RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 14th, 15th, and 16th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The crescent moon passes just below the Red Planet on the 14th.
PAUL
Mars will be the orangish star you see above the moon after dark on the 14th. The moon is 242,000 miles away while Mars is 103 million miles away. Whereas the moon will show attractive detail through binoculars, Mars is too small and far away to show anything through binoculars. Both however, are worlds where automated robots have traversed.
RACHEL
The first robot to travel on another world was the Soviet Lunokhod 1 and it landed on the moon November 17th, 1970. Lunokhod 1 was solar powered and operated under human control back on Earth. A drive team sent commands to the rover for 321 days before it failed. In that time, the rover drove a distance of 6.4 miles.
PAUL
The first robot to land on Mars was the American Sojourner robot and it landed on Mars on July 4th, 1997. Sojourner was also solar powered and instructed by a team on Earth. Unlike Lunokhod, drivers could not operate Sojourner in near real time. That’s because the time it takes for a signal to travel to Mars is too great. So the American team radioed a series of instructions to Sojourner to carry out as best as it could.
RACHEL
Did you know there’s a robot operating on an asteroid? The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency dropped two robots on an asteroid named Ryugu. The gravity on this asteroid is so weak that wheeled robots cannot get enough traction to drive across the surface. The robots are named MINERVA-2 1A and 1B and they hop across the surface. Each hop might take 15 minutes to complete because of the incredibly weak gravity of this tiny asteroid.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 14th, 15th, and 16th of December.
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.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for December 12th and 13th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 12th and 13th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak this week.
RACHEL
The Geminid meteor shower is reliable meteor shower
PAUL
Most meteor showers originate as dust from comet tails. The Geminids actually originate from dust chipped off an asteroid. The dust of a meteor shower is small, at about the size of a grain of sand or perhaps grain of rice. When these dust motes slam into Earth’s atmosphere, they are traveling far faster than the speed of sound. This means air molecules ahead of them don’t have time to move out of the way before the dust mote has arrived.
RACHEL
This compresses the air ahead of the dust mote so fast that the air gets very hot. Think of it this way. You compress the air in a bicycle pump when you fill a tire with air. Now image how hot the pump would get if you were to operate it at thousands of miles per hour. The air inside the pump would get so hot that it would melt the pump.
PAUL
The moon sets by 11:30 PM on the 13th. So if you go outside around then, you should see Geminid meteors streaking out of the high east. Look for dozens of meteors per hour from this shower, especially if you observe it from a dark location. The meteors from this shower will have a slightly yellow tint and don’t travel quite as swiftly as those in other meteor showers. Just be sure to dress warmly.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th and 13th of December.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 12th and 13th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak this week.
RACHEL
The Geminid meteor shower is reliable meteor shower
PAUL
Most meteor showers originate as dust from comet tails. The Geminids actually originate from dust chipped off an asteroid. The dust of a meteor shower is small, at about the size of a grain of sand or perhaps grain of rice. When these dust motes slam into Earth’s atmosphere, they are traveling far faster than the speed of sound. This means air molecules ahead of them don’t have time to move out of the way before the dust mote has arrived.
RACHEL
This compresses the air ahead of the dust mote so fast that the air gets very hot. Think of it this way. You compress the air in a bicycle pump when you fill a tire with air. Now image how hot the pump would get if you were to operate it at thousands of miles per hour. The air inside the pump would get so hot that it would melt the pump.
PAUL
The moon sets by 11:30 PM on the 13th. So if you go outside around then, you should see Geminid meteors streaking out of the high east. Look for dozens of meteors per hour from this shower, especially if you observe it from a dark location. The meteors from this shower will have a slightly yellow tint and don’t travel quite as swiftly as those in other meteor showers. Just be sure to dress warmly.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th and 13th of December.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for December 10th and 11th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
There are three crescents in the sky this week.
PAUL
The first you can se without optical aid. It’s the young crescent moon or more specifically, the waxing crescent moon. Stargazers will find the moon in the low southwest after sunset. Since the moon is only four days old and traveling slowly away from the sun from our perspective, it remains a very thin crescent. This increases your chances of seeing earthshine for the next few nights. .
RACHEL
Next is Venus. Stargazers will see the Morning Star in the southeast as they drive to work in the morning. Venus is so bright that you can’t mistake it for anything other than Venus. Right now Venus is too far form Earth to show a crescent shape in binoculars. But a small telescope or even spotting scope has the necessary magnification to do so.
PAUL
Much closer to the horizon is innermost planet Mercury. It too is located between Earth and the sun. This means its phase is crescent shaped. Mercury is swiftly traveling to the other side of the sun from our perspective. This is why the planet will climb slightly higher and grow fainter over the next few weeks.
RACHEL
In a telescope, you would see Mercury become fuller and smaller as it travels to the other side of the solar system. Jupiter, which is also on the other side of the solar system, is much farther away than Mercury. So form Jupiter’s perspective, Mercury is approaching closer to the sun and becoming more crescent shaped.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of December.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
There are three crescents in the sky this week.
PAUL
The first you can se without optical aid. It’s the young crescent moon or more specifically, the waxing crescent moon. Stargazers will find the moon in the low southwest after sunset. Since the moon is only four days old and traveling slowly away from the sun from our perspective, it remains a very thin crescent. This increases your chances of seeing earthshine for the next few nights. .
