Real cases
A case · you decide
The Real Sky in July
The Real Sky — a teen writing a planetarium show for a July evening in the northern mid-latitudes
The show's draft opens with Orion, the most famous constellation. The show is set on a July evening in Chicago.
As Earth orbits, the night side faces a different part of the sky. Orion sits in the evening sky in northern winter and is lost in the Sun's glare around June and July.
The July evening sky has Scorpius low in the south and the Summer Triangle overhead.
What should the July show open with?
After the show, three people find Antares low in the south from the parking lot, which was the point of opening with Scorpius.
A case · you decide
The Place moves the show south
The Place & The Season — a latitude checker working with the season planner
The same show will now run in Sydney. The draft still ends on Polaris, the North Star.
Polaris sits at an altitude roughly equal to the observer's latitude. From Sydney, at about 34 degrees south, that altitude is negative: Polaris never rises.
Southern audiences have their own pole markers, like the Southern Cross pointing toward the south celestial pole.
How should the Sydney version end?
The Sydney finale shows the Southern Cross. One visitor says it's the first planetarium show that matched her own backyard.
A case · you decide
The Story checks with The Real Sky
The Story & The Real Sky — a 17-year-old writing a planetarium show for a December family night
Leo's show ends on a big finale: the red star Antares rising in Scorpius. The show is for a December evening in Chicago.
The Real Sky has one rule: only feature what is really up. On a December evening at that latitude, Scorpius is below the horizon; it is a summer constellation.
Up that evening: Orion rising in the east, the Pleiades high in the south-east, Cassiopeia in the north.
What should Leo do with his finale?
A story can choose what to feature. The sky decides what is available.