Comet Catalina, visible now

Phil Plait has written a nice article on Comet Catalina. This comet is escaping the solar system, but making a close passage to the inner solar system on its way out. The comet can also be seen in the morning right now, but you'll need binoculars. Next month it will be visible in the late evening.

Here's the link to Phil's article.
  http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/12/15/comet_catalina_is_your_christmas_star_for_2015.html

And here is Sky and Telescope's link, which includes finder charts.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/comet-catalina-sails-into-northern-skies111120151111/

Enjoy

Transcript: 13 - 19 December

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of December. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon passed very close to the sun last week.

PAUL
And now it reappears in the low southwest on the evening of the 13th.

RACHEL
The moon’s not even three days old yet.

PAUL
That means its thin crescent won’t show a lot of lunar detail.

RACHEL
Any craters you do manage to see through your telescope will be those near the bright edge of the moon.

PAUL
Therefore, nearly edge-on which makes them look like narrow ovals.

RACHEL
However, you stand a good chance of seeing Earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.

PAUL
You’ll need to wait until around 6:45 PM on the 13th before the sky becomes dark enough to make Earthshine apparent.

RACHEL
Don’t wait much longer however, as the moon gets too close to the horizon by 7:15.

PAUL
The Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak intensity on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th.

RACHEL
The Geminids are one of the best meteor showers because of its intensity, or the number of meteors visible per hour.

PAUL
Also because it’s radiant point is above the horizon all night.

RACHEL
The radiant point of a meteor shower is where all the meteors in the shower appear to originate.

PAUL
The position of the radiant is related to where Earth’s orbit intersects the meteor showers orbit.

RACHEL
And to the time of the year that the intersection occurs.

PAUL
In the case of the Geminids, the radiant is located in the low east early at sunset and overhead by 3:00 AM.

RACHEL
This year, the moon is a thin crescent that sets by 8:00 PM.

PAUL
Meaning the rest of the night is undisturbed by moonlight.

RACHEL
In dark skies, and on a clear night, one can expect to see upwards of 60 meteors per hour from this shower.

PAUL
So spend a little time outside on the 13th enjoying the Geminid meteor shower.

RACHEL
The moon passes through the constellation of Capricornus the Sea-Goat on the night of the 14th.

PAUL
The constellation’s brightest star is called Algedi, and it’s located to the moon’s right.

RACHEL
Hey, did you know this star appears in popular fiction?

PAUL
In Frank Herbert’s Dune novels, the name Algedi is the source for the name of the planet Giedi Prime.

RACHEL
Which is home world of the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

PAUL
The seventh planet is Uranus and its bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye in very dark skies.

RACHEL
And that means it’s visible through binoculars in most other skies.

PAUL
The problem is that the planet doesn’t announce its presence like the brighter planets.

RACHEL
Therefore, it takes something like the moon to help you locate this distant planet.

PAUL
On the evening of the 19th, you’ll find Uranus just above the moon.

RACHEL
To find it, place the moon at the bottom of the field of view of your binoculars.

PAUL
Then look up along the moon’s terminator or boundary between lunar day and night.

RACHEL
Just below the middle of you binoculars is a star that’s actually the planet Uranus.

PAUL
The distance to Uranus is 19 times greater than the distance to the sun.

RACHEL
Therefore, the light you see from Uranus left 2¾ hours ago.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of December. Next week, winter begins.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript: December 6 - 12

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of December. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
If you don’t mind getting up a little early on Sunday morning the 6th, you’ll find there’s a relatively bright star below the moon.

RACHEL
The star’s name is Spica and it’s the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.

PAUL
Even farther below and to the left of the moon is an even object, Venus the Morning Star.

RACHEL
Venus is slowly approaching the sun, from Earth’s perspective that is.

PAUL
At the same time, it’s also traveling to the far side of the sun.

RACHEL
This means it’s approaching the full phase and becoming a smaller disk.

PAUL
So you’ll need a telescope to observe its shrinking disk.

RACHEL
By May of next year, Venus will reach the opposite side of the sun from our perspective.

PAUL
Or what astronomers called superior conjunction.

RACHEL
Let’s turn our attention back to the moon, which you can observe very well with just a pair of binoculars.

PAUL
Yes. Be sure to check out the moon for Earthshine using your binoculars.

RACHEL
Earthshine is that faint illumination of the dark portion of the crescent moon.

PAUL
The illumination is sunlight, but this is sunlight reaching the moon by way of Earth.

RACHEL
That’s because Earth appears very large and bright in the lunar sky.

PAUL
In fact, it’s about four times more reflective and four times larger than the moon appears to us.

RACHEL
So in other words, the full Earth reflects about 16 times as much light as the full moon.

PAUL
This amount of sunlight reflecting off of Earth illuminates the lunar surface more brightly than the full moon illuminates Earth’s surface.

RACHEL
The light is so bright on the moon that we can often see some of the lunar maria located on the dark portion of the moon.

PAUL
The moon approaches very close to Venus on the morning of the 7th.

RACHEL
You might want to take a minute before leaving to work to enjoy this very nice astronomical sight.

PAUL
That’s because brilliant Venus will only be one degree from the moon.

RACHEL
Meaning both appear together in your binoculars on the morning of the 7th.

PAUL
And Earthshine should still be prominent on the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is a wide double-star with a funny sounding name.

PAUL
Unlike many double stars, Zubenelgenubi is easy to split into a pair of stars using binoculars.

RACHEL
And it’s easy to find because the moon passes close to it every month.

PAUL
On the morning of the 8th, say around 6:30 AM, you’ll find Zubenelgenubi to the lower right of the moon.

RACHEL
Can you split it into a double star with just your eyes?

PAUL
If not, then aim your binoculars at the star.

RACHEL
After looking at Zubenelgenubi, turn your attention towards the moon.

PAUL
It’s close to the horizon and a very thin crescent.

RACHEL
That means that if dawn hasn’t begun, you should be able to see Earthshine.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of December. Next week a meteor shower reaches its peak and we’ll tell you when and where to watch the shower.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

This Month's Star is Rasalmothallah

This month look for the star Rasalmothallah in the constellation Triangulum, a constellation located between Andromeda and the Pleiades (but closer to Andromeda). Rasalmothallah, an Arabic word, means the triangle. In Latin, the star was called Caput Trianguli, or the head of the triangle. To astronomers, Rasalmothallah is Alpha Trianguli; however, not because it’s the brightest star in Triangulum (which is normally the reason for a star to be designated the alpha star). It’s Triangulum’s alpha star because it’s at the triangle’s apex, or the constellation’s most prominent point. In actual brightness, Alpha Trianguli is the second brightest star of the constellation. Rasalmothallah is the only star in Triangulum with a proper name; the other two bright members are just called Beta and Gamma Trianguli.  

Rasalmothallah is one of the few stars that we can see with our eyes that’s similar to our sun. Rasalmothallah weighs 50% more than our sun, which increases its diameter by three times, its surface temperature by 10%, and its brightness by 13 times compared to the sun. That may make Rasalmothallah seem much bigger and brighter than our sun. However, when compared to the other stars visible to the naked eye, Rasalmothallah and the sun are very much alike. Rasalmothallah is 64 light years away. Therefore, the star light you see tonight left the star in the year 1951.

Rasalmothallah is our guide to finding the Triangulum Galaxy, or M-33, a galaxy about as distant from the Milky Way as the Andromeda Galaxy (around 2.5 million light years away). M-33 is a face-on spiral galaxy, which means it looks like a stellar pinwheel. In dark skies, some people can glimpse M-33 as a dim fuzzy patch. However, because of its large size and low surface brightness, M-33 is best viewed in binoculars rather than in most telescopes.

You’ll find Triangulum high overhead in the south during December nights.

Transcript: November 30th to December 5th

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
On the night of the 29th, you’ll find the brightest and the 8th brightest star near the moon.

PAUL
The stars have a lot in common besides being bright.

RACHEL
That’s right. Both are bright because they’re relatively close to the sun.

PAUL
Both have white dwarf companion stars.

RACHEL
And both belong to dog-related constellations.

PAUL
We call the stars Sirius and Procyon.

RACHEL
Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and it belongs to the constellation of Canis Major, or the Big Dog.

PAUL
Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the sky and belongs to the constellation Canis Minor, or the Little Dog.

RACHEL
You’ll find both Procyon and Sirius located to the right of the moon on the 29th.

PAUL
Procyon is the bright star only half as far away from the moon as Sirius.