RACHEL
Next is Venus. Stargazers will see the Morning Star in the southeast as they drive to work in the morning. Venus is so bright that you can’t mistake it for anything other than Venus. Right now Venus is too far form Earth to show a crescent shape in binoculars. But a small telescope or even spotting scope has the necessary magnification to do so.
PAUL
Much closer to the horizon is innermost planet Mercury. It too is located between Earth and the sun. This means its phase is crescent shaped. Mercury is swiftly traveling to the other side of the sun from our perspective. This is why the planet will climb slightly higher and grow fainter over the next few weeks.
RACHEL
In a telescope, you would see Mercury become fuller and smaller as it travels to the other side of the solar system. Jupiter, which is also on the other side of the solar system, is much farther away than Mercury. So form Jupiter’s perspective, Mercury is approaching closer to the sun and becoming more crescent shaped.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of December.
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.
Monday, December 3, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for December 7th, 8th, and 9th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 7th, 8th, and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon was new on the afternoon of the 6th.
RACHEL
So very observant stargazers might be able to find a 34-hour old moon during dusk on the 8th. However, you’ll need a very clear and flat southwestern horizon if you want to see this very thin crescent moon. Binoculars will be of help also. But please do not go scanning the horizon with binoculars until after the sun sets. It’s too easy to actually scan across the sun before it sets.
PAUL
What might help you find the moon is Saturn. Saturn is the faint star in the low southwest at 7:00 PM on the 8th. It will be the only noticeable star this close to the horizon, but will benefit from your use of binoculars. Saturn will disappear from the evening sky in another two weeks, so around the 8th would be a good time to look for this planet before it becomes a morning planet in mid-January next year.
RACHEL
Once you locate Saturn in your binoculars scan a little bit to its right for the moon. The distance between Saturn and the moon is three degrees, or less than half the field of view your binoculars. So if you place Saturn on the left edge of your binoculars, the moon will be almost exactly in the center. Even though the moon and Saturn appear close together, they’re no where near one another.
PAUL
That’s right. The moon is only 244,000 miles away from us. Saturn on the other hand is one billion miles away, or 4,170 times farther away. We lose a sense of distance when looking at the night sky. Therefore, it’s not surprising that ancient cultures pictured the sky as a dome over the land. One of the great discoveries of astronomy is that the distance to astronomical objects is, well, astronomical.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 7th, 8th, and 9th of December.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 7th, 8th, and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon was new on the afternoon of the 6th.
RACHEL
So very observant stargazers might be able to find a 34-hour old moon during dusk on the 8th. However, you’ll need a very clear and flat southwestern horizon if you want to see this very thin crescent moon. Binoculars will be of help also. But please do not go scanning the horizon with binoculars until after the sun sets. It’s too easy to actually scan across the sun before it sets.
PAUL
What might help you find the moon is Saturn. Saturn is the faint star in the low southwest at 7:00 PM on the 8th. It will be the only noticeable star this close to the horizon, but will benefit from your use of binoculars. Saturn will disappear from the evening sky in another two weeks, so around the 8th would be a good time to look for this planet before it becomes a morning planet in mid-January next year.
RACHEL
Once you locate Saturn in your binoculars scan a little bit to its right for the moon. The distance between Saturn and the moon is three degrees, or less than half the field of view your binoculars. So if you place Saturn on the left edge of your binoculars, the moon will be almost exactly in the center. Even though the moon and Saturn appear close together, they’re no where near one another.
PAUL
That’s right. The moon is only 244,000 miles away from us. Saturn on the other hand is one billion miles away, or 4,170 times farther away. We lose a sense of distance when looking at the night sky. Therefore, it’s not surprising that ancient cultures pictured the sky as a dome over the land. One of the great discoveries of astronomy is that the distance to astronomical objects is, well, astronomical.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 7th, 8th, and 9th of December.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for December 5th and 6th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
We mentioned last time that Mercury and Venus are visible together in the morning sky.
PAUL
Both Venus and Mercury are what astronomers call inferior planets. This means both orbit the sun in paths that are wholly inside Earth’s orbit. This means they experience a greater gravitational attraction to the sun than Earth. Therefore, they orbit the sun more quickly than Earth does. Since one orbit of the sun is a year, the length of the year for Mercury and Venus is shorter than Earth’s.
RACHEL
The length of a year on Mercury is 88 days. In other words, an Earth year lasts just over four Mercurian years and Mercury will celebrate the passing of another year on March 3rd. The length of a year for Venus is longer at 225 days. That makes a Venusian year only 62% as long as a terrestrial year. Venus will celebrate the passing of another year on July 18th.
PAUL
Mercury is a world that looks much like our moon. The planet’s diameter is 3,032 miles, or 38% the diameter of Earth and 142% the diameter of the moon. What atmosphere Mercury has is called an exosphere. Exospheres consist of molecules that are gravitational bound to a planet but so thinly spread out that they seldom ever collide with one another. The result is that the air pressure in an exosphere is essentially unmeasureably low.
RACHEL
Spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes have detected hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, and potassium in Mercury’s exosphere. The hydrogen and helium almost certainly originate with the sun’s solar wind. The oxygen, sodium and potassium likely originate in the planet’s crust. They are released from Mercury the action of solar heat and wind.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of December.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
We mentioned last time that Mercury and Venus are visible together in the morning sky.
