03:09.870 --> 00:03:14.219 overhead and unmistakable. Low to the south, 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:17.979 Scorpius and Sagittarius reveal a rich tapestry 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:21.759 of Milky Way star fields, nebula, and clusters, 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:24.780 especially early in the evening before they dip 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:29.099 too low. Using binoculars or a small telescope, 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:35.080 check out NGC 6709, a bright open cluster in 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.060 Aquila shining with dozens of stars scattered 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:41.530 across the field. You may also want to turn your 00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:47.849 optics towards NGC 5634, a compact globular cluster 00:03:47.849 --> 00:03:51.129 within Virgo, which presents a tight ball of 00:03:51.129 --> 00:03:53.949 faint stars just beyond what's visible to the 00:03:53.949 --> 00:04:04.009 naked eye. Viewers in the southern hemisphere 00:04:04.009 --> 00:04:07.229 have been enjoying a very rare cosmic event. 00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:14.150 Nova V462 lupi. Discovered back in June, it rose 00:04:14.150 --> 00:04:18.910 from an invisible magnitude plus 22 star to become 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:21.470 visible to the naked eye in less than a week. 00:04:22.089 --> 00:04:26.470 It peaked around magnitude 5 .5 on June 20th, 00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:29.449 briefly shining as a new point of light in the 00:04:29.449 --> 00:04:33.100 constellation Lupus. This explosion occurred 00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:36.240 in a binary system where a white dwarf siphoned 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.620 gas from a companion star until reaching ignition. 00:04:40.579 --> 00:04:44.000 That thermonuclear blast suddenly super brightened 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.899 the system without destroying the white dwarf 00:04:46.899 --> 00:04:50.319 itself. Observers in the southern hemisphere 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:53.980 had the best view, but lucky stargazers in southern 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:57.319 parts of the US, including Texas, Florida, and 00:04:57.319 --> 00:05:00.519 California, have also reported seeing it low 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:04.439 on the southern horizon. By late July, the NOVA 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:08.899 is still estimated around magnitude 5 .9, so 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:12.060 it's fading slightly, but remains within reach 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:15.480 using binoculars or small telescopes under dark 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:18.879 skies if you have an unobstructed southern horizon. 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:22.980 If you're located below roughly 40 to 45 degrees 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:26.620 north latitude, step outside between 10 and 11 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:30.120 pm local time. Face the south and look within 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:33.980 a few degrees of delta and beta lupi and Kappa 00:05:33.980 --> 00:05:37.620 Centauri to find the nova using star -hopping 00:05:37.620 --> 00:05:41.519 techniques. As always, a stargazing app such 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.600 as Stellarium will help you easily locate these 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:48.420 stars. Coming up, we'll explore a new discovery 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.459 that has likely unlocked one of the secrets of 00:05:51.459 --> 00:05:54.680 the constellation Orion. That's after the break. 00:05:55.019 --> 00:06:10.279 Stay with us. It's no exaggeration to say this 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:13.040 summer has been one for the books when it comes 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:16.420 to space news. From the discovery of one of the 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:19.879 most massive comets ever spotted, to distant 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:23.379 spiral galaxies that challenge ideas of how galaxies 00:06:23.379 --> 00:06:26.819 form, we've been swimming in discoveries lately. 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:30.740 And they keep coming. Today, we set our sights 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:33.899 on a red supergiant that's been a fixture in 00:06:33.899 --> 00:06:37.540 our sky for centuries and a mystery that's endured 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:41.240 for just as long. We're talking about Betelgeuse, 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:45.339 the unmistakable crimson star marking the shoulder 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:49.899 of Orion. If you've spent time under winter skies, 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:52.959 you've definitely seen it, and if you've followed 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.839 astronomy headlines over the past few years, 00:06:56.180 --> 00:07:00.220 you've maybe heard about its antics, from unexpected 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:03.540 dimming events to speculation that it might be 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:08.100 gearing up for a supernova. But one mystery surrounding 00:07:08.100 --> 00:07:13.560 Betelgeuse has remained unsolved until now. Astronomers 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:16.860 have long known that Betelgeuse pulses and varies 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:20.600 in brightness. It swells and contracts on a regular 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:25.160 cycle of about 400 days. That's not unusual for 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:29.379 a star in its late stages of life. But Betelgeuse 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:34.500 also shows a second, far slower rhythm, brightening 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:37.620 and dimming over the course of about six years. 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:42.120 For decades, this longer cycle has baffled scientists. 