RACHEL
Sirius and Procyon appear so bright because they’re among the stars closest to the solar system.

PAUL
That’s right. Sirius is the 5th closest star at 8.6 light years away.

RACHEL
And Procyon is the 10th closest star at 11.5 light years away.

PAUL
If you stay up late enough on December 2nd, you’ll find the third quarter moon parked next to Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion.

RACHEL
Farther below and close to the eastern horizon is Jupiter disguised as a bright star.

PAUL
Don’t forget that the third quarter moon and Jupiter make great targets for your binoculars, spotting scope, and small telescope.

RACHEL
On the 4th after 3:00 AM, you’ll find that Jupiter and the moon are very close together.

PAUL
So close in fact that you can observe both at the same time in your binoculars.

RACHEL
Be sure to look closely at Jupiter with your binoculars because you’ll see its largest satellite, Callisto below Jupiter.

PAUL
More difficult to see because of its closeness to bright Jupiter is a second satellite, Europa.

RACHEL
It will be located above the planet in your binoculars.

PAUL
Listeners can see three morning planets forming a line on Saturday morning, December 5th.

RACHEL
The moon will be there to boot.

PAUL
Check them out after 5:00 AM, once they’ve all had a chance to clear the horizon.

RACHEL
...and before 7:00 AM when the dawn becomes too bright.

PAUL
You can’t miss Jupiter and Venus; they’re the two brightest star-like objects in the east.

RACHEL
However, you might mistake Mars for a star.

PAUL
To identify Mars, look below the moon for a vertical line of two stars.

RACHEL
The top star is just a star and its name is Porrima.

PAUL
The star at the bottom, which is slightly brighter and slightly yellowish, is Mars.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of December. Next week presents several opportunities to observe the thin crescent moon and Earthshine. 

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for November 22 - 28

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of November. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
On the night before Thanksgiving or the 25th, you’ll find the moon slowly drifting through the far edges of the Hyades star cluster

RACHEL
It will be the full moon that night.

PAUL
And the full moon and the entire Hyades star cluster will fit within the view of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Of course the moon’s light will wash out some of the fainter members of the Hyades

PAUL
However, it can’t wash out one star, Aldebaran.

RACHEL
Aldebaran will appear as the orangish star to the left of the moon.

PAUL
It’s the brightest star of Taurus the Bull and represents its eye.

RACHEL
Aldebaran is actually a foreground star and not a part of the Hyades star cluster.

PAUL
In fact, Aldebaran is over 80 light years closer to Earth than the Hyades star cluster.

RACHEL
On the night of Thanksgiving...

PAUL
...which will be the 26th...

RACHEL
The moon will help you locate Orion the Hunter and its great nebula.

PAUL
To locate Orion, look below the moon for a tall rectangle of bright stars.

RACHEL
These are the four stars outlining the body of Orion.

PAUL
Then look across his waist for a horizontal line of three stars.

RACHEL
These are Orion’s belt.

PAUL
His belt really stands out since it consists of three bright stars very close together.

RACHEL
Hanging down from the middle star of his belt is a vertical row of two or three stars.

PAUL
The stars are his sword and you should scan it with your binoculars.

RACHEL
The second star will not appear star-like.

PAUL
Instead, it will be fuzzy and impossible to focus into a pin point of light.

RACHEL
That fuzzy spot is the Orion Nebula.

PAUL
It’s the closest large star-forming regions in the galaxy.

RACHEL
And a wonderful target for telescopes, according to our usually reliable Earth sources.

PAUL
Through a small telescope and binoculars, it appears as white fuzzy cloud.

RACHEL
When viewed through a larger sized amateur telescope, it takes on a greenish appearance.

PAUL
What? Green?

RACHEL
Yes green. The green is light emitted by ionized oxygen atoms inside the nebula.

PAUL
In fact, the source of the green color was a mystery for decades.

RACHEL
That’s because it’s very difficult to recreate conditions inside the Orion nebula in an Earth laboratory.

PAUL
Are you interested in learning to identify Gemini?

RACHEL
Then you have a perfect opportunity on the night of the 27th.

PAUL
Tell me more.

RACHEL
First, find the moon. In fact you can’t miss it.

PAUL
The stars of Gemini will appear as a parallel row above the moon.

RACHEL
And the brightest two stars of Gemini are located to the left of the moon.

PAUL
And if you listened to Idaho Skies the first week of this month, you’ll remember their names are Castor and Pollux.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of November. You’ll find the moon and Jupiter close together next week and that’s just perfect for your binoculars.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for November 15 to 21

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of November. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
You can easily locate the constellation of Capricornus the Sea-Goat on the 17th.

PAUL
It’s best however, if you’re away from city lights since Capricornus doesn’t contain very bright stars.

RACHEL
The way you’ll find it is by first locating the moon.

PAUL
It’s passing through the top of the constellation tonight and tomorrow.

RACHEL
And located on the right side of the constellation on the night of the 17th.

PAUL
The constellation is 50% wider than your extended thumb and fist when viewed from the end of your outstretched arm

RACHEL
And it looks a lot like a big Jack-o-Lantern grin.

PAUL
Later on the night of the 17th, Leo the Lion rises.

RACHEL
This is important because the Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th.

PAUL
Leonid meteors will appear to originate from Leo the Lion.

RACHEL
Because that’s the location of the point of intersection between the orbits of Earth and the Leonid meteor stream.

PAUL
The moon’s not even first quarter on the 17th, so its light won’t interfere with the shower.

RACHEL
Therefore, you can expect to see over a dozen meteors per hour from this shower under dark skies.

PAUL
Leonid meteors are the debris from a comet named Tempel-Tuttle.

RACHEL
Tempel-Tuttle?

PAUL
Yep, Tempel-Tuttle. It was discovered by astronomers Ernest Tempel and Horace Tuttle in late 1865 and early 1866.

RACHEL
Back then, astronomers couldn’t communicate their discoveries very quickly, so Tuttle was unaware that Tempel had discovered the comet the previous month.

PAUL
Comet Tempel-Tuttle orbits the sun once every 33 years.

RACHEL
And until recently, that meant every 33 years the Leonid meteor shower created a more intense meteor shower than on average.

PAUL
In fact, people were afraid it was the end of the world in 1833 because of the intensity of the shower.

RACHEL
It’s estimated over 1,000 meters per hour were visible.

PAUL
And in the dark night skies of 1833, a shower of that many meteors must have looked like the stars were literally falling out of the sky.

RACHEL
The Solitary One or Fomalhaut is the brightest star below the moon on the 19th.

PAUL
Fomalhaut is a star 25 light years away.

RACHEL
So the light you see tonight left in 1990.

PAUL
Fomalhaut is also a young star.

RACHEL
So young in fact that it’s still surrounded by the disk of dust and gas that it formed from.

PAUL
The Hubble Space Telescope shows there’s a large planet forming in the outer regions of this infant solar system.

RACHEL
Other planets are probably forming right now closer to the star.

PAUL
However, as they’re forming, the star’s ultraviolet radiation and solar wind are also blowing the dust and gas away.

RACHEL
So it’s a race against time.

PAUL
Perhaps there’s still time for Earth-like planets to form around Fomalhaut before it’s too late.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of November. Get your binoculars out because the moon will help you find the Great Orion Nebula next week.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcipt: 8 - 14 November

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of November. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Listeners have an opportunity to see Earthshine and three planets on the 8th.

RACHEL
You’ll need to go out by 5:00 AM, however.

PAUL
Look in the low east and you’ll see the following, going up from the horizon.

RACHEL
The moon...

PAUL
Venus...

RACHEL
Mars...

PAUL
And finally Jupiter.

RACHEL
The four largest satellites of Jupiter appear near the extremes of their orbits.

PAUL
So your binoculars could potentially show all four of the Galilean satellites.

RACHEL
In binoculars, the satellites will form a line going from the bottom left to the upper right.

PAUL
From the bottom left and going up to the right, the moons are Ganymede, Io...

RACHEL
...then Jupiter...

PAUL
...followed by Europa and finally Callisto.

RACHEL
Europa will be the closest to Jupiter and the most difficult to see.

PAUL
However, a small telescope will show you Europa even if binoculars can’t.

RACHEL
Be aware however that the order of the satellites will be flipped if you look at them through your telescope.

PAUL
If you missed seeing Earthshine on the 8th, you have another chance beginning on the 13th or 14th.

RACHEL
Do you remember that last week the moon pointed out two bright stars with white dwarf companions?

PAUL
Sure, but what exactly are white dwarf stars?