PAUL
Both Venus and Mercury are what astronomers call inferior planets. This means both orbit the sun in paths that are wholly inside Earth’s orbit. This means they experience a greater gravitational attraction to the sun than Earth. Therefore, they orbit the sun more quickly than Earth does. Since one orbit of the sun is a year, the length of the year for Mercury and Venus is shorter than Earth’s.
RACHEL
The length of a year on Mercury is 88 days. In other words, an Earth year lasts just over four Mercurian years and Mercury will celebrate the passing of another year on March 3rd. The length of a year for Venus is longer at 225 days. That makes a Venusian year only 62% as long as a terrestrial year. Venus will celebrate the passing of another year on July 18th.
PAUL
Mercury is a world that looks much like our moon. The planet’s diameter is 3,032 miles, or 38% the diameter of Earth and 142% the diameter of the moon. What atmosphere Mercury has is called an exosphere. Exospheres consist of molecules that are gravitational bound to a planet but so thinly spread out that they seldom ever collide with one another. The result is that the air pressure in an exosphere is essentially unmeasureably low.
RACHEL
Spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes have detected hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, and potassium in Mercury’s exosphere. The hydrogen and helium almost certainly originate with the sun’s solar wind. The oxygen, sodium and potassium likely originate in the planet’s crust. They are released from Mercury the action of solar heat and wind.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of December.
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 December 3rd and 4th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Early-rising stargazers will find a treat in the morning sky.
RACHEL
If you look in the low southeast on Wednesday morning, you’ll find a very old moon close to the horizon. A good time to look for this is around 8:15 AM, before the sky brightens too much form the rising sun. You’ll want binoculars to scan the low horizon and locate the moon.
PAUL
If you’re not sure where to look for the moon, then look for the Morning Star first. Brilliant Venus will be located three times higher in the southeast. Venus you can’t miss or confuse for another star because there’s nothing like it in the sky. Venus is leaving the far side of the sun and speeding ahead to get between Earth and the sun.
RACHEL
Venus and the moon aren’t your ultimate goals. Your goal is a star located below just a little distance beneath the moon. This is Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system. Mercury will be faint compared to Venus, but it will be the only star to appear beneath the moon. If you find this sun-baked world, you’ll be in a small company of people. That’s because most people on planet Earth have never seen the planet Mercury.
PAUL
One would think that since Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is, that Mercury would have the higher surface temperature. Actually, the hottest is the surface of Venus because of its massive atmosphere. This atmosphere is primarily carbon dioxide, a famous greenhouse gas. Because the pressure of the Venusian atmosphere is 90 times greater than Earth’s and almost entirely CO2, what heat reaches its surface and never escape.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of December.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Early-rising stargazers will find a treat in the morning sky.
RACHEL
If you look in the low southeast on Wednesday morning, you’ll find a very old moon close to the horizon. A good time to look for this is around 8:15 AM, before the sky brightens too much form the rising sun. You’ll want binoculars to scan the low horizon and locate the moon.
PAUL
If you’re not sure where to look for the moon, then look for the Morning Star first. Brilliant Venus will be located three times higher in the southeast. Venus you can’t miss or confuse for another star because there’s nothing like it in the sky. Venus is leaving the far side of the sun and speeding ahead to get between Earth and the sun.
RACHEL
Venus and the moon aren’t your ultimate goals. Your goal is a star located below just a little distance beneath the moon. This is Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system. Mercury will be faint compared to Venus, but it will be the only star to appear beneath the moon. If you find this sun-baked world, you’ll be in a small company of people. That’s because most people on planet Earth have never seen the planet Mercury.
PAUL
One would think that since Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is, that Mercury would have the higher surface temperature. Actually, the hottest is the surface of Venus because of its massive atmosphere. This atmosphere is primarily carbon dioxide, a famous greenhouse gas. Because the pressure of the Venusian atmosphere is 90 times greater than Earth’s and almost entirely CO2, what heat reaches its surface and never escape.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of December.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for November 30th and December 1st and 2nd
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 30th and December 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is rapidly approaching new, so stargazers only have a few more days to see it.
PAUL
The waning crescent moon will be visible in the low east before sunrise, so stargazers will need to rise early enough to see it. Not only will the moon appear as a thin crescent, its dark portion will be covered with an ashen light. That illumination is called earthshine and it’s the result of sunlight reflecting off of Earth’s bright clouds. An astronaut standing on the dark portion of the moon would see a large and mostly full Earth shining light upon the lunar surface.
RACHEL
Use your binoculars when looking for earthshine. They’re useful not only because of their magnification, but because of their light gathering ability. The human pupil can reach about ¼ of an inch in diameter. So that’s the greatest amount of light they can admit to our retina. Binoculars on the other hand have lens two inches across. All that light gets concentrated into a region less than ¼ inch across.
PAUL
Since binocular lenses are eight times wider than our pupil, they gather eight-squared or 64 times more light than our eyes can unaided. It’s their ability to gather more light than our eye that makes them so useful for astronomy. In fact, many astronomical objects are plenty large enough. It’s that they’re so faint to makes them difficult to see. So just imagine what the 200-inch mirror on Mt. Palomar could do for your vision.
