Transcript for Febuary 3 - 9

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the first week of February. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
… and Paul.

RACHEL
After 3:00 a.m. on the 3rd, look for Saturn above the moon.

PAUL
They will be so close that you can see them together in your binoculars.

RACHEL
However, there’s a star that’s even closer to the moon than Saturn.

PAUL
This star is the second brightest star of Libra the Scales. There are two interesting facts about this star.

RACHEL
First is its name, Zubenelgenubi. That’s Arabic for the scorpion’s southern claw.

PAUL
Wait, the constellation of Libra is a scale or balance. So why do we name this star after the scorpion’s claws?

RACHEL
That’s because prior to ancient Rome, the western world considered Libra to be a part of the scorpion. It’s claws specifically.

PAUL
Oh I see. What’s the second interesting fact about Zubenelgenubi?

RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is also a double star. However, unlike most double stars, the separation between the two stars is so large that people with good eyesight can see them.

PAUL
That means you can easily see Zubenelgenubi as a double star in your binoculars.

RACHEL
The moon is at last quarter on the 3rd.

PAUL
The first and last quarter moons are great binocular objects. The view is even better through a telescope, even a small one.

RACHEL
Idaho’s high power rocketry club meets in Boise on the 6th.

PAUL
Idaho Tripoli meets at the Idaho Pizza on Fairview near Cole at 6:30 PM.

RACHEL
If you have an interest in launching powerful rockets, this is the club meeting to attend.

PAUL
Hey, did you know that BYU Idaho has planetarium shows?

RACHEL
Yes I did, and it’s a great opportunity for our listeners in eastern Idaho to attend a planetarium show.

PAUL
February’s show is about the dawn of the space age. You’ll learn about the early space race between the US and USSR.

RACHEL
The BYU Idaho planetarium is located in room 107 of the Romney Science Building

PAUL
The door opens at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:00 PM on the 7th.

RACHEL
Not long after sunset on the 7th and the 8th, Mars and Mercury appear next to each other very low in the west-southwest.

PAUL
This will be a slightly tough pair to see and you will need a very flat western horizon

RACHEL
You might want to try observing them from higher elevation, like Bogus Basin.

PAUL
You can begin searching for them at 7:00 PM as the sky is getting dark.

RACHEL
Scan the west-southwest horizon with your binoculars. The pair of planets will appear a degree or two above the horizon.

PAUL
There are two astronomy club meetings this week. The first is the Boise Astronomical Society.

RACHEL
The club meets at the Discovery Center of Idaho on the 8th at 7 PM. Look for their sign at the southwest corner of the building.

PAUL
The second is the Magic Valley Astronomical Society, which meets on Saturday the 9th.

RACHEL
The meeting is held at the Herrett Center at CSI and begins at 7 PM.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of February. Listen next week when the moon guides us to Mercury and we celebrate the astronomer who first discovered dark matter.

RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps. For Idaho Skies this is Rachel…

PAUL
and Paul.

Idaho Skies is a production of NearSys and Radio Boise 89.9 FM Caldwell/Boise and 93.5 FM downtown, K228EK Garden City.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.