RACHEL
They’re old stars with mass, or weight, too low to generate enough heat and pressure to fuse carbon and oxygen into heavier elements.

PAUL
Recall that stars use their mass to squeeze the hydrogen in their cores into helium.

RACHEL
After fusing a lot of its hydrogen into helium, most stars generate enough heat and pressure to convert that helium into carbon and oxygen.

PAUL
However, white dwarf stars can’t create enough heat and pressure to fuse that carbon and oxygen in their cores into even heavier elements.

RACHEL
Since they can no longer fuse elements, they no longer have an internal energy source.

PAUL
So they collapse until the repulsion between electrons is the only thing supporting their weight.

RACHEL
That collapse turns a star the size of the sun...

PAUL
Which is about 800,000 miles across...

RACHEL
...into a star the size of Earth...

PAUL
Which is 8,000 miles across.

RACHEL
That means white dwarfs are very dense.

PAUL
In fact, a piece of white dwarf the size of a sugar cube would weigh as much as a car.

RACHEL
Over billions of years, white dwarf stars cool until we can no longer see them.

PAUL
And this is the fate of 97% of the stars in our galaxy.

RACHEL
Including our sun.

PAUL
But have no fear, that won’t happen for another five billion years.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of November. Next week Earth passes though the debris tail of a comet and we’ll tell you what that means for Idahoans.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Idaho Skies Transcript for November 1st to the 8th

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Hey! The waning gibbous moon passes below the Gemini Twins on the night of the 1st.

PAUL
So if you were trying to learn how to identify this constellation, the 1st would be the perfect night.

RACHEL
There are two stars that really stand out in Gemini.

PAUL
They’re Castor and Pollux, the names of the Gemini Twins.

RACHEL
How can our listeners tell the difference between them?

PAUL
Easy, Pollux is the slightly brighter of the pair.

RACHEL
If you know someone 34 years old this year, then Pollux is his or her birthday star.

PAUL
That’s because it’s 34 light years away.

RACHEL
And Castor is the birthday star this year for any of your friends who are 52 years old.

PAUL
The moon will help you find a star orbited by a white dwarf on the 2nd.

RACHEL
The star is located to the lower right of the moon and its name is Procyon.

PAUL
Procyon means before the dog.

RACHEL
What is this dog and its name refers to?

PAUL
Why it’s Sirius, the dog star of Canis Major.

RACHEL
That’s right. Do you know why it got this name?

PAUL
Because from mid-northern latitudes, Procyon rises before Sirius, and therefore heralds its rising.

RACHEL
Both Sirius and Procyon have something in common; they both have white dwarf companions.

PAUL
White dwarfs are stars at the end of their stellar lives.

RACHEL
And we’ll tell you more on white dwarfs next week.

PAUL
You can easily locate two star clusters on the morning of the 3rd, if you’ll let the moon be your guide.

RACHEL
The first star cluster is called the Beehive and its only six degrees away from the moon.

PAUL
Which is just over one binocular field of view away.

RACHEL
To see this nice star cluster, aim your binoculars at the moon and then shift your view northward.

PAUL
That’s also straight up the terminator of the moon.

RACHEL
Just after the moon leaves the field of view, the Beehive will enter in the upper right hand edge.

PAUL
The second star cluster is M-67 and it’s a bit smaller and more difficult to see.

RACHEL
However, it’s within the same field of view as the moon, so it’s even easier to find than the Beehive

PAUL
To find this star cluster, place the moon in the center of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Then look for a smaller clump of stars near the bottom of the view.

PAUL
Once you find it, shift the moon out of your vision.

RACHEL
That way the moon’s light won’t interfere with the cluster.

PAUL
There’s a very nice grouping between the planets and the moon on the morning of the 6th.

RACHEL
To see them, go outside at around 5:00 AM or before you leave for work.

PAUL
You’ll see the moon next to Jupiter, which will appear as a bright star.

RACHEL
Below the moon is even brighter Venus.

PAUL
And just above Venus is Mars, which is slightly yellowish in color.

RACHEL
The moon’s not finished with the planets yet.

PAUL
That’s right; it’s next to Venus and Mars on the morning of the 7th.

RACHEL
They’ll be close enough together that all three can be seen together in binoculars.

PAUL
And be sure to look for any Earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
You might even see some lunar details in the Earth’s reflected sunlight.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of November. Next week the moon meets up with the three morning planets.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars

Transcript for October 25 - 31

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of October. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Turn your astronomical attention to the morning sky on the 25th.

RACHEL
There you’ll see Jupiter and Venus very close together in the low east.

PAUL
This should be a very attractive sight as both Jupiter and Venus are quite bright.

RACHEL
Mars is also there, so don’t forget about it.

PAUL
Mars will be the fainter yellowish star that’s not far below Jupiter and Venus.

RACHEL
Get your camera out as this could make a nice photograph.

PAUL
To record an image, mount your camera to a tripod and set its focus on infinity.

RACHEL
You need the tripod to hold your camera steady for the second or two it will take to record the image.

PAUL
The distance between Jupiter and Venus is just one degree, or about twice the width of the moon.

RACHEL
Whoa, on the morning of the 28th, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus will all fit within your binoculars at the same time.

PAUL
Go outside at around 6:00 AM to see them.

RACHEL
This should be very nice.

PAUL
Then on the evening of the 28th, you’ll find the moon forming a triangle of binocular objects with the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters.

RACHEL
The moon is normally a nice binocular object.

PAUL
However, when it’s full, it only shows maria and not the shadows of craters and mountains.

RACHEL
You’ll be surprised with how bright the full moon will appear in your binoculars.

PAUL
In fact, it will be difficult to see faint objects for a few minutes after looking at the full moon through binoculars.

RACHEL
So you’ll want to view the star clusters prior to looking at the moon.

PAUL
Normally you can only see about 6 stars in each of the star clusters without optical aid.

RACHEL
However, because of the increased light gathering ability of the binoculars, you’ll be able to see around two dozen stars per cluster.

PAUL
It surprises some people to hear that the aperture, or size of a telescope’s lens or mirror, is more important that its highest magnification.

RACHEL
There are a few exceptions, but this is generally true.

PAUL
So if you’re in the market for a telescope, get one with an easy to use mount and larger lens or mirror.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of October. Next week the moon passes close to a bright star that’s orbited by a white dwarf.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for October 18th to 24th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of October. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Hey, Capricornus the Sea-Goat has a clown nose on the 21st.

PAUL
Check out the moon in the low south after 8:30 PM and you’ll find the grim formed by Capricornus below it.

RACHEL
It’s bound to remind you of a smiling clown and his or her big red nose.

PAUL
What’s this Tropic of Capricorn that we’ve heard of before?

RACHEL
This is the name of the Earth’s line of latitude that’s 23.5 degrees south of the equator.

PAUL
Why is this so special?

RACHEL
Because on the first day of winter, the sun is located directly above this latitude.

PAUL
So why call it the Tropic of Capricorn?

RACHEL
Well, over 2,000 years ago, the sun was also located in the constellation of Capricornus on the day that it appeared overhead at -23.5 degrees latitude.

PAUL
Which is also the first day of the northern winter.

RACHEL
That’s right. The ancients named the southern most latitude of the sun after the constellation the sun was passing through.

PAUL
In the 2,000 years since then, the sun’s southernmost constellation has drifted from Capricornus to Sagittarius.

RACHEL
Yep, but no one wants to rename it the Tropic of Sagittarius.

PAUL
But if you can wait another 22,000 years, the sun will appear in the constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer on the solstice.

RACHEL
Then we can begin celebrating the Age of Aquarius.

PAUL
The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd.

RACHEL
The moon is first quarter this night, so its light will interfere some what with the meteors.

PAUL
However, the moon will set as Orion the Hunter and the meteor showers’ radiant rises in the southeast.

RACHEL
You might see between 10 and 20 meteors per hour from this shower from a dark sky location.

PAUL
The best observing comes from just lying back and looking up.

RACHEL
So get your reclining lawn chair and a warm sleeping bag and look up.

PAUL
You might also want a warm caffeinated beverage of your choice to help you keep awake...

RACHEL
...because you might still find yourself outside until after midnight watching meteors.    

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of October. Next week you can see Mars, Jupiter, and Venus at the same time in a pair of binoculars.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Idaho Skies Transcript for October 11th to 17th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of October. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Jupiter is passing Mars the second week of October.

RACHEL
If you want to watch Jupiter as it sails pass Mars over the next few days, then check out the eastern horizon after 5:00 AM.

