Idaho Skies Transcript for December 13th and 14th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 13th and 14th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Early risers with binoculars are in for a double treat on the morning of the 14th.

PAUL
Next to the thin crescent moon in the low east will be two unequally bright stars.

RACHEL
The brightest is Jupiter, a planet 11 times larger in diameter than Earth.

PAUL
The fainter is the double star Zubenelgenubi.

RACHEL
Both Jupiter and Zubenelgenubi are fine binocular objects.

PAUL
Because they both show some sort of detail.

RACHEL
Jupiter for instance, will be accompanied by two of its brightest satellites.

PAUL
Below Jupiter, will the volcanic moon Io.

RACHEL
And above Jupiter will be the icy moon Europa.

PAUL
Zubenelgenubi on the other hand will turn into a double star through binoculars.

RACHEL
Even the moon is a fine binocular object, but too thin to show much in the way of details tonight.

PAUL
Stargazers wanting to spend time observing this trio should do so between 6:00 and 7:00 AM.

RACHEL
Recall that both Io and Europa are close to the size of our moon.

PAUL
So what you see though binoculars is how Earth’s moon would appear from Jupiter.

RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is a twin star system 77 light years away.

PAUL
The fact that we can still see this star when it’s so far away indicates it’s much brighter than the sun.

RACHEL
In fact, about six times brighter.

PAUL
The distance between the stars of Zubenelgenubi is over 5,000 times greater than the distance between Earth and the sun.

RACHEL
This means our solar system would appear as a tiny blip between these two stars in binoculars.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 13th and 14th of December.

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.