Star Gazing for May 29th to June 4th

Regulus is the bright star to the moon's right on the night of May 31st

Jupiter is the bright yellowish star to the moon's right. It won't twinkle like the white spark, Spica.

Remember that most 7X50 binoculars have a field of view of 7.5 degrees. You're looking for the second star above Venus and that it's the third brightest star in your field of view.

Idaho Skies Transcript for June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Venus, the Morning Star this month, reaches greatest western elongation on the 3rd.

PAUL
Greatest elongation means the planet appears at is at its greatest angular distance from the sun.

RACHEL
It also means the position of Venus won’t appear to change significantly for the next three weeks.

PAUL
Venus isn't the only planet boldly standing out this week.

RACHEL
Because stargazers will find a bright star with pale yellow tint next to the moon on the night of the 3rd.

PAUL
The star is Jupiter, the mightiest planet in the solar system.

RACHEL
Jupiter is mighty; it has a diameter 11 times larger than Earth.

PAUL
And a mass over 300 times greater.

RACHEL
I find a mass 300 times greater than Earth's surprisingly low.

PAUL
How do you mean?

RACHEL
Well, a diameter 11 times greater than Earth's means a volume over 1,200 times greater than Earth's.

PAUL
Oh, and you're surprised the mass is only 300 times greater than Earth's and not 1,200 times greater.

RACHEL
That's right. Jupiter seems to be awfully light for such a large planet.

PAUL
The reason why is that Jupiter is mostly hydrogen and helium and not silicate rock and iron like Earth.

RACHEL
I see, so it's just a matter of different compositions between Jupiter and Earth.

PAUL
Yep. Jupiter is more like the sun than terrestrial planets like Earth.

RACHEL
Which is why Jupiter is called a failed star.

PAUL
That's right. If it had ten times more mass, Jupiter would fuse hydrogen and shine like a second star.

RACHEL
Then Earth would experience roughly six months of nights where it wasn’t truly dark.

PAUL
And such may be the case on some of the exoplanets astronomers have discovered.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of June.

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 May 31st and June 1st

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 31st and June 1st. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
On the 31st, the moon passes below Leo the Lion.

RACHEL
That means the bright star to the moon’s right is Regulus, the brightest star in Leo.

PAUL
Regulus is called Alpha Leonis by astronomers on account that it’s Leo’s brightest star.

RACHEL
It's a star nearly four times more massive than the sun.

PAUL
That extra mass puts the star’s hydrogen core under more heat and pressure than is found in the sun's core.

RACHEL
Since heat and pressure are the two factors driving fusion, Regulus lives like a rock star and is 288 times brighter than the sun.

PAUL
That's why it appears so bright when it's 79 light years away.

RACHEL
From a point at Regulus, our puny sun is invisible.

PAUL
In fact, a stargazer would need at least a pair of binoculars to see it.

RACHEL
Hey! Can you see the backwards question mark of stars above Regulus?

PAUL
They represent the back of the head and mane of Leo.

RACHEL
It might help you see Leo’s mane if you knew that you’re looking at the side of Leo.

PAUL
And that Leo is sitting down like the Sphinx of Egypt.

RACHEL
Stargazers will find the moon at the first quarter phase on the night of the 1st.

PAUL
First quarter, or when the moon appears half full, is among the best phases to go moon watching.

RACHEL
So get your binoculars out and scan along the lunar terminator or boundary between day and night.

PAUL
With steady binoculars, you'll be able to count dozens of craters.

RACHEL
The largest crater stargazers can see is named Clavius and it’s visible in the extreme south of the moon.

PAUL
The crater is 137 miles across, or about the distance between Nampa and Twin Falls.

RACHEL
It’s was also the location of the moon base on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 31st of May and 1st of June.

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.

Idaho Skies Transcript for May 29th and 30th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon passes through Cancer the Crab on the 29th.

PAUL
Unfortunately, Cancer is a fairly faint constellation.