PAUL
And before 7:00 AM when the light of twilight begins to interfere.

RACHEL
The moon reappears in the night sky on the evening by the 16th.

PAUL
If you look in the low southwest at 8:30 PM, you’ll see a crescent moon just a little above Saturn.

RACHEL
Binoculars won’t show much detail on the moon yet, since it’s still a pretty thin crescent.

PAUL
However, you’ll probably see Earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
A small telescope or spotting scope will show the rings of Saturn and its largest moon, Titan.

PAUL
Currently the spacecraft Cassini is in orbit around Saturn.

RACHEL
Unfortunately, its supply of propellant is nearing empty.

PAUL
Without propellant, the spacecraft can’t adjust its orbit, even using the gravity of the Saturnian moons.

RACHEL
Cassini is thrifty with its propellant because it’s been using the gravity of Titan to modify its orbit.

PAUL
In another two years however, Cassini’s propellant tank will be empty.

RACHEL
Then the spacecraft will drift through the Saturnian system, possibly crashing into a potentially habitable moon.

PAUL
It’s possible that there are still some microbes stowing away on Cassini after nearly 20 years in space.

RACHEL
So to prevent them from contaminating Saturn’s satellites Titan and Enceladus, JPL is going to target the spacecraft to dive into Saturn’s atmosphere.

PAUL
There it will safely burn up like a meteor.

RACHEL
Jupiter is at its closest to Mars on the morning of the 17th.

PAUL
Their distance apart is less than ½ of a degree, or a bit smaller than the apparent diameter of the moon.

RACHEL
Their distance apart in space is actually 355 million miles.

PAUL
That’s nearly four times the distance between Earth and the sun.

RACHEL
To see Mars and Jupiter close together, you’ll need to go outside after 4:30 AM.

PAUL
That’s when they’ll rise, so they’ll still be low at that time.

RACHEL
And before 7:00 AM.

PAUL
That’s when the sunlight will begin to brighten the sky.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of October. Next week we’ll discus the Tropic of Capricorn.

 PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for October 4th to 10th

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon will help you find a large star cluster on the morning of the 6th.

PAUL
To find it, aim your binoculars at the moon, which you’ll find in the low east at 4:00 AM.

RACHEL
Then move your binoculars to the left by 1½ fields of view.

PAUL
You’ll then see the star cluster near the top of your binoculars.

RACHEL
The star cluster’s name is the Beehive because its stars resemble a swarm of bees around a hive.

PAUL
If you wake up by 5:30 AM on Thursday October 8th, you’ll see the thin crescent moon very near the brilliant Venus and the less brilliant star Regulus.

RACHEL
Venus is nearing the half full phase now, so a pair of binoculars won’t show it as anything but a bright point of light.

PAUL
But wait! The moon is still a nice binocular object and you should be able to see Earthshine on its dark hemisphere.

RACHEL
Better still, there are two additional planets visible that morning, Jupiter and Mars.

PAUL
Jupiter is the bright "star" closer to the horizon than Venus.

RACHEL
And Mars is the fainter "star" between Jupiter and Venus...

PAUL
...but closer to Jupiter.

RACHEL
You may see a faintly yellowish tint to Mars.

PAUL
The moon is not finished with the morning planets yet.

RACHEL
That’s right. On the morning of the 9th, the moon parks next to Mars.

PAUL
The planets Jupiter, Mars, and Venus along with the moon will span an angle of 12 degrees.

RACHEL
That’s small enough to cover them all with your outstretched palm.

PAUL
When your arm is fully extended.

RACHEL
You might be able to see Earthshine once more on the morning of the 10th if you go outside by 6:30 AM.

PAUL
However, it’s even better is to wait until around 6:50 AM when Mercury rises.

RACHEL
Mercury will appear as a star as far below the moon as Jupiter is above the moon.

PAUL
This means you’ll see, from the horizon going up, Mercury, the thin crescent moon, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus.

RACHEL
The heart of Leo the Lion, Regulus is the star next to Venus.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of October. Next week we’ll tell you were to see Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Algedi is October's Star

This month look for the star Algedi in the constellation of Capricornus. Algedi, or Al Gedi, means the Goat in Arabic and astronomers know Algedi as Alpha Capricorni. However, this doesn’t mean Algedi is the brightest star of the constellation. In some constellations, like Capricornus, the stars were named in order of their position, rather than magnitude or brightness. Algedi is one such example. It’s the western most star and therefore received the alpha designation.

The constellation of Capricornus is one of three water constellations in the zodiac. The other two, Aquarius and Pisces, are neighboring constellations. The constellation represents a Sea Goat, or an animal that is half fish half goat (a mixed animals like this is called a chimera). The story behind Capricornus is that the Greek god Pan (who was a satyr or human figure with goat legs) was trying to escape the sea monster Typhon. In his panic, he leapt into the ocean at the same time as he was changing himself into a fish. However, he only completed half of the change and only managed to give himself a fish tail.

Algedi is a double star that is wide enough to see with the naked eye. However, binoculars will bring out the pair even better. Algedi is an example of a double star where the pair is not actually orbiting each other. Algedi is a chance alignment that looks very close together from Earth but is actually hundreds of lights a part. The fainter, more western of the pair is 690 light years away and the brighter one is 109 light years away. Both stars are G class, just like our sun. However, unlike our sun, the two stars are older, larger, and heavier. The fainter left star is larger and brighter then the eastern pair of the stars.  
   
Look for Capricornus and Algedi in the low in the south after it gets dark. The constellation is not bright and there’s only one reasonably bright star in that part of the sky, Fomalhaut. Look for Fomalhaut low in the southeast and then turn your attention slightly higher and to the south. You’re looking for a pattern of stars that looks like a grin. The constellation will stand out, once you locate it.

Algedi in Capricornus the Seagoat

Transcript: September 27th to October 3rd

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of September. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Idahoans get to watch the last half of a total lunar eclipse on the night of the 27th.

PAUL
As the moon rises at 9:00 PM, it will be in the middle of its eclipse.

RACHEL
And the moon will remain within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, or the umbra, until 9:23.

PAUL
After that, you should begin to see the edge of the moon slowly beginning to brighten.

RACHEL
The moon starts leaving the outermost edge of Earth’s shadow, which is called the penumbra at 10:27.

PAUL
That means the eclipse will become pretty much unnoticeable by 11:00 PM.

RACHEL
This month’s lunar eclipse is special for several reasons.

PAUL
First of all, this is the Harvest Moon or the first full moon after the autumnal equinox.

RACHEL
We associate the Harvest moon with pumpkins, so seeing a coppery red lunar eclipse is very fitting.

PAUL
The second reason this lunar eclipse is special is because it’s the closest full moon to Earth for 2015.

RACHEL
That means the moon will appear larger and brighter than on average.

PAUL
So grab a lawn chair and a pair of binoculars as the sun sets on the 27th.

RACHEL
Have you ever wanted to learn how to locate Aries the Ram?

PAUL
Then let the moon be your guide on the night of the 29th.

RACHEL
Aries will appear above the moon as three stars arranged in a slight curve.

PAUL
The brightest star of Aries is called Hamal and it’s an orange giant star 66 light years away from Earth.

RACHEL
Some 2,000 years ago, the star nearly marked the location where the sun appeared on the first day of spring.

PAUL
Or the Vernal Equinox.

RACHEL
Because Earth wobbles on its axis like a top, the Vernal Equinox now occurs one constellation over in Pisces the Fishes.

PAUL
In another 24,000 years, the Vernal Equinox will occur once again in Aries the Ram.

RACHEL
If you can stay up until after 11:00 PM, then you’ll find the moon near two bright star clusters, the Pleiades and the Hyades on the 30th.

PAUL
Both are excellent objects for your binoculars, which will let you see a couple of dozen stars in each, as opposed to half a dozen or so you can see with just your eyes.

RACHEL
Things get even more interesting on the night of the 1st.

PAUL
That’s when you’ll find the moon passing through the Hyades star cluster.

RACHEL
So get your binoculars out.

PAUL
The whole scene, the stars of the Hyades and the moon will fit comfortably within your binoculars.

RACHEL
This might also be a good target for your digital camera if it can remain opened for a few seconds.

PAUL
If you attempt to photograph the passage of the moon through the Hyades, then use a tripod to keep your camera rock steady for several seconds during the exposure.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of September. Next week four morning planets will attract our attention.