RACHEL
Just by coincidence, the glass for the 200-inch mirror was poured into a ceramic mold 84 years ago on the 2nd. The glass is actually Pyrex, a glass recipe designed to minimize expansion due to temperature changes. It took over 11 months to cool the glass down enough that it could be ground into a telescope mirror. But World War II intervened and prevented the completion of the telescope until 1947.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 30th of November and the 1st and 2nd of December.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 30th and December 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is rapidly approaching new, so stargazers only have a few more days to see it.
PAUL
The waning crescent moon will be visible in the low east before sunrise, so stargazers will need to rise early enough to see it. Not only will the moon appear as a thin crescent, its dark portion will be covered with an ashen light. That illumination is called earthshine and it’s the result of sunlight reflecting off of Earth’s bright clouds. An astronaut standing on the dark portion of the moon would see a large and mostly full Earth shining light upon the lunar surface.
RACHEL
Use your binoculars when looking for earthshine. They’re useful not only because of their magnification, but because of their light gathering ability. The human pupil can reach about ¼ of an inch in diameter. So that’s the greatest amount of light they can admit to our retina. Binoculars on the other hand have lens two inches across. All that light gets concentrated into a region less than ¼ inch across.
PAUL
Since binocular lenses are eight times wider than our pupil, they gather eight-squared or 64 times more light than our eyes can unaided. It’s their ability to gather more light than our eye that makes them so useful for astronomy. In fact, many astronomical objects are plenty large enough. It’s that they’re so faint to makes them difficult to see. So just imagine what the 200-inch mirror on Mt. Palomar could do for your vision.
RACHEL
Just by coincidence, the glass for the 200-inch mirror was poured into a ceramic mold 84 years ago on the 2nd. The glass is actually Pyrex, a glass recipe designed to minimize expansion due to temperature changes. It took over 11 months to cool the glass down enough that it could be ground into a telescope mirror. But World War II intervened and prevented the completion of the telescope until 1947.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 30th of November and the 1st and 2nd of December.
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 November 28th and 29th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 28th and 29th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
On Monday and Tuesday, we mentioned that the Mars InSight lander was arriving at Mars on the 26th. But that’s not all.
RACHEL
Along with the InSight lander are two CubeSats called Mars Cube One A and B, or MarCo A and MarCo B. CubeSats are nanospacecraft cubes measuring ten centimeters or four inches on a side. MarCo is a six-unit CubeSat that measures eight inches wide, twelve inches tall, and four inches thick. Until now, CubeSats have only been used in Earth orbit. This makes MarCo the first to leave Earth orbit, let alone reach Mars.
PAUL
The CubeSat design was developed by California Polytechnic University and Stanford. They use off-the-shelf components to keep their cost very affordable. They are also very light meaning several can be launched at a time. They are typically launched as a secondary payload of the rocket launching its paying customer’s payload into orbit. The cubes are stacked one on top of the other and ejected from a tube called a P-Pod. Springs push the CubeSats out of the P-POD and away from the rocket only after the primary payload has left.
RACHEL
MarCo A and B are a test of how well CubeSat technology can function during a deep-space mission. If they are successful, they will relay data from the InSight lander back to Earth during InSight’s entry, descent, and landing. This will allow JPL to receive up to date information on InSight’s landing without having to wait hours later for a Mars-orbiting satellite to find time to relay the data after the landing. So far, MarCo A and B have successfully relayed images of a very distant Mars.
PAUL
Finally, stargazers looking for something interesting to see will want to look for the moon every early on the 28th. At around 1:00 AM, the moon will appear seven degrees from the Beehive star cluster. So aim your binoculars at the moon and then shift them to place the moon outside the view in the 7 o’clock position. The Beehive will appear at the 1 o’clock edge of your view. The cluster will appear about the size of the moon and contain over a dozen stars.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 28th and 29th of November.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 28th and 29th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
On Monday and Tuesday, we mentioned that the Mars InSight lander was arriving at Mars on the 26th. But that’s not all.
RACHEL
Along with the InSight lander are two CubeSats called Mars Cube One A and B, or MarCo A and MarCo B. CubeSats are nanospacecraft cubes measuring ten centimeters or four inches on a side. MarCo is a six-unit CubeSat that measures eight inches wide, twelve inches tall, and four inches thick. Until now, CubeSats have only been used in Earth orbit. This makes MarCo the first to leave Earth orbit, let alone reach Mars.
PAUL
The CubeSat design was developed by California Polytechnic University and Stanford. They use off-the-shelf components to keep their cost very affordable. They are also very light meaning several can be launched at a time. They are typically launched as a secondary payload of the rocket launching its paying customer’s payload into orbit. The cubes are stacked one on top of the other and ejected from a tube called a P-Pod. Springs push the CubeSats out of the P-POD and away from the rocket only after the primary payload has left.
RACHEL
MarCo A and B are a test of how well CubeSat technology can function during a deep-space mission. If they are successful, they will relay data from the InSight lander back to Earth during InSight’s entry, descent, and landing. This will allow JPL to receive up to date information on InSight’s landing without having to wait hours later for a Mars-orbiting satellite to find time to relay the data after the landing. So far, MarCo A and B have successfully relayed images of a very distant Mars.