RACHEL
In fact, from town the constellation is all but invisible.

PAUL
And from the country, it's not much more visible.

RACHEL
What stands out the most about Cancer in dark skies are two stars flanking a small fuzzy spot.

PAUL
But don’t let the fuzzy nature of that spot fool you.

RACHEL
It’s actually the most impressive sight in Cancer, the Beehive star cluster.

PAUL
And it's easy to find on the 29th because the moon passes within four degrees of it.

RACHEL
That's so close that you'll be able to both the moon and the Beehive together in binoculars.

PAUL
So on the 29th aim your binoculars at the moon...

RACHEL
...and then shift them towards the right.

PAUL
Just as the moon leaves the lower left of the binoculars, you’ll find a tight bundle of stars in the middle of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Stargazers will want to steady their binoculars on something solid...

PAUL
...like a car, tree, or fencepost.

RACHEL
That's because with a steady view, eyes can detect fainter stars.

PAUL
Since star clusters contain more faint stars than bright stars, there'll be more stars to fill the cluster if you can see the fainter stars.

RACHEL
With steady binoculars and reasonably dark skies, stargazers may be able to count around 24 stars in this cluster.

PAUL
And what stargazers see is similar to what Galileo saw in 1609 with his telescope.

RACHEL
The cluster was actually one of the first astronomical objects Galileo saw with the newly invented telescope.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of May.

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

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Waning Crescent Moon

I caught a glimpse of the waning crescent moon as I headed to work this morning.

Idaho Skies Transcript for May 26th, 27th, and 28th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 26th, 27th, and 28th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

PAUL
Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel into space, was born on May 26th, 1951.

RACHEL
Before her flight in the Space Shuttle, only two other women had traveled into space.

PAUL
They were Valentina Tereshkova…

RACHEL
…and Svetlana Savitskaya.

PAUL
Both were Russians, by the way.

RACHEL
And Valentina’s flight was probably just a political stunt by the Soviet Union to beat the United States in space firsts.

PAUL
Sally was selected as a scientist astronaut in 1978.

RACHEL
Her first of two flights occurred when she spent six days onboard the Challenger in June 1983.

PAUL
It was the 7th Space Shuttle flight and the mission deployed two communication satellites.

RACHEL
Sally was one of the Challenger’s mission specialists.

PAUL
And as such, she used the Shuttle’s robotic arm to retrieve experiments deployed from the Shuttle’s cargo bay.

RACHEL
Unfortunately, Sally died in 2012 at an all too young age.

PAUL
Hey stargazers, the moon will be nearly three days old on the 27th.

RACHEL
So seeing it on the evening of the 27th won’t set a record for its earliest sighting.

PAUL
Still, the thin crescent moon will be an attractive sight, especially through binoculars.

RACHEL
Stargazers should also start looking for earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 26th, 27th, and 28th of May.

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 May 24th and 25th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 24th and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
Hey! It’s Towel Day on the 25th!

PAUL
Towel Day? That sounds like something from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

RACHEL
It is. On May 25th, 1971, Douglas Adams was traveling through Innsbruck, Austria.

PAUL
And there he got the idea to write a book about hitchhiking through the Milky Way galaxy.

RACHEL
Why a hitchhiking story?

PAUL
Because he was carrying a copy of Ken Welsh’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to Europe.

RACHEL
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a classic piece of literature with a certain category of human beings.

PAUL
To the rest of the human population, it’s probably best described as a cult classic.

RACHEL
The novel describes the adventures of one human of the British persuasion, Arthur Dent and his friend, Ford Prefect.

PAUL
By the way, Ford Prefect is from the planet Betelgeuse 5.

RACHEL
One of the pieces of advice given by the Hitchhiker’s Guide is to always know where you towel is.

PAUL
Adams felt that a well organized person would always know where his towel was.

RACHEL
So according to the Guide, having a towel indicates that the hitchhiker must also be in possession of a multitude of other useful items, like a spacesuit.