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Lunar Eclipse: September 27th

We had an attractive lunar eclipse on Sunday evening. The moon rose deeply immersed in Earth's shadow and the red glow of the eclipse grew stronger as the sky got darker. Earth's atmosphere was overall cloudy or not clear, since the eclipsed moon was a dull red rather than bright coppery-red.

Still, a nice treat overall.

Here are three of the pictures I took of the eclipsed moon using a digital camera. The camera's zoom was set to its maximum six power. I used a camera tripod and cable release to keep the camera steady during the exposure.

Now the sad news, Idaho doesn't get to see a total lunar eclipse until 2018.

Shortly after Moonrise

The red light of all of Earth's sunsets is becoming visible.

Darker skies and longer exposures bring out more of the moon's red coloring.

Transcript for September 20 - 26

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the fourth week of September. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Hey, the first quarter moon will help you find star clusters and nebulae with your binoculars on the 21st.

RACHEL
They’re located within the band of the Milky Way.

PAUL
To find them, scan your binoculars above and below the right side of the moon after it gets dark.

RACHEL
It’s best to do this in dark skies outside of town.

PAUL
The star clusters will appear as smudges surrounding a small sprinkle of stars.

RACHEL
The nebulae will just appear as smudges of light.

PAUL
While you’re observing these astronomical objects, you might notice that a star pattern resembling a tea pot is located below the moon.

RACHEL
This is the heart of the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer.

PAUL
And the stellar region around Sagittarius marks the location of the center of our galaxy.

RACHEL
Had enough hot weather?

PAUL
Then autumn begins on the 23rd at 2:21 AM.

RACHEL
At that moment, the sun will appear directly above the Earth’s equator.

PAUL
While this is a true statement, the reality is a bit more complicated.

RACHEL
That’s right. The sun does not actually move north and south of Earth’s equator.

PAUL
Yep, instead the tilt of Earth’s rotational axis points towards and away from the sun as we revolve around the sun in the course of a year.

RACHEL
If viewed from outside the solar system, you’d see that Earth’s north rotational axis always points towards Polaris, a fixed star.

PAUL
However, Polaris is not directly above the North Pole of the sun.

RACHEL
This means as Earth travels around the sun, Earth’s axis points in different directions relative to the sun.

PAUL
So when Earth’s rotational axis is perfectly vertical relative to the sun, it’s autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere, or visa a versa.

RACHEL
Which also means the sun is directly above the equator.

PAUL
It also means that the boundary between day and night across Earth runs from pole to pole.

RACHEL
And that gives every location on Earth 12 hours of daylight.

PAUL
After today, our nights will grow longer in duration while the days in the southern hemisphere grow longer in duration.

RACHEL
Do you leave for work early in the morning?

PAUL
Then on Friday morning, the 25th, you’ll see three planets in the east combined with a relatively bright star.

RACHEL
What makes this even more appealing is that Mars and the bright star Regulus will be very close together.

PAUL
The other planets are Venus, which is the bright star above and to the right of Mars and Regulus.

RACHEL
And Jupiter, the bright star below and left of Mars and Regulus.

PAUL
A good time to see them is around 6:00 AM.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the fourth week of September. There’s a total lunar eclipse next week, so be sure to tune in for the details.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for September 13 - 19

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of September. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon reappears in the evening sky by the 16th.

PAUL
On that evening and on the 17th, be sure to look for Earthshine.

RACHEL
It’s visible to the unaided eye if the sky is dark.

PAUL
But it’s easier to see through your binoculars.

RACHEL
After detecting the presence of Earthshine, try looking for details on the dark side of the moon.

PAUL
You won’t see craters like you do on the sunlit portion of the moon, but you should be able to see some of the larger lunar maria.

RACHEL
Maria is plural and Latin for sea, as in ocean.

PAUL
The singular form is mare.

RACHEL
Lunar maria are ancient basaltic flood plains, or frozen oceans of lava.

PAUL
They started forming about 3.8 billion years ago after some of the giant building blocks of the planets pummeled the moon.

RACHEL
Astronomers call this time of frequent and massive impacts the Late Heavy Bombardment.

PAUL
The very large craters or impact basins created in the collisions were hundreds of miles across in some cases.

RACHEL
After hundreds of millions of years, lava started welling up from the cracks inside the impact basins.

PAUL
The lava gradually filled the impact basins in sheets of lava miles thick in some cases.

RACHEL
Since the lavas are rich in iron, they tend to be darker than the brighter lunar highlands.

PAUL
That’s because the highlands are rich in a mineral called anorthosite, which is a mineral rich in white-colored feldspar.

RACHEL
The anorthosite is the scum that floated to the top of the once molten moon.

PAUL
Saturn and the moon are very close to each other on the night of the 18th.

RACHEL
Look in the low southwest after dark and you’ll see Saturn only two degrees away from the southern cusp of the moon.

PAUL
That close together means you can see both at the same time in binoculars.

RACHEL
Your binoculars will show some craters in the southern half of the moon.

PAUL
However, they will not show the rings of Saturn.

RACHEL
It takes a magnification of at least 20 power to see the rings.

PAUL
That means a very large and heavy pair of binoculars.

RACHEL
Or better yet, a spotting scope or small telescope.

PAUL
In a small telescope, Saturn appears a distinct yellow in color.

RACHEL
Through a spotting scope, you’ll see Saturn’s largest satellite Titan as a star to the upper right of Saturn.

PAUL
In an astronomical telescope, which inverts images, Titan will appear as the star to the lower left of Saturn.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of September. Summer ends next week and we’ll discuss its passing, so be sure to listen in.

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for September 6 - 12

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of September. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The waxing crescent moon is located above Orion the Hunter on the morning of the 6th.

RACHEL
Orion is an impossible to miss constellations because of its size and overall brightness.

PAUL
In fact, after the Big Dipper, people are most familiar with Orion the Hunter.

RACHEL
When you go out to observe Orion, be sure to look for a row of three stars crossing the center.

PAUL
That’s Orion’s Belt and below it is a short vertical line of stars representing his sword.

RACHEL
Your binoculars will show that the center star of his sword is fuzzy and impossible to focus into a pin point like other stars.

PAUL
That’s because this is the Great Orion Nebula and not a star.

RACHEL
Instead, it’s a massive star forming region in our galaxy.

PAUL
In a small telescope, it takes on a cloudy appearance almost like cirrus clouds.

RACHEL
The moon, Venus, and two star clusters have a celestial meet up early on the 9th.

PAUL
Go outside between 5:00 and 5:30 AM and brilliant Venus will draw your attention to the low east.

RACHEL
You’ll find a thin crescent moon above Venus.

PAUL
Through your binoculars, you should see Earthshine on the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
Now scan to the left of the moon and you’ll run right into the Beehive star cluster, one of the nicest star clusters for binoculars.

PAUL
The distance between the moon and Beehive star cluster is just over a binocular field of view.

RACHEL
That means as the moon leaves the right side of your binoculars, the Beehive enters the left side.

PAUL
The other star cluster is M-67 and it’s between Venus and the moon, but closer to Venus.

RACHEL
In fact, if you place Venus at the bottom of your binocular’s field of view, the star cluster will appear nearly in the center of your binoculars.

PAUL
Did you know that Venus is now a binocular object?

RACHEL
That’s right. Normally it’s just a bright pin point of light through binoculars.

PAUL
However, if you let the morning sky get a bit brighter, you’ll reduce the glare of Venus and see that it has a crescent shape.

RACHEL
Holding the binoculars steady against a fence post or other structure will help you see its crescent shape.

PAUL
The only time you can see a crescent Venus through binoculars is when it’s approaching inferior conjunction.

RACHEL
Inferior conjunction is when either Mercury or Venus pass between Earth and the sun.

PAUL
And when Venus approaches inferior conjunction, it’s at its closest to Earth and we see mostly its dark side.

RACHEL
That means it appears at its largest and is crescent in shape.

PAUL
It was after seeing the complete range of Venusian phases that Galileo became convinced of the Copernican Hypothesis.

RACHEL
The Copernican Hypothesis states that the sun and not Earth is the center of the solar system.

PAUL
If you didn’t get enough of Venus, then be sure to look for it on the morning of the 10th.

RACHEL
That’s when the moon is even closer to Venus.

PAUL
But don’t forget to also look for Earthshine on the moon.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of September. Next week we’ll talk about Saturn and the moon.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript: August 30 to September 5

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon and star clusters, oh my!

PAUL
That’s right; the moon passes two very nice star clusters in the morning of the 4th and 5th.

RACHEL
First, the moon is last quarter, meaning it appears as half a moon.

