Visuals/Sounds

Script

Moving through space (digi), into the solar system.

Alien ship in space

Earth/moon system

Lots of noise and exhaust; alien ship lands in a back yard

Suburban pan; house with backyard; starry sky; alien ship in the yard

Sound of screen door opening and closing

Zartek, looking worried

Mom and Sam looking awed

Screen door opens and closes twice

Mizar

Ursa Major

Big Dipper

Mizar/Alcor double star

Night sky, outlines of constellations

Cassiopeia

Draco

Circumpolar constellations

Orion

Leo

Cygnus

Pegasus

Views of Moon from Earth

Green cheese Man in moon Tides

NASA photos

Moon through telescope

Zartek: Razblech! Lost again! (pause for funky space music, etc.) Ahhh – here is another solar system. Perhaps I can find some help here… I see nine planets… surely ONE of them MUST have intelligent life! Oh, thank barglenut. The third one is inhabited. I will land here, on this smooth patch of green vegetation, and ask the earthlings for directions home.

Mom: What was all that noise?

Sam: Let’s find out!

Mom: Oh my gosh! It’s a –

Sam: Flying saucer? No way!

Zartek: Oh, yes, Earth person, there is a way. I am Zartek, an explorer. And I am lost. Can you direct me to my home star of Mizar?

Sam: Wow, Mom! This is awesome. An alien in our own backyard.

Mom: Uh huh. Okay, I can handle this. Ahh -- Zartek? Is that your name?

Zartek: It is. And you are – Mom?

Mom: (Laughing) I guess so! Zartek, we’d love to help you find your home, but I don’t know where Mizar is. Sam, why don’t you get the binoculars and the star chart. Then we’ll see what we can do to help Zartek.

Sam: Here they are! I found Mizar. It’s the second to last star in the handle of the Big Dipper.

Zartek: You found it! But – Ohhh dear … but I don’t know how to find this Big Dipper.

Mom: That’s easy. Look up! You see how the stars make the shape of a bear? And there – see? That’s the Big Dipper.

Sam: And the second star from the end of the handle is Mizar. It’s actually a double star!

Zartek: You are correct! How wonderful – now I can find my way home! Many thanks. Good-bye.

Sam: Wait – don’t go yet! Let us show you more!

Zartek: Very well. I am always interested in learning more. Tell me about these shapes you see in the sky.

Mom: We call them the “constellations.” We humans like to make sense of the universe through stories. And there’s a story told about every one of the constellations.

For example, that group of stars over there is Cassiopeia, a queen sitting on her throne.

Draco the dragon is a long, complicated constellation. According to one legend, Draco was thrown into the sky by goddess Athena, after it attacked her!

The Big Dipper, Cassiopeia and Draco can be seen all year round. But there are other constellations that come out at different times of the year.

In the winter, for instance, you can see Orion, the hunter. There are his shoulders, his knees, his belt – and his sword.

In the spring, Leo the lion is in the sky. He looks a little like a backwards question mark!

Cygnus the swan is a summertime constellation.

And Pegasus, the flying horse, is an autumn constellation.

Zartek: And have you stories about your moon?

Sam: Sure. Like – the moon is made of green cheese. Or … if you look closely, you can see the man in the moon. But the moon does a lot more than just look neat. It creates the movements of our oceans – you know, tides.

Zartek: Have you visited your moon? It sounds interesting.

Sam: (laughing) heck, no! only a dozen or so people have ever actually visited the moon. We just see it through telescopes.

Zartek: Ahhhh. I wonder… as thanks for your help in showing me my home star system, may I show you more of your own star system? I have a ship here, and I would be glad to offer a tour.

Sam: That would be so amazingly excellent!