PAUL
And therefore non-hitchhikers are more likely to lend the hitchhiker anything that he or she may have inadvertently lost.

RACHEL
Like a spacesuit.

PAUL
So don’t forget you towel.

RACHEL
And Don’t Panic.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 24th and 25th of May.

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.

Idaho Skies Transcript for May 22nd and 23rd

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 22nd and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

PAUL
Venus is the Morning Star this month.

RACHEL
In fact, stargazers can’t miss it as they leave for work in the morning.

PAUL
That’s because it’s the brightest star in the low east.

RACHEL
Nothing else can compare to the brilliance of Venus except for the moon and sun.

PAUL
However, on occasion, Jupiter can outshine Venus for short periods of time.

RACHEL
But Jupiter needs to be at opposition and Venus on the other side of the solar system.

PAUL
What makes Venus so bright, other than the fact that it’s close to the sun and Earth?

RACHEL
After the invention of the telescope, astronomers discovered that Venus was shrouded in a thick blanket of very reflective clouds.

PAUL
Since clouds of water are the only thing humans are familiar with, it was originally assumed that the clouds of Venus were also made of water.

RACHEL
Some astronomers even thought the planet might be tropical.

PAUL
Unfortunately, radio observations of Venus in the 1960s indicated that the planet had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.

RACHEL
And it was the Mariner 2 flyby of 1962 that cinched the case; Venus had an atmospheric temperature of 900 degrees.

PAUL
Later space missions determined its clouds consist of sulfur dioxide and droplets of sulfuric acid.

RACHEL
Those sulfur laden clouds create a very reflective surface.

PAUL
In fact, Venus reflects 75% of the sunlight shining upon it.

RACHEL
Compare this to 30% for Earth and 12% for the moon.

PAUL
So it’s no wonder that Venus appears so bright.

FADE IN MUSIC

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 22nd and 23rd of May.

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…

RCHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.

Idaho Skies Transcript for 19th, 20th, and 21st

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 19th, 20th, and 21st. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
The moon’s at last quarter on the 19th.

PAUL
That’s a great phase to go lunar exploring with your binoculars.

RACHEL
However, you’ll need to go outside after midnight to see the moon.

PAUL
Stargazers will notice that the western hemisphere of the moon contains a large lunar maria.

RACHEL
The maria’s name is the Ocean of Storms and it spans over half the circumference of the visible moon.

PAUL
Which makes it the largest maria visible on the moon.

RACHEL
Way beyond the moon is Neptune, a planet too dim to see with the unaided eye.

PAUL
Fortunately, it’s not too dim for binoculars.

RACHEL
However, on account of its faintness, the planet is difficult to find without the aid of a landmark.

PAUL
And this is where the moon comes in handy on the morning of the 20th.

RACHEL
That morning, Neptune appears three degrees to the moon’s upper right.

PAUL
Which is just under half the diameter of a binocular’s field of view.

RACHEL
So to locate Neptune, go outside at around 4:30 AM and point your binoculars at the moon.

PAUL
Then shift your binoculars to the upper right until the moon has just left the field of view.

RACHEL
Neptune will be the brightest star just to the lower left of the center of view.

PAUL
And it will be flanked closely by a second, but slightly fainter star just above it.

FADE IN MUSIC

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th, 20th, and 21st of May.

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 May 17th and 18th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 17th and 18th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

PAUL
British astronomer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer was born on May 17th, 1836.

RACHEL
Isn’t he the astronomer who discovered helium?

PAUL
Yes he is.

RACHEL
Here’s the funny thing though, helium wasn’t originally discovered on Earth.

PAUL
Wait, how could Lockyer discover helium if it wasn’t first known on Earth.

RACHEL
Well, He was analyzing the spectrum of the sun when he came across a yellow line.

PAUL
The line was in a location in the spectrum where no known element emitted a yellow line.

RACHEL
So he and another astronomer decided to name the element after the sun god, Helios.