PAUL
This is a nice time to observe the moon through binoculars or a small telescope.

RACHEL
The reason is that the half moon shows the greatest amount of detail along its terminator, or boundary between day and night.

PAUL
The terminator at last quarter faces directly at Earth, so its shadows appear stretched out and that accentuates small surface features in craters and mountains.

RACHEL
You only need a pair of binoculars to see a multitude of craters, especially in the moon’s southern hemisphere.

PAUL
It was images like the ones you see in binoculars that Galileo saw with his new telescope in 1609.

RACHEL
Craters and mountains led him to the realization that the heavens were not prefect as Aristotle believed.

PAUL
And that the moon was in many ways a lot like Earth.

RACHEL
If you go out to observe the moon on the 4th, you’ll find it between the Pleiades and the Hyades star clusters.

PAUL
A good time to look for them is around 5:00 AM, so take a look before you drive to work.

RACHEL
The Pleiades will appear above the moon and the Hyades below.

PAUL
Many people know the Pleiades star cluster by its other name, the Seven Sisters.

RACHEL
Have you ever visited Devil’s Tower in Montana?

PAUL
Well, there’s a connection between the Seven Sisters and Devil’s Tower.

RACHEL
According to one Native American legend, seven young girls were trying to escape a bear when the Devil’s Tower was raised from the ground to help them escape.

PAUL
The bear scratched at the tower in an attempt to climb it.

RACHEL
And it’s the bear’s scratch marks that are the vertical striations in the volcanic neck of Devil’s Tower.

PAUL
On the morning of the 5th, you’ll find the moon as its sailing though the outer edge of the Hyades star cluster.

RACHEL
The Hyades is the V-shaped cluster of stars to the moon’s right.

PAUL
The cluster and the moon will fill most of your binocular’s field of view.

RACHEL
Close to the moon’s right is an orange star named Aldebaran.

PAUL
The star represents the eye of Taurus the Bull and it's 65 light years away.

RACHEL
So if you know someone 65 years old this year, then Aldebaran is his or her birthday star this year.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of September. Venus is approaching inferior conjunction and next week we’ll tell you what that portends.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Star for September

Albireo, the middle star of the Summer Triangle

This month look for the star Albireo in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Astronomers call

Albireo is a fun star if you have at least a small telescope. To the naked eye, the star appears as a non-descript white point of light. However, in a telescope, even at low power, it splits into two stars, each star distinctly tinted. I see them as golden-yellow and cyan. Others that I’ve asked see more green in the bluish star than I do.    

Stars can have subtle colors, but most are too faint for us to make out their color. It usually takes the light gathering ability of a telescope to bring out a star’s color (if it has any). In the case of Albireo, the close proximity between the two stars lets our eyes and brain exaggerate their subtle differences in hue. If you have trouble seeing color differences, try setting your telescope slightly out of focus.

The light you see from Albireo tonight left 380 years ago, or in the year 1635. At a distance of 380 light years, the stars must be immensely far apart to have the separation we see on Earth. That separation makes it difficult for the stars to remain in orbit around each other; therefore, it’s possible that Albireo represents a chance alignment of stars and not a true binary. If they are orbiting each other, then their orbital period is on the order of 75,000 years.

Albireo Beta Cygni, but it’s not actually the second brightest star of the constellation as its name might lead you to believe. Albireo is a reasonably bright star however, and it’s located at the southern end of the constellation or near the center of the Summer Triangle (the triangle consists of the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair). In Cygnus, Albireo represents the beak of the swan.

 Look for Cygnus and Albireo overhead during September. The swan is flying to the south, perhaps in preparation for the oncoming winter.

Transcript August 23 - 29

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of August. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Got binoculars and a dark location for star gazing?

RACHEL
Then you can locate several star clusters and nebulae on the 24th

PAUL
All you need to do is scan the sky near the moon.

RACHEL
More specifically, the clusters and nebulae are located on the left side of the moon.

PAUL
To find them, just scan your binoculars up and down this portion of the Milky Way.

RACHEL
You’ll be searching a rich field of stars surrounding the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

PAUL
However, the actual center of the galaxy hides behind curtains of star-light absorbing dust.

RACHEL
Most of it is dust motes no larger than cigarette smoke.

PAUL
However, the clouds are light years thick and eventually absorb all of the visible light coming from the galaxy’s center.

RACHEL
Astronomers can use radio telescopes to see details within this region

PAUL
And by using telescopes designed to detect gamma rays.

RACHEL
What do astronomers find in the center of the Galaxy?

PAUL
A monster.

RACHEL
The monster is a black hole with a mass of over 4 million times greater than the sun’s mass.

PAUL
And it has a radius that nearly spans the distance between the sun and the planet Mercury.

RACHEL
And adults say that monsters don’t exist.

PAUL
Black holes are not as dangerous as many people think.

RACHEL
Besides, we’re 30,000 light years from the black hole, too far from its gravity to affect us anyways.

PAUL
Black holes are only dangerous when you get really close to them.

RACHEL
One reason is that they are incredibly tiny for their mass.

PAUL
This means one can get really close to their center before actually entering the surface of the black hole.

RACHEL
This is dangerous because the strength of gravity changes by the square of the distance between you and the center of the black hole.

PAUL
And since a black hole is small, you can get to where the strength of its gravity is fierce just outside its surface.

RACHEL
Or what astronomers call the black hole’s event horizon.

PAUL
Cross that boundary and no rocket engine can ever get you out again.

RACHEL
That’s if you even survive when the black hole stretches your body into a spaghetti noodle.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of August. Join us next month for the space and astronomy events for Idaho.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for August 16 - 22

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of August. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon reappears in the evening on the 19th.

PAUL
It will reside in the low west, as it gets dark around 9:45 PM.

RACHEL
If you point your binoculars at the thin crescent, you might see earthshine or the Da Vinci Glow across the dark, left hand side of the moon.

PAUL
Be sure to watch the moon for the next week as it grows into the first quarter moon.

RACHEL
Your binoculars will show an ever growing profusion of craters in the southern hemisphere.

PAUL
And mountain ranges in the northern hemisphere.

RACHEL
Your best views come from looking along the moon’s terminator.

PAUL
Or the boundary between day and night.

RACHEL
There’s a star twinkling below the moon on the 19th, do you want to know which one it is?

PAUL
Sure, it’s Spica, the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.

RACHEL
Virgo is a rather large and dim constellation overall.

PAUL
However, Spica is a blue-giant star that’s the 15th brightest star in our sky and not easily missed.

RACHEL
Since Spica is 260 light years away, the light you see tonight left the star in 1755.

PAUL
What does our sun look like to inhabitants at Spica?

RACHEL
Our sun is invisible to them except in large telescopes.

PAUL
On the evening of the 21st, the moon is located between two astronomical treats.

RACHEL
The first is the wide double star Zubenelgenubi.

PAUL
And it’s the star located to the moon’s lower right.

RACHEL
The sharp eye among our listeners will notice it’s actually two stars.

PAUL
The rest of us will need a pair of binoculars to see this.

RACHEL
What’s the second treat?

PAUL
It’s Saturn.

RACHEL
Unlike Zubenelgenubi, Saturn requires more than just a pair of binoculars.

PAUL
Fortunately, a spotting scope is sufficient.

RACHEL
At a magnification of 20 power the rings will begin to appear.

PAUL
And they’re easily visible at a magnification of 25 power or higher.

RACHEL
Saturn is the yellowish-white star located to the left of the moon.

PAUL
And unlike Zubenelgenubi, Saturn will not twinkle.

RACHEL
Though technically in Libra, Saturn makes its appearance with Scorpius the Scorpion.

PAUL
The orangish star even farther away to the lower left of the moon is the Scorpion’s heart, Antares.

RACHEL
Which is a red giant star and over 600 light years away.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of August. Next week we’ll tell you about the monster lurking in the center of the galaxy.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for August 9 - 15

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of August. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The moon is four days from new on the morning of August 10th.

RACHEL
That means the morning of the 10th and 11th should be good opportunities to look for earthshine.

PAUL
Listeners will recall that earthshine is the faint illumination on the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
And that illumination comes from sunlight reflecting off of Earth.

PAUL
Who discovered the true source earthshine?

RACHEL
Probably Leonardo da Vinci who wrote about the cause of earthshine in 1510. However, he did make one mistake.

PAUL
What’s that?

RACHEL
He believed earthshine came from Earth’s oceans when it actually comes from Earth’s clouds.