PAUL
Finally, stargazers looking for something interesting to see will want to look for the moon every early on the 28th. At around 1:00 AM, the moon will appear seven degrees from the Beehive star cluster. So aim your binoculars at the moon and then shift them to place the moon outside the view in the 7 o’clock position. The Beehive will appear at the 1 o’clock edge of your view. The cluster will appear about the size of the moon and contain over a dozen stars.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 28th and 29th of November.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for November 26th and 27th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 26th and 27th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The next mission to Mars is scheduled to arrive on the 26th.
PAUL
The uncrewed Mars InSight lander is designed to study the subsurface of Mars. It was launch last May and has spent the last six months traveling the distance to Mars. When it gets there, it will spend several minutes using the atmosphere to slow down. After dropping its heat shield, the lander will deploy a parachute to slow down even further. But unlike the Mars rovers, InSight will land using rocket motors rather than a big inflatable bag. So no bouncing across the Martian surface during this landing.
RACHEL
InSight will deploy its seismograph after landing and measure the strength and frequency of Martian quakes. Mars quakes will tell geologists about the internal structure of the planet. So we could learn about the thickness of the Martian crust, mantle, and its iron core. To prevent the wind and the mechanical motions inside the InSight lander from reducing the quality of the seismology data, the lander’s robotic arm will deploy the seismograph directly to the Martian surface.
PAUL
A second experiment will drive a heat flow probe as deep as 16 feet below the surface. The heat flow probe is like a self-driving nail connected to the lander through a long cable. The cable carries a series of temperature sensors that will generate a temperature profile of the Martian subsurface. How the temperature changes with depth will indicate how much heat the core of Mars is still producing.
RACHEL
The third experiment is a retro-reflector. Retro-reflectors are special prisms that reflect light, or laser light in this case, back to their source. Orbiting spacecraft use the time between sending a laser pulse and its return as way to determine the exact distance between the satellite and the lander. Changes in the distance will give scientists an indication of how much the planet wobbles on its axis.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 26th and 27th of November.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 26th and 27th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The next mission to Mars is scheduled to arrive on the 26th.
PAUL
The uncrewed Mars InSight lander is designed to study the subsurface of Mars. It was launch last May and has spent the last six months traveling the distance to Mars. When it gets there, it will spend several minutes using the atmosphere to slow down. After dropping its heat shield, the lander will deploy a parachute to slow down even further. But unlike the Mars rovers, InSight will land using rocket motors rather than a big inflatable bag. So no bouncing across the Martian surface during this landing.
RACHEL
InSight will deploy its seismograph after landing and measure the strength and frequency of Martian quakes. Mars quakes will tell geologists about the internal structure of the planet. So we could learn about the thickness of the Martian crust, mantle, and its iron core. To prevent the wind and the mechanical motions inside the InSight lander from reducing the quality of the seismology data, the lander’s robotic arm will deploy the seismograph directly to the Martian surface.
PAUL
A second experiment will drive a heat flow probe as deep as 16 feet below the surface. The heat flow probe is like a self-driving nail connected to the lander through a long cable. The cable carries a series of temperature sensors that will generate a temperature profile of the Martian subsurface. How the temperature changes with depth will indicate how much heat the core of Mars is still producing.
RACHEL
The third experiment is a retro-reflector. Retro-reflectors are special prisms that reflect light, or laser light in this case, back to their source. Orbiting spacecraft use the time between sending a laser pulse and its return as way to determine the exact distance between the satellite and the lander. Changes in the distance will give scientists an indication of how much the planet wobbles on its axis.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 26th and 27th of November.
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.
Friday, November 16, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for November 23rd, 24th, and 25th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 23rd, 24th, and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is passing through the outskirts of the Hyades star cluster on the 23rd.
PAUL
The Hyades is a much larger star cluster than its neighbor the Pleiades. To the unaided eye, between half a dozen and a dozen stars are visible within the Hyades. With binoculars, several dozen and perhaps close to one hundred stars are visible. However, you’ll need to look in dark skies clear of haze to see that many stars.
RACHEL
Like the Pleiades, in mythology the Hyades are also sisters. Their father was Atlas, the same father of the Pleiades. This makes the Hyades and Pleiades at least half-sisters, depending on which myth you choose to follow. Their brother was Hyas who was killed in a hunting accident. The Greeks therefore claimed that the Hyades were weeping for their lost brother. The time of the year that the Hyades rose with the sun was the rainy season for the Greeks. And this is may be why they associated the Hyades with weepiness.
PAUL
The Hyades is not the only star cluster the moon appears close to. A smaller one, M-35 is close to the moon on the 24th. Their distance apart is only four degrees, which is just over half a binocular’s field of view. So to see this star cluster, aim your binoculars at the moon at around 11:00 PM on the 24th. Then shift the moon to the right side of your binoculars.
RACHEL
M-35 will appear near the middle of binoculars. The stars will be spread across an area about the size of the moon. At least a dozen stars should be visible in your binoculars if you view it from dark skies. Try to use your averted vision when viewing this cluster. That means not looking straight at the cluster, but looking at them with the edge of your vision. That way you’ll see signs of more stars as a brighter background haziness.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of November.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 23rd, 24th, and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is passing through the outskirts of the Hyades star cluster on the 23rd.