PAUL
Hence the name Helium.

RACHEL
Did you know that all the initial helium in the universe was made over a 20 minute period after the Big Bang?

PAUL
And that it makes up 24% of the universe?

RACHEL
Even though it’s plentiful in the universe, it’s difficult to find on Earth.

PAUL
That’s because Earth’s gravity is too weak to hold on to its supply of helium.

RACHEL
So the largest source of helium on Earth has been the radioactive decay of elements like uranium.

PAUL
The gas gets trapped inside of rock layers beneath the surface.

RACHEL
And when oil drills release gas and oil, the helium escapes to the surface.

PAUL
Where oil companies separate it from the natural gas.

RACHEL
So celebrate the discovery of helium this week.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th and 18th of May.

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 May 15th and 16th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 15th and 16th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
Williamina Fleming was born 160 years ago on the 15th.

PAUL
What is Ms. Fleming know for?

RACHEL
She was an American astronomer who began her career working at the Harvard College Observatory in 1881.

PAUL
At this time, observatories relied on people to make mathematical calculations of observational data.

RACHEL
These observatory staff were known as computers.

PAUL
One of the thorny problems astronomers were trying to solve in the late 19th century was developing a logical way to classify stars.

RACHEL
So Williamina devised a system of classifying stars by the amount of hydrogen in their spectra.

PAUL
The data she relied on came from observing stars through a spectroscope…

RACHEL
…which is a device that splits the light of stars into specific colors.

PAUL
Star spectrums were recorded on glass photographic plates in the 19th century.

RACHEL
And on account of the poor sensitivity of photographic plates back then, it could take a long time to collect enough light from a spectroscope.

PAUL
Then computers on the observatory staff spent additional hours measuring the location and brightness of the lines in a star’s spectrum.

RACHEL
Over her career, Willimaina classified over 10,000 stars.

PAUL
Including a type of star that was faint, but very hot.

RACHEL
And that was her discovery of the white dwarf star.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 15th and 16th of May.

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.

The Moon and the Evening Star

I got a picture of the waning crescent moon and Venus before leaving for work on the 22nd. They formed a very attractive sight this morning and a nice way to start the work week.

Star Gazing for May 8th to 15th

Zubenelgenubi is a popular double star for binoculars. The moon will help you find it on May 9th.

A small telescope will show you Saturn's rings and binoculars will show you the star cluster, Ptolemy's Cluster. The moon will point out both to you on the morning of the 14th.

Idaho Skies Transcript: May 12th, 13th, and 14th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 12th, 13th, and 14th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

PAUL
Stargazers will find Saturn a little right of the moon after midnight of the 14th.

RACHEL
Not only that, but the moon is also surrounded by nebulae and star clusters.

PAUL
Can our listeners see the clusters and nebulae in binoculars?

RACHEL
Sure, they’ll appear as smudges of light and in some cases smudges filled with stars.

PAUL
The nebulae and clusters are located between the solar system and the compact center of the Milky Way galaxy.

RACHEL
Or its nucleus.

PAUL
To see them at these star clusters and nebulae at their best, travel outside of town to darker skies.

RACHEL
Then sweep the region around the moon with binoculars.

PAUL
But be sure to shift your binoculars away from the moon.

RACHEL
That way the moon’s light won’t drown out the fainter light of the nebulae and star clusters.

PAUL
Exactly why is this region of the sky filled with so many star clusters and nebulae?

RACHEL
Because it’s located within the central bulge of the Milky Way galaxy.

PAUL
That’s where most of the galaxy’s stars are located.

RACHEL
And it’s the brightest region of the Milky Way.

PAUL
Since the moon is so bright tonight, it will be difficult to see the Milky Way tonight.

RACHEL
But on nights when the moon isn’t present, the Milky Way arcs overhead in summer.

PAUL
And looks like a luminescent cloud.