PAUL
So Earth’s oceans and land are too dark to reflect enough sunlight to account for Earthshine?

RACHEL
That’s correct.

PAUL
One of the best meteor showers reaches its peak on the evening of the 11th and morning of the 12th.

RACHEL
Many judge the Perseid meteor shower to be one of the best meteor showers for two reasons.

PAUL
First is its dependable performance.

RACHEL
And second is the comfortable August nights.

PAUL
This year, moonlight won’t interfere with the shower.

RACHEL
Therefore, you can expect to see 60 meteors per hour from this shower from dark skies.

PAUL
In addition to the other meteors from the other active meteor showers.

RACHEL
Most meteors are the size of sand grains and they’re vaporizing 60 to 80 miles above the ground.

PAUL
That’s because they’re plowing into Earth’s atmosphere at speeds nearing 130,000 mph.

RACHEL
How will our listeners know that they’ve just seen a Perseid meteor?

PAUL
All Perseids will have trails that appear to originate from the low northeast.

RACHEL
So crawl into a sleeping bag and look up on the night of the 11th.

PAUL
Best of all, there are no commercial interruptions.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of August. The moon leads listeners to a nice double star and Saturn next week.

 PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for August 2 - 8

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Astronaut Neil Armstrong was born 85 years ago on the 5th.

PAUL
In July 1969, he became the first human to step foot onto another celestial body, the moon.

RACHEL
That occurred six hours after Apollo 11’s successful landing on the moon.

PAUL
Did you know that Apollo 11 was not Armstrong’s first space mission?

RACHEL
That’s right; his first trip into space was onboard Gemini 8, which nearly ended in disaster.

PAUL
One objective of Gemini 8 was to complete the first piloted docking between two spacecraft in Earth orbit.

RACHEL
Testing orbital docking was critical for the upcoming Apollo moon missions.

PAUL
Initially, the docking between Armstrong’s Gemini 8 and the unmanned Agena spacecraft went smoothly.

RACHEL
However, soon after docking, a spacecraft thruster malfunctioned and sent the docked spacecraft spinning faster and faster.

PAUL
If not stopped, the spinning would eventually destroy both spacecraft.

RACHEL
At the same time, astronauts Armstrong and Scott were at risk of blacking out.

PAUL
Armstrong quickly undocked the two spacecraft thinking it was the Agena that had failed.

RACHEL
Rather than slow down however, the spinning of Gemini 8 increased.

PAUL
Indicating it was the Gemini 8 spacecraft that had failed.

RACHEL
Armstrong shut down all the Gemini thrusters and use a backup set of thrusters to stop the spinning and save the spacecraft.

PAUL
Since the backup set was only used for reentry, the Gemini 8 had to return to Earth at the first opportunity.

RACHEL
So ended the short but eventful mission of Gemini 8.

PAUL
August is meteor month,

RACHEL
And our next shower peaks on the 6th.

PAUL
It’s called the Southern Iota Aquarids and it’s a weak shower.

RACHEL
However, the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower, the Northern Iota Aquarids meteor shower, and the Perseid meteor shower are all active right now.

PAUL
Even better, the moon is rapidly approaching new and its light will no longer interfere with the meteors showers by next week.

RACHEL
So keep sky watching and you’ll be rewarded with shooting stars.

PAUL
Do you get up early on Saturdays?

RACHEL
If so, be sure to look in the east at around 4:00 AM on the 8th to see two iconic star clusters of winter.

PAUL
They’re the Pleiades and the Hyades.

RACHEL
Between them, you’ll see the moon.

PAUL
The Pleiades or Seven Sisters will be the star cluster above the moon.

RACHEL
What’s that orangish star to the lower left of the moon and in the Hyades star cluster?

PAUL
Why it’s Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of August. Do you know who was the first person to understand the cause of earthshine? We’ll tell you next week.

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Star for August

This month look for the star Shaula in Scorpius. Shaula is known to astronomers as Lambda Scorpii and it’s the second brightest star in Scorpius. Shaula means stinger in Arabic and Arab astronomers gave it this name because it, along with its neighbor, represents the stinger at the end of the tail of Scorpius the Scorpion. 

Shaula is 700 light years away. Therefore, the light you see from Shaula this year left in the year 1315. While Shaula is easily visible from earth, our sun would be visible in only the largest telescopes at Shaula’s distance. Shaula is so much brighter than the sun because it’s 11 times more massive. That extra mass fuses hydrogen faster and makes its surface four times hotter and 35,000 times brighter (that is if you include its ultraviolet radiation) than the sun. Astronomers classify Shaula as a sub-giant star, meaning it’s near the end of its hydrogen fusing life and is about ready to expand into a giant star. The mass of Shaula is low enough that it will probably escape from blowing up as a supernova by puffing away its outer layers over time.         

Look for Shaula in the low south to southwest early August evenings.

Pluto Approaching

The New Horizons spacecraft flies past Pluto on the 14th. Already the spacecraft is giving us better views of Pluto than are possible with the Hubble Space Telescope. And the images are only going to get better!

Be sure to visit the New Horizons website for the latest images and data. For example, New Horizons has already detected methane on Pluto.

 http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/

Transcript for July 26 - August 1

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of July. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
You can find star clusters and nebulae close to the moon on the evening of the 28th.

RACHEL
To see them, scan the region to the moon’s left with your binoculars.

PAUL
Then continue scanning further below.

RACHEL
You’ll see small fuzzy clouds of glowing gas and small sprinkles of stars.

PAUL
The nebulae are clouds of dust and gas glowing from the ultraviolet radiation of recently born stars.

RACHEL
Why are there so many clusters and nebulae in this region of the sky?

PAUL
That’s because this is closer to the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

RACHEL
Stars, including nebulae become concentrated as you approach the center of any galaxy.

PAUL
Summer is meteor shower time.

RACHEL
The shower this week is the Delta Aquarids and they peak on the evening of the 28th and morning of the 29th.

PAUL
Unfortunately, the moon is nearly full that evening.

RACHEL
That means that its light will brighten the night time sky and wash out many of the fainter meteors.

PAUL
However, if you observe a meteor originating from the low south, then it may be a Delta Aquarid meteor.

RACHEL
But have no fear, the best summer meteor shower is yet to come.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of July. Join us next month for the space and astronomy events for Idaho.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for July 19 - 25

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of July. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon’s path across the sky in July is very shallow.

PAUL
So the moon never appears very high above the horizon during summer nights.

RACHEL
That means we have to wait until the 20th before the moon gets high enough above the horizon to show Earthshine clearly.

PAUL
The bad news is that the moon will be almost five days old and Earthshine will therefore be weak.

RACHEL
In winter, the situation is reversed.

PAUL
That’s because the moon rises nearly vertically above the horizon.

RACHEL
And it travels higher above the horizon.

PAUL
So we get a clearer view of the moon when it’s younger and thinner.

RACHEL
A young and thin moon is fainter and so it doesn’t wash out the illumination of Earthshine.

PAUL
The moon appears near a bright, but lonely star on the evening of the 22nd.

RACHEL
The star is Spica and it’s the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.

PAUL
Spica is a white star, indicating that it’s much hotter than our yellow sun.

RACHEL
Spica isn’t the only interesting star the moon passes this week.

PAUL
The next one is Zubenelgenubi.

RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is a star that’s easy to split into a pair of stars using binoculars.

PAUL
You’ll see the star to the moon’s lower left on the night of the 24th.

RACHEL
Some people with excellent vision can see Zubenelgenubi as a double star without using binoculars.

PAUL
Are you one of those people?

RACHEL
Looking for Saturn?

PAUL
Then wait no later than the 25th when the moon parks next to the ringed jewel of our solar system.

RACHEL
Saturn will be the yellow-white star to the moon’s left that night.

PAUL
One way you’ll know that its Saturn is that it will hardly twinkle, if at all.

RACHEL
Stars twinkle because they have such small apparent disks.

PAUL
That lets individual warm and cold air pockets constantly pass between then and our eyes.

RACHEL
The changing density of these air pockets acts like shaky lens and prisms that bend and refract starlight many times per second.

PAUL
The result is twinkling stars that throw off shards of color.

RACHEL
Saturn on the other hand is thousands of times larger in apparent diameter than the more distant stars.

PAUL
And as a result, unless the air is very turbulent, there are many pockets of air moving over Saturn simultaneously.

RACHEL
Their effects average out leaving Saturn with a nearly constant brightness and color.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of July. Next week the moon will help you find star clusters and nebulae with your binoculars. 