PAUL
The Hyades is a much larger star cluster than its neighbor the Pleiades. To the unaided eye, between half a dozen and a dozen stars are visible within the Hyades. With binoculars, several dozen and perhaps close to one hundred stars are visible. However, you’ll need to look in dark skies clear of haze to see that many stars.
RACHEL
Like the Pleiades, in mythology the Hyades are also sisters. Their father was Atlas, the same father of the Pleiades. This makes the Hyades and Pleiades at least half-sisters, depending on which myth you choose to follow. Their brother was Hyas who was killed in a hunting accident. The Greeks therefore claimed that the Hyades were weeping for their lost brother. The time of the year that the Hyades rose with the sun was the rainy season for the Greeks. And this is may be why they associated the Hyades with weepiness.
PAUL
The Hyades is not the only star cluster the moon appears close to. A smaller one, M-35 is close to the moon on the 24th. Their distance apart is only four degrees, which is just over half a binocular’s field of view. So to see this star cluster, aim your binoculars at the moon at around 11:00 PM on the 24th. Then shift the moon to the right side of your binoculars.
RACHEL
M-35 will appear near the middle of binoculars. The stars will be spread across an area about the size of the moon. At least a dozen stars should be visible in your binoculars if you view it from dark skies. Try to use your averted vision when viewing this cluster. That means not looking straight at the cluster, but looking at them with the edge of your vision. That way you’ll see signs of more stars as a brighter background haziness.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of November.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Idaho Skies Transcript for November 21st and 22nd
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 21st and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The full moon appears near two large star clusters on the 22nd.
RACHEL
The star clusters are the Pleiades and the Hyades. The smaller of the two is the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters because of the mythology surrounding it. The usual claim is that a sharp-eyed stargazer can see seven members of this star cluster. However, most of us can only see six. So there’s a story explaining the missing Pleiad, which according to the Greek Eratosthenes, is named Merope.
PAUL
Merope’s other sisters are named Alcyone, Asterope, Calaeno, Electra, Maia, and Taygete. They were the daughters of the titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione. The brightest of the sisters is Alcyone. Stargazers will see her at the middle left of the star cluster during November evenings.
RACHEL
To the unaided eye, the Pleiades look like a frosty patch of night sky, just perfect for chilly autumn nights. This frosty appearance is due to a multitude of stars too faint to be seen without optical aid. It’s not due to the dusty cloud that the star cluster is moving through. The Merope nebula, as this glowing cloud is known as, is the result of the Pleiades’ starlight reflecting off of dust. Astronomers call this a reflection nebula and you need a telescope to see it.
PAUL
The Pleiades appear as a tiny dipper, but please don’t confuse it for the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper or Ursa Minor is much larger and located in the northern sky tonight. The Pleiades are a true star cluster, meaning all of its stars formed together about 100 million years ago. However, due to the gravitational interactions between the stars, the cluster will dissolve into the galaxy in another 250 million years. So be sure to observe this star cluster before it’s too late.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st and 22nd of November.
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.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 21st and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The full moon appears near two large star clusters on the 22nd.
RACHEL
The star clusters are the Pleiades and the Hyades. The smaller of the two is the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters because of the mythology surrounding it. The usual claim is that a sharp-eyed stargazer can see seven members of this star cluster. However, most of us can only see six. So there’s a story explaining the missing Pleiad, which according to the Greek Eratosthenes, is named Merope.
PAUL
Merope’s other sisters are named Alcyone, Asterope, Calaeno, Electra, Maia, and Taygete. They were the daughters of the titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione. The brightest of the sisters is Alcyone. Stargazers will see her at the middle left of the star cluster during November evenings.
RACHEL
To the unaided eye, the Pleiades look like a frosty patch of night sky, just perfect for chilly autumn nights. This frosty appearance is due to a multitude of stars too faint to be seen without optical aid. It’s not due to the dusty cloud that the star cluster is moving through. The Merope nebula, as this glowing cloud is known as, is the result of the Pleiades’ starlight reflecting off of dust. Astronomers call this a reflection nebula and you need a telescope to see it.
PAUL
The Pleiades appear as a tiny dipper, but please don’t confuse it for the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper or Ursa Minor is much larger and located in the northern sky tonight. The Pleiades are a true star cluster, meaning all of its stars formed together about 100 million years ago. However, due to the gravitational interactions between the stars, the cluster will dissolve into the galaxy in another 250 million years. So be sure to observe this star cluster before it’s too late.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st and 22nd of November.
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.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Idaho Skies Transcript for November 19th and 20th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
On the 20th we celebrate the birthday of American astronomy Edwin Powell Hubble
PAUL
Most listeners will be familiar with the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope was launched into Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle in 1990 and named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. Early last century, astronomers thought the entire night sky of stars as being the entire universe. Astronomers did not believe that the stars were grouped into units that were larger than star clusters and smaller than the entire universe.
RACHEL
A raging debate between astronomers in 1920 was whether or not the fuzzy oval clouds that they could see through telescopes were large groupings of stars. Those believing that this was the case called them island universes. These island universes, they claimed, were as large as the Milky Way galaxy and millions of lights years away. That there could be millions of island universes in a universe at least hundreds of millions of light years across was too much for some astronomers to accept.