RACHEL
Unfortunately, our towns and cities are growing so bright from badly placed lights, most Americans can’t see the Milky Way anymore.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th, 13th, and 14th of May.

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: May 10th and 11th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
The moon’s full on the 10th.

PAUL
So it’s definitely not the best time to go crater counting with your binoculars.

RACHEL
The full moon is May is known to some cultures as the Rose Moon.

PAUL
That makes me wonder, what are some other names for full moons?

RACHEL
Well, this is not a comprehensive list, but according to sources like the Farmers Almanac…

PAUL
January is known as the Wolf Moon

RACHEL
February is the Snow Moon.

PAUL
March? It’s the Sap Moon

RACHEL
April is called the Egg Moon.

PAUL
May you already know.

RACHEL
June is called the Strawberry Moon by some.

PAUL
July? Try the Hay Moon.

RACHEL
August is the Green Corn Moon.

PAUL
September is the Harvest Moon in some cases.

RACHEL
October is the Hunters Moon if September is the Harvest Moon

PAUL
November is called the Frosty Moon.

RACHEL
And finally, the full moon in December is called the Cold Moon.

PAUL
Of course, the full moon names change based on the time and location of the cultures naming them.

BRING DOWN MUSIC
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of May.

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.

Idaho Skies Transcript: May 8th and 9th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 8th and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

PAUL
Stargazers will find a double star on the evening of the 9th with the help of the moon.

RACHEL
They’ll need to look around 10:00, or once the sky is dark enough.

PAUL
The star’s name is Zubenelgenubi and it’s one of the two brightest stars in Libra the Scales.

RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi, which can be split into two stars with binoculars, is the star located below the nearly full moon.

PAUL
Did you know that astronomers use double star observations to learn the masses of stars?

RACHEL
This is possible because Newton’s Laws of motion and gravity apply to the distant stars as well as they apply to the solar system.

PAUL
Astronomers know that the farther two stars are apart, the slower they orbit each other.

RACHEL
And that the more massive the stars are, the faster they orbit each other.

PAUL
Astronomers have since learned how to measure the temperature of a star using spectroscopy.

RACHEL
By combining the mass of a star and its temperature, astronomers can now calculate the age of a star.

PAUL
This came about once astronomers understood that stars generate energy through the fusion of hydrogen.

RACHEL
The science of spectroscopy was instrumental in the discovery of the composition and operation of stars.

PAUL
Before they understood the fusion process, astronomers thought star might generate heat by their gravitational collapse.

RACHEL
However, collapse is such a poor source of energy that stars couldn’t be more than tens of millions of years old.

PAUL
But with fusion as the energy source, astronomers have calculated that some stars will be around for a trillion years.
 
FADE IN MUSIC

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 8th and 9th of May.

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.

Sky Gazing for May 1st to 7th

Look for the Beehive star cluster on the night of the 1st. It will be easily visible in your binoculars. 

The brightest star in Leo the Lion is Regulus. It will be the yellowish-orange star to the left of the moon on the night of the 3rd.

The moon leaves Leo on the night of the 5th. Get away from your neighborhood street lamp and you should be able to see the large, but sparse star cluster Mel-111 in binoculars.

The moon forms a line with Jupiter and Spica on the night of the 6th. Jupiter will have a mellow color to it and it will not twinkle. Spica on the other hand is a real star and will twinkle. Spica is the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden.

With binoculars, you can see the moons of Jupiter on the 6th. It's best if you prop them against something steady to improve the view. 

The moon passes even closer to Jupiter on the night of the 7th. 

This is the configuration of Jupiter's moons on the night of the 7th. 

Idaho Skies Transcript for May 5th, 5th, and 7th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 5th, 6th, and 7th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
The moon is leaving the confines of Leo the Lion on the 5th.

PAUL
Which also means the moon is located below Leo’s second brightest star, Denebola.

RACHEL
Above and slightly left of Denebola is a large and scattered star cluster named Mel-111.

PAUL
The cluster is much larger than the Beehive and in fact, it fills the binocular view.