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for July 12 - 18

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of July. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
On the morning of the 12th, you’ll see the moon slowly passing through the edge of the Hyades star cluster.

RACHEL
This will be an attractive sight through your binoculars.

PAUL
One reason why is that the moon will appear a very thin crescent.

RACHEL
A small telescope will show craters along the illuminated edge of the moon turned nearly edge on from Earth’s perspective.

PAUL
Therefore, they’ll distinctly oval in shape.

RACHEL
If you watch the edge of the moon relative to nearby stars over several minutes, you should be able to detect its movement through the star cluster.

PAUL
Just as it’s finally getting dark a little after 10:00 PM on the 14th, you can see Venus side by side with the brightest star of Leo the Lion.

RACHEL
The star’s name is Regulus, which means prince or little king in Latin.

PAUL
Regulus will be the left of Venus and the much fainter of the pair.

RACHEL
Venus will appear white while Regulus will have a yellowish tint.

PAUL
And that tint may be darker because of the filtering effect of the denser atmosphere near the horizon.

RACHEL
The moon forms a neat line with Jupiter and Venus on the evening of the 18th.

PAUL
Venus and the three day old moon will fit together within the field of view of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Unfortunately, Jupiter will be a little too far away to see all three at the same time in binoculars.

PAUL
Don’t wait much later than 10:00 PM to see them because the trio sets around 10:30.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of July. Next week listeners with telescopes can find Saturn and see its rings. 

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for July 5 - 12

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
On the morning of the 11th, the waning crescent moon will help you locate two nice star clusters.

PAUL
You’ll need to stay up late or wake up early, however.

RACHEL
At 4:30 AM, look to the east and you’ll find the Pleiades star cluster just left of the moon.

PAUL
You may be more familiar with the Pleiades’ other name, the Seven Sisters.

RACHEL
With just their eyes, most people can see six of the stars forming this star cluster.

PAUL
And by using binoculars, you’ll see at least 20 of its stellar members.

RACHEL
The cluster has a definite dipper shape and some people mistake it for the Little Dipper.

PAUL
However its’ not.

RACHEL
The Little Dipper is a constellation and not a star cluster.

PAUL
Besides, the Little Dipper is located in the northern sky.

RACHEL
Below the Pleiades is the second cluster.

PAUL
It’s called the Hyades star cluster.

RACHEL
This star cluster is larger than the Pleiades and has an overall "V" shape.

PAUL
And at one end of the V is the yellow-orange star Aldebaran.

RACHEL
However, Aldebaran is much closer to our solar system and not actually a member of the star cluster.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of July. Next week the moon, Venus, and Jupiter form a neat line in the western sky.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

July's Star

This month look for the star Gemma in Corona Borealis. Corona Borealis is Latin for Northern Crown and is a crescent shaped pattern of seven stars located on the back of the constellation Bootes. In Greek mythology, Corona Borealis is the crown given to the mortal Ariadne by the Greek god Dionysus on their wedding night. After his wife died of old age, Dionysus placed the crown in the heavens as a symbol of his eternal love for Ariadne.
 
Gemma is a bright white star. Gemma is 2.7 times heavier than our sun. Its greater mass makes it almost twice as hot as the sun, 67 times brighter, and about three times larger. However, it’s not one of the brightest stars in our sky on account of its distance of 75 light years (you would need binoculars to see the sun 75 light years away). If you know someone who was born in 1940, then Gemma is his or her birthday star this year.

Look for Gemma nearly overhead in the west-northwest after dark. To find it, follow the handle of the Big Dipper to the bright yellow-orange star, Arcturus high in the west. Corona Borealis is located almost straight up from Arcturus.

Transcript for June 28th to July 4th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of June. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Saturn appears to the moon’s lower right after dark on the 28th.

PAUL
Saturn is not a particularly bright planet, but it sure is attractive through a small telescope.

RACHEL
You can see the planet’s rings if you have a small telescope or even a good spotting scope.

PAUL
Use a magnification of at least 25 power.

RACHEL
Saturn is located close to the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion this summer.

PAUL
The rest of the constellation is located to the left of Saturn.

RACHEL
Its brightest star is Antares and it’s the orangish star located to the lower left of the moon.

PAUL
Did you know that Antares is over 9,000 times larger than Saturn is?

RACHEL
Even though they both appear star-like to our eyes.

PAUL
Two bright stellar beacons, Jupiter and Venus, appear very close together after sunset on the 29th.

RACHEL
They’re only ½ of a degree apart.

PAUL
Which is also the apparent diameter of the moon.

RACHEL
Get a look at Jupiter and Venus soon because they’ll be too close to the sun in another two or three weeks.

PAUL
The moon has neighbors late on the night of the 30th and morning of July 1st.

RACHEL
Its neighbors are star clusters and nebulae and you can see them through binoculars.

PAUL
Scan the region to the moon’s left, both higher and lower, for fuzzy patches and small star clusters.

RACHEL
Hey, I see a teapot of stars when I star gaze this region without binoculars.

PAUL
That’s right. The teapot-shaped pattern of stars is a part of the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer.

RACHEL
Sagittarius represents the centaur Chiron

PAUL
Chiron was not a violent centaur like the others mentioned in Greek mythology.

RACHEL
He was also known as a good archer, which is how he is represented in the night sky

PAUL
So why is Chiron commemorated in the sky?

RACHEL
That’s because he took the place of Prometheus, who Zeus was punishing for giving fire to humanity.

PAUL
Chiron offered to take the place of suffering Prometheus because a poisoned arrow had injured him.

RACHEL
Since Chiron was immortal and couldn’t die, the wound caused him endless agony with no hope for an end to that suffering.

PAUL
So Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, placed him in to the heavens to honor his sacrifice.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of June. Join us next month for the space and astronomy events for Idaho.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Transcript for June 21st to 27th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the fourth week of June. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Hey, summer begins this week.

RACHEL
To be exact, it begins on the 21st at 10:38 AM.

PAUL
The beginning of summer is called a solstice, which means, "to make the sun stand".

RACHEL
"to make the sun stand"?, what does this mean?

PAUL
Well, if you observe sunset, you’ll notice that its position on the horizon shifts every day.

RACHEL
Sure, that’s because Earth’s spin axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane around the sun.

PAUL
That’s right. However, what happens on the first day of summer?

RACHEL
The position of sunset has to stop moving north or else the position of sunset will go completely around the horizon in a full year.

PAUL
Yep. On the first day of summer, the position of sunset appears to stop moving for several days.

RACHEL
Hence, the term to make the sun stand, as in stand still.

PAUL
Here’s how you can find a large star cluster for your binoculars on the night of the 22nd.

RACHEL
After it gets dark, imagine a line up from the moon to Denebola, the bright star above the moon.

PAUL
Then extend that line the same distance above Denebola to a large, but sparse star cluster called Mel-111.

RACHEL
You can see the cluster without binoculars, but only if you observe from outside of town and city lights.

PAUL
You’ll notice that the star cluster becomes more apparent if you look slightly away from the cluster.

RACHEL
This technique of using sideways glances is called averted vision.

PAUL
And it works because the central core of our vision is best at detecting details...

RACHEL
...while the outer perimeter of our vision is more sensitive to faint light and motion.

PAUL
The moon is near the star Spica on the evening of the 25th.

RACHEL
While Spica is not a particularly interesting star for the casual observer, the moon will be in first quarter phase and an interesting target for binoculars and telescopes.

PAUL
So get your binoculars or telescope out and scan along the moon’s boundary between day and night.

RACHEL
You’ll find lots of craters in the southern half of the moon and mountains surrounding lunar seas in the north.

PAUL
One mountain range to look for is the Caucasus Mountains.

RACHEL
It’s the mountain range surrounding part of the Sea of Serenity

PAUL
Which is the lunar sea located in the moon’s upper right corner.

RACHEL
You’ll see the mountains on the left side of Serenity and near the lunar terminator.

PAUL
Some of its peaks are 19,000 feet tall.

RACHEL
That’s a mile taller than Mt. Borah.

PAUL
However, unlike Mt. Borah, lunar quakes didn’t create the Caucasus mountain range over millions of years.

RACHEL
Instead the mountain range was created in a geological flash of time by an impact.

PAUL
The impact was by the asteroid that created the Sea of Serenity.

RACHEL
Along with blasting and vaporizing rock, the impact threw back the lunar crust to form a mountain range.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the fourth week of June. Did you know there’s a centaur in the sky? Hear about that and three planets next week.

 RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com. For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.