PAUL
In 1912, astronomer Henrietta Leavitt discovered that some types of variable stars can be used to estimate distances. The stars were called Cepheid variables and Leavitt noticed that the brighter these stars were, the longer it took for them to oscillate in brightness. Hubble used his observations of the great nebula in Andromeda and the relationship Leavitt discovered to determine that the nebula was 1.5 million light years away, or far outside the Milky Way galaxy.
RACHEL
Hubble then used a spectroscope to discover an important fact about these island universes or galaxies. When the light of an external galaxy is split with a spectroscope, the colors emitted by each element are shifted. The amount of shift depends on how fast the galaxy was moving towards or away from the observer. Hubble discovered that the more distant the galaxy, the faster it was receding from us. In other words, the universe of millions of galaxies was expanding. And not only that they were expanding, but that they had originated from a point several billion years ago.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of November.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
On the 20th we celebrate the birthday of American astronomy Edwin Powell Hubble
PAUL
Most listeners will be familiar with the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope was launched into Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle in 1990 and named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. Early last century, astronomers thought the entire night sky of stars as being the entire universe. Astronomers did not believe that the stars were grouped into units that were larger than star clusters and smaller than the entire universe.
RACHEL
A raging debate between astronomers in 1920 was whether or not the fuzzy oval clouds that they could see through telescopes were large groupings of stars. Those believing that this was the case called them island universes. These island universes, they claimed, were as large as the Milky Way galaxy and millions of lights years away. That there could be millions of island universes in a universe at least hundreds of millions of light years across was too much for some astronomers to accept.
PAUL
In 1912, astronomer Henrietta Leavitt discovered that some types of variable stars can be used to estimate distances. The stars were called Cepheid variables and Leavitt noticed that the brighter these stars were, the longer it took for them to oscillate in brightness. Hubble used his observations of the great nebula in Andromeda and the relationship Leavitt discovered to determine that the nebula was 1.5 million light years away, or far outside the Milky Way galaxy.
RACHEL
Hubble then used a spectroscope to discover an important fact about these island universes or galaxies. When the light of an external galaxy is split with a spectroscope, the colors emitted by each element are shifted. The amount of shift depends on how fast the galaxy was moving towards or away from the observer. Hubble discovered that the more distant the galaxy, the faster it was receding from us. In other words, the universe of millions of galaxies was expanding. And not only that they were expanding, but that they had originated from a point several billion years ago.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of November.
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.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for November 9th, 10th, and 11th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 9th, 10th, and 11th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon was new on the 7th and will reappear as a thin crescent on the 11th.
RACHEL
The waxing moon has company that evening. Look in the low southwest at around 8:00 PM and you’ll find a pale star to the moon’s lower right. The star is Saturn, the fifth planet of the solar system. You’ll need a telescope to see its rings and largest moon, Titan. However, a spotting scope capable of magnifying 25 times is sufficient for seeing the planet’s rings. But you won’t have long to see them.
PAUL
That’s because Saturn is located in the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer. Both Sagittarius and Saturn are quickly approaching the sun and will be too close in a few more weeks. Now actually, Sagittarius is not approaching the sun. Earth instead is traveling to the other side of the sun from where Sagittarius appears to be located. That movement changes the perspective between Earth’s horizon and Sagittarius and that makes the constellation approach closer and closer to the sun.
RACHEL
Since the moon is only a few days old, be sure to look for Earthshine. Binoculars will make it easier to see this faint light on the dark portion of the moon. Over the next few days, see if earthshine makes the lunar markings visible in your binoculars. In dark and clear skies, you should be able to see lunar maria, or lunar seas of frozen lava faintly in Earthshine.
PAUL
For listeners interested in the mythology of the constellations, Sagittarius is a Centaur, or half man and half horse. The centaur’s name is Chiron, but he wasn’t wild and misbehaved like the other centaurs. Chiron was instead wise and gentle because his parents were a Greek titan and nymph. He’s most famous for teaching the arts to the Greek hero Achilles.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 9th, 10th, and 11th of November.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 9th, 10th, and 11th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon was new on the 7th and will reappear as a thin crescent on the 11th.
RACHEL
The waxing moon has company that evening. Look in the low southwest at around 8:00 PM and you’ll find a pale star to the moon’s lower right. The star is Saturn, the fifth planet of the solar system. You’ll need a telescope to see its rings and largest moon, Titan. However, a spotting scope capable of magnifying 25 times is sufficient for seeing the planet’s rings. But you won’t have long to see them.
PAUL
That’s because Saturn is located in the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer. Both Sagittarius and Saturn are quickly approaching the sun and will be too close in a few more weeks. Now actually, Sagittarius is not approaching the sun. Earth instead is traveling to the other side of the sun from where Sagittarius appears to be located. That movement changes the perspective between Earth’s horizon and Sagittarius and that makes the constellation approach closer and closer to the sun.
RACHEL
Since the moon is only a few days old, be sure to look for Earthshine. Binoculars will make it easier to see this faint light on the dark portion of the moon. Over the next few days, see if earthshine makes the lunar markings visible in your binoculars. In dark and clear skies, you should be able to see lunar maria, or lunar seas of frozen lava faintly in Earthshine.