RACHEL
To find Mel-111, locate Denebola, or the bright star above the moon.

PAUL
Now mentally draw a line from the moon to Denebola.

RACHEL
Extend that line 50% farther above Denebola and then slightly left.

PAUL
By pointing your binoculars in this region of the sky, you should see a large scattering of stars.

RACHEL
Hey, the moon, Jupiter, and Spica form a line on the night of the 6th.

PAUL
The moon is nearly full, so binoculars will not show much crater detail.

RACHEL
Jupiter on the other hand, is accompanied by a retinue of moons.

PAUL
And those are visible through your binoculars.

RACHEL
By the 7th, the moon moves so close to Jupiter that both can be seen together in binoculars.

PAUL
Look closely and you’ll be able to see Jupiter’s second largest moon Callisto below Jupiter.

RACHEL
And it’s largest moon Ganymede above Jupiter.

PAUL
The remaining moons, Io and Europa, are located just below Jupiter.

RACHEL
But probably too close to the planet’s glare to be see without a telescope.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th, 6th, and 7th of May.

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.

Idaho Skies Transcript for May 3rd and 4th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

PAUL
The moon reaches the first quarter phase on the 3rd.

RACHEL
The first quarter phase is an excellent phase for stargazers who want to observe the moon through binoculars.

PAUL
They should focus their attention along the terminator or the straight-line boundary between day and night.

RACHEL
This is where the shadows cast by the rising sun are especially long.

PAUL
And since the moon’s terminator faces directly towards Earth, stargazers will see the shadows in their full extend.

RACHEL
And not foreshortened.

PAUL
Stargazers will notice that the southern hemisphere is much richer in craters than the northern hemisphere.

RACHEL
On the other hand, the moon’s Northern hemisphere has more and larger maria, or seas of frozen lava.

PAUL
The maria formed when giant meteoroids impacted the moon nearly four billion years ago.

RACHEL
The impact basins created by the impacts eventually filled with multiple sheets of lava.

PAUL
The layers of lava covered up all the older lunar craters.

RACHEL
And by the time the maria formed, the rate of meteor impacts had decreased significantly.

PAUL
Meaning that there were far fewer meteor impacts after the maria formed.

RACHEL
After viewing the moon, take a moment to look at the moon without binoculars.

PAUL
See that bright star to the moon’s left?

RACHEL
It’s the brightest star of Leo the Lion, or Regulus.

FADE IN MUSIC

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of May.

 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.

Idaho Skies Transcript for May 1st and 2nd

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
Spring’s prime time for viewing the Beehive star cluster.

PAUL
On the evening of the 1st, this attractive star cluster is only nine degrees from the moon.

RACHEL
That’s approximately 20% greater than the distance across your binoculars’ view.

PAUL
So the star cluster is easy to find a little help from the moon.

RACHEL
To find the Beehive, go outside late on the night of the 1st and center the first quarter moon in binoculars.

PAUL
Then shift the binoculars up and slightly left until the moon leaves your binoculars’ view in the 5 o’clock position.

RACHEL
Shortly after the moon leaves your view, the Beehive will enter from the 11 o’clock position.

PAUL
Just remember that the distance between the moon and Beehive is nine degrees.

RACHEL
Therefore, the binoculars don’t have to shift much further once the moon has left.

PAUL
You can’t miss the Beehive.

RACHEL
That’s because it will appear as a compact grouping of stars.

PAUL
Did you know that astronomers use star clusters to understand the life history of stars?

RACHEL
It’s possible because the stars in star clusters were born from the same cloud of dust and gas at the same time.

PAUL
Therefore, any difference between the stars in a star cluster is due to their differences in masses.

RACHEL
This creates snapshots of stars at various ages.

PAUL
And like taking a snapshot of the people watching a baseball game, you can develop a hypothesis about how people grow older from a single picture.

FADE IN MUSIC

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 1st and 2nd of May.

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

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.