Idaho Skies Transcript for April 26th and 27th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 26th and 27th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon was recently a morning object.

PAUL
And now it reappears in the low west at dusk on the 27th.

RACHEL
But it’s still very close to the sun.

PAUL
So stargazers won’t have much time to see the moon between the time the sky gets dark and the time the moon sets.

RACHEL
To see the very young moon, look in the very low west before 10:00 PM.

PAUL
You might first see the Hyades and Pleiades star cluster(s).

RACHEL
And between them and even closer to the horizon will be a very thin moon.

PAUL
Binoculars will be helpful in seeing the moon.

RACHEL
Some people believe the moon’s crescent shape is due to Earth’s shadow.

PAUL
Actually, it’s due to the sun illuminating the other side of the moon.

RACHEL
And therefore, Earth is seeing mostly the night time portion of the moon.

PAUL
It takes the sun roughly 30 days to pass over the entire surface of the moon.

RACHEL
This means each location on the moon has 15 days of sunlight and 15 days of night.

PAUL
Except for some craters located near the poles of the moon.

RACHEL
Some of these craters have rims so high that their bottoms never see sunlight.

PAUL
This means they’re good locations to trap volatile materials like water.

RACHEL
So if we ever set up a permanent moon base, then we’ll want to mine some of that lunar water for its occupants.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 26th and 27th of April.

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.