Star Gazers (formerly known as Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler and later Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer) is a short astronomy show on American public television previously hosted by Jack Horkheimer, executive director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.[1][2] After his death in 2010, a series of guest astronomers hosted until 2011, when Dean Regas, James Albury, and Marlene Hidalgo became permanent co-hosts.[3][4] In 2019, Dean Regas and James Albury stepped down from the program and were replaced by Trace Dominguez.[5][6][7] On the weekly program, the host informs the viewer of significant astronomical events for the upcoming week, including key constellations, stars and planets, lunar eclipses and conjunctions, as well as historical and scientific information about these events.
In 1964, Jack Horkheimer started working at the Miami Space Transit Planetarium for the Miami Museum of Science after meeting the museum's president, Arthur Smith. By the early 1970s, he was appearing on news programs talking about astronomy. He was approached by Miami's PBS affiliate, WPBT, to do a series of half-hour programs about astronomy, titled Horkheimer's Heavens. Horkheimer agreed on the condition that WPBT help him create a series of 5-minute shows on stargazing. This was the beginning of Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler.[8]
In May 1985, the show went national, being broadcast on PBS stations around the United States with the enthusiastic Horkheimer that most people are familiar with.[9] For the first two years of the national broadcast, Horkheimer hated the show and would not watch it, saying, "Well this is certainly different from any Jack Horkheimer that I know."[8] After that, Horkheimer realized that he was playing a character in order to generate enthusiasm for the show.[8] The show started broadcasting in foreign markets in 1989.
The show educates viewers about astronomical events for the coming week and about astronomy and astronomical history in general. Viewers learn about various constellations and how to find different stars. Horkheimer used catchy phrases to help viewers remember the procedures for locating astronomical bodies. "Arc to Arcturus, speed on to Spica", was a common phrase used to define the technique to find Arcturus and Spica using the handle of the Big Dipper.[12] Following the arc of the handle will lead to Arcturus as shown in the diagram.
Another method Horkheimer used to teach viewers about the stars was to tell stories about them. The Pleiades, also known as the seven sisters, was a constellation he would tell stories about. Stars with unique names, such as Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali were also used in the shows to help inform the viewers.
The show has many catchphrases that viewers associate with Horkheimer. Horkheimer's appearances on the show are always marked with his opening line, "Greetings, greetings, fellow star gazers!" and his signature closing line, "Keep looking up!"[12] These are the most widely recognizable quotes from the show but there were also others in common usage throughout the series.
Horkheimer used "So get thee outside..." to encourage viewers to watch the stars.[13] When describing the heavens he would often say "Let me show you."[14] When introducing a picture of the night sky, he would often say, "O.K., we've got our skies set up for..." and then add a date and time.[14]
It was originally designed to air on PBS stations just before sign-off, but since many PBS stations now stay on the air continuously, the show usually airs around midnight local time or before a station or member network transitions to the overnight network schedule, and often again at the start of the broadcast day. Additionally, WPBT now provides a one-minute "capsule" version of each episode with a brief summary of the week's events.
