Idaho Skies Transcript for April 5th and 6th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The moon appears next to a bright star on the 6th.

RACHEL
That star’s name is Regulus.

PAUL
Regulus represents the heart of Leo the Lion.

RACHEL
So I expect Regulus appears as a red star.

PAUL
Actually, Regulus appears more orange than red, but that’s close enough.

RACHEL
Regulus is the star to the moon’s upper left.

PAUL
And the two are close enough together that a pair of binoculars will show both at the same time.

RACHEL
This is another example of how binoculars are useful in observing close encounters of the astronomy kind.

PAUL
Regulus is the brightest star along the ecliptic, or path the moon, sun, and planets take across the sky.

RACHEL
Its closeness to the ecliptic results in the sun, moon, and planets appearing close to it on a regular basis.

PAUL
Did you know that Regulus is a star four times more massive than the sun?

RACHEL
And three times wider at the equator?

PAUL
With its larger mass, Regulus will not live as long as the sun.

RACHEL
But it’s not massive enough to explode as a supernova.

PAUL
Regulus is only 79 light years away from the solar system.

RACHEL
That means you’re seeing Regulus as it actually existed in 1938.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of April.

RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.