00:07:42.670 --> 00:07:46.170 This summer, researchers may have finally cracked 00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:49.949 the case. Using a cutting -edge, high -resolution 00:07:49.949 --> 00:07:53.009 imager attached to the Gemini North Telescope 00:07:53.009 --> 00:07:56.290 in Hawaii, astronomers caught sight of something 00:07:56.290 --> 00:08:00.329 hiding in plain sight. A small, faint companion 00:08:00.329 --> 00:08:04.189 star nestled right up against Betelgeuse's glowing 00:08:04.189 --> 00:08:07.709 atmosphere. It's being nicknamed Betel Buddy, 00:08:08.250 --> 00:08:11.230 and it might be the key to solving this thousand 00:08:11.230 --> 00:08:15.500 -year -old puzzle. Betelgeuse is so massive and 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:18.300 bright that spotting a companion is incredibly 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:21.459 difficult. It's like trying to see a firefly 00:08:21.459 --> 00:08:25.420 next to a spotlight. But the Gemini North Scope 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:29.240 is designed for exactly this kind of work. Using 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:32.500 rapid -fire exposures to cancel out atmospheric 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:35.779 turbulence, it was able to tease out the faint 00:08:35.779 --> 00:08:39.080 signature of a blue -white star orbiting close 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:43.279 to Betelgeuse. This tiny companion is thought 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.279 to be a young, hot star about one and a half 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:50.480 times the mass of our Sun. That makes it minuscule 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:52.960 compared to Betelgeuse, which is hundreds of 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.700 times the Sun's diameter, and so distended it's 00:08:56.700 --> 00:09:00.200 practically spilling into space. But what this 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:03.559 smaller star lacks in size, it makes up for in 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:07.620 drama. The discovery helps explain the strange 00:09:07.620 --> 00:09:11.460 six -year cycle. As the companion star orbits, 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:14.740 it moves through Betelgeuse's thick cloud of 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:18.159 expelled dust and gas, essentially clearing a 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.580 temporary path, like a snowplow, carving a lane 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:25.139 through a fog of cosmic debris. When this happens, 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:28.340 more of Betelgeuse's light reaches us here on 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:30.759 Earth, making the star appear brighter for a 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:34.340 time. Once the companion continues on its orbit 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:37.700 and the dust drifts back in, Betelgeuse dims 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:41.980 again. This orbital dance appears to happen every 00:09:41.980 --> 00:09:46.659 2100 days, just about six years, perfectly matching 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:50.879 the observed long -period variation. But there's 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:55.440 more. The two stars are shockingly close. The 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.740 companion star lies just about four astronomical 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:02.279 units away from Betelgeuse, or roughly the distance 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:06.470 from our Sun to Jupiter. That's a very tight 00:10:06.470 --> 00:10:10.289 orbit for a red supergiant and a recipe for cosmic 00:10:10.289 --> 00:10:15.210 intimacy. Tidal forces are already at play, and 00:10:15.210 --> 00:10:18.929 simulations suggest Betelgeuse may one day engulf 00:10:18.929 --> 00:10:22.330 its companion entirely. If that happens, we could 00:10:22.330 --> 00:10:26.029 witness a kind of stellar cannibalism, the slow 00:10:26.029 --> 00:10:29.830 spiraling merger of two stars. Maybe within the 00:10:29.830 --> 00:10:33.210 next 10 ,000 years, beetle buddy could become 00:10:33.210 --> 00:10:37.070 one with the beast. Interestingly, this is the 00:10:37.070 --> 00:10:40.269 first time astronomers have directly imaged a 00:10:40.269 --> 00:10:43.629 close companion orbiting a red supergiant, which 00:10:43.629 --> 00:10:46.129 is something that was only theoretical until 00:10:46.129 --> 00:10:49.970 now. It shows that some of the long -term brightness 00:10:49.970 --> 00:10:53.389 variations we see in giant stars may not be caused 00:10:53.389 --> 00:10:57.549 by internal pulsations alone, but by the gravitational 00:10:57.549 --> 00:11:01.230 influence of a companion. stirring up their outer 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:04.809 layers. Betelgeuse, which once seemed like a 00:11:04.809 --> 00:11:07.690 lone giant nearing the end of its life, is now 00:11:07.690 --> 00:11:11.110 revealed to be part of a binary system, and that 00:11:11.110 --> 00:11:13.730 changes the way we think about its future and 00:11:13.730 --> 00:11:18.169 its past. In 2027, the companion star will swing 00:11:18.169 --> 00:11:20.889 around to the far side of its orbit, reaching 00:11:20.889 --> 00:11:24.509 its maximum separation from Betelgeuse. That 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:27.210 will be the next big opportunity for astronomers 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:30.220 to observe and study it again, possibly with 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:33.639 even greater detail. So the next time you spot 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:37.820 that glowing red dot in Orion, remember, Beetlejuice 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:41.399 has company. And it's not just putting on a solo 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:44.820 act, it's dancing with a partner, one we've only 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:48.220 just discovered after centuries of watching and 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:55.710 wondering. If the stars spoke to you this week, 00:11:55.950 --> 00:11:58.250 or if a question's been on your mind, I'd love 00:11:58.250 --> 00:12:02.350 to hear it. Visit our website, StarTrails .Show, 00:12:02.529 --> 00:12:05.929 where you can contact me and explore past episodes. 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:09.389 Be sure to follow us on Blue Sky and YouTube. 00:12:09.889 --> 00:12:12.730 Links are in the show notes. Until we meet again 00:12:12.730 --> 00:12:15.429 beneath the stars, clear skies everyone.