Episodes usually featured Horkheimer in front of a green screen, where he appeared to stand on top of a planetary ring on one side of the screen. Horkheimer then uses the screen to illustrate starfields and diagrams appropriate to his subject.[8]
Horkheimer was the creator, writer, and original host of the series until his death on August 20, 2010.[16] Horkheimer created the series in 1976 in cooperation with WPBT. He had been creating presentations for the Miami Space Transit Planetarium when he started the series. Horkheimer often appeared on news programs to host astronomical events.[17]
After Horkheimer's death, Trigg took over the position as host and recorded episodes for the months of October and November 2010. The episodes were written and produced by Bill Dishong. The episodes were uploaded to YouTube on September 22, 2010, and can be seen on the Miami Science Museum's channel here (Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer's channel on YouTube). Jack Kelly announced in November 2010 that a national search for a new host would start in December 2010. Dean Regas was the first to try out and, in November 2010, filmed episodes for the month of December. Regas was given topics for future shows and asked to write scripts for the January shows of 2011. Regas went back in December and filmed the January episodes. Ed Romano, an amateur astronomer from Rhode Island, hosted the February 2011 episodes. James C. Albury, Coordinator of the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, was the host for the month of April. Dean Regas returned as host for the months of March and May 2011.[3][4][21][22]
In June 2011, Albury and Regas were named as permanent co-hosts.[23] The September 2011 episodes ended with the announcement that the program would be appearing in October 2011 with the new name, "Star Gazers" and the new website stargazersonline.org. Marlene Hidalgo joined the program as its first female co-host in October 2011. Hidalgo was a high school science teacher who had spent more than a decade teaching to students with disabilities. Hidalgo moved with her family to the northeastern United States after making her last appearance on the program, which was broadcast in March 2014.
Jean-Luc: Will you fight less here?
Maman: Of course, we will. But if we should shout at each other now and then, I want you to look up and imagine how tiny our voices are out there. So tiny you can't even hear them. Look up at the stars, Jean-Luc. Look up.
Later that evening, the two toast in a number of Earth languages, and Picard remarks on how the day was easily his favorite of the year: the end of the season, "a confirmation of hard work well done". Laris concedes that was one way to look at it, and Picard asks for her way. Laris relies on a Romulan phrase, which Picard is able to translate as "seize today, for we know nothing of tomorrow". She concedes that the day was "glorious", but none of their tomorrows were ever certain. Picard offers a toast to Laris' late husband Zhaban, knowing how she must miss him, adding that he does as well. Laris admits she still did, even after a year and a half and mentions that they had been promised to one another at birth per Romulan custom, but they did grow to truly love each other. She points out how Romulans did not suffer loss as Humans; they loved deeply, and when they lost someone, they honored that love by loving again. She muses on when came to work for Picard, on how she first saw him, a man belonging to the stars, but now wonders: has he been seeking, or running? She apologizes for getting personal, but Picard encourages her to continue. She asks him point blank: "Why have you chosen to be alone?" He points out that he was hardly alone, but he knows that was not what Laris meant. Picard concedes he was a man who had reached for the stars, and with some pressing, admits that what he really wanted often had to stand in line behind his sense of duty, the need to keep moving. Leaning closer to him, Laris asks what his heart would do if he suddenly decided to stop, there and now. He leans forward as if to kiss her, but hesitates; she notes it was late, and he had a speech to give the following day, before rising to leave.
Tying the pirates up, Seven beams them off the ship, and Emmet remarks on how Humans continued to act with fear at the sight of her Borg implants. Seven expresses regret at merging the holographic programs, and wonders if there was a way to disable the therapeutic plug-ins; Emmet assures her she won't hear it from him. She finds her phaser and holster still on the captain's chair and asks about what Emmet reported outside. He had detected a spatial distortion with tachyon fluctuations and a large spike in Hawking radiation, and brings it on screen. "What the hell is that?" Seven wonders, as she stares at the anomaly growing green on screen.
Meanwhile, Elnor receives his assignment to the USS Excelsior as Picard approaches, glad to see him before he left. He is excited about his future in Starfleet, but worries that his excitement may be affecting his studies. Picard offers him a quote from the book he had found, Spock's memoir The Many and the One, about the challenges he faced as one of the first Vulcans in Starfleet: "Exhilaration enhances the absorption of knowledge." In other words, Picard concludes, "live a little," as he hands Elnor the book. Elnor thanks him, as Musiker approaches to instruct him to report for departure. Musiker is also assigned to the Excelsior, commenting that Elnor's absolute candor "will get his ass kicked", so she is watching over him. The orders go out for officers and cadets to report to their ships, and Picard bids Musiker safe journeys. After she leaves, he looks over to a plaque honoring the old Stargazer.
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