PAUL
For listeners interested in the mythology of the constellations, Sagittarius is a Centaur, or half man and half horse. The centaur’s name is Chiron, but he wasn’t wild and misbehaved like the other centaurs. Chiron was instead wise and gentle because his parents were a Greek titan and nymph. He’s most famous for teaching the arts to the Greek hero Achilles.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 9th, 10th, and 11th of November.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for November 7th and 8th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 7th and 8th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Edmond Halley was born on November 8th, 1656.
PAUL
Halley was an English astronomer and physicist. His earliest astronomical work of importance involved creating an accurate star chart for the Southern hemisphere. Until 1676, the best stellar maps only included the Northern skies. So Halley sailed to the island of Saint Helena to begin his observations and correct this problem.
RACHEL
His catalog was written in Latin and it listed the name, position, and brightness of 341 stars visible from the Southern hemisphere. The stellar data was followed by notes on his observations on the transit of Mercury. He realized that observations like these could be used to find the size of the solar system. But only if the observations were made using Venus and from several locations across the world.
PAUL
When Halley arrived back to England, he continued his observations, but mainly of the moon and its motions. Halley knew that years earlier, astronomer Johannes Kepler discovered that the planets orbited the sun in ellipses. Kepler couldn’t however explain why this was the case. Halley wondered if the nature of gravity held the explanation. So he asked Isaac Newton if he could show that a gravitational forced that varied as the distance squared could explain elliptical orbits.
RACHEL
Newton’s theory of gravity and his mathematical proof was the evidence that Halley was looking for. So impressed was Halley with Newton’s work, that Halley paid for the publication of his book on gravity, which we call the Principia for short. Using the work of Newton, Halley predicted that the comet observed in 1682 would return in 1758. This was the first prediction for the return of a comet and now we name the comet after him, or Comet Halley.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 7th and 8th of November.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 7th and 8th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Edmond Halley was born on November 8th, 1656.
PAUL
Halley was an English astronomer and physicist. His earliest astronomical work of importance involved creating an accurate star chart for the Southern hemisphere. Until 1676, the best stellar maps only included the Northern skies. So Halley sailed to the island of Saint Helena to begin his observations and correct this problem.
RACHEL
His catalog was written in Latin and it listed the name, position, and brightness of 341 stars visible from the Southern hemisphere. The stellar data was followed by notes on his observations on the transit of Mercury. He realized that observations like these could be used to find the size of the solar system. But only if the observations were made using Venus and from several locations across the world.
PAUL
When Halley arrived back to England, he continued his observations, but mainly of the moon and its motions. Halley knew that years earlier, astronomer Johannes Kepler discovered that the planets orbited the sun in ellipses. Kepler couldn’t however explain why this was the case. Halley wondered if the nature of gravity held the explanation. So he asked Isaac Newton if he could show that a gravitational forced that varied as the distance squared could explain elliptical orbits.
RACHEL
Newton’s theory of gravity and his mathematical proof was the evidence that Halley was looking for. So impressed was Halley with Newton’s work, that Halley paid for the publication of his book on gravity, which we call the Principia for short. Using the work of Newton, Halley predicted that the comet observed in 1682 would return in 1758. This was the first prediction for the return of a comet and now we name the comet after him, or Comet Halley.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 7th and 8th of November.
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 November 5th and 6th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Last week was the anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 2.
RACHEL
Sputnik 2 is best known as the second spacecraft to reach Earth orbit and for its passenger, the dog Laika. But did you known that it was almost famous for discovering a dangerous belt of radiation? We call this donut of radiation encircling Earth the Van Allen Radiation Belts. It gets its name from Dr. James Van Allen of the University of Iowa and they were the first major discovery of the Space Age.
PAUL
Physicists hypothesized years earlier that Earth’s dipole magnetic field might trap charged particles emitted by the sun. If so, then the concentration of the trapped radiation could grow high enough to become dangerous to organisms. It wasn’t until 1958 and the launch of the American Explorer 1 that the radiation was first detected. The designer of the geiger counters used to detection this radiation was Dr. James Van Allen.
RACHEL
Early satellites determined that there were actually two belts of trapped radiation circling Earth. The belts were tipped relative to the North and South Poles because our magnetic north and south poles don’t align with Earth’s spin axis. The belts begin 300 miles above Earth and end at around 36,000 miles higher. In the middle, between the two belts, is a safe region where radiation levels are much lower. Now you might be asking just what does this have to do with Sputnik 2?
PAUL
Well, Sputnik 2 carried geiger counters and passed through the radiation belts during its very elliptical orbit around Earth. Specifically, Sputnik 2 passed through the far northern portion of the belt, but only when it was out of range of Soviet telemetry stations. Since the Soviets didn’t explain how to decode the satellite’s telemetry, tracking stations in other parts of the world did not know how to interpret the data. Had the Soviets shared their telemetry format with the rest of the world, we could be calling this region of radiation the Vernov Belt today.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of November.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Last week was the anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 2.
RACHEL
Sputnik 2 is best known as the second spacecraft to reach Earth orbit and for its passenger, the dog Laika. But did you known that it was almost famous for discovering a dangerous belt of radiation? We call this donut of radiation encircling Earth the Van Allen Radiation Belts. It gets its name from Dr. James Van Allen of the University of Iowa and they were the first major discovery of the Space Age.
PAUL
Physicists hypothesized years earlier that Earth’s dipole magnetic field might trap charged particles emitted by the sun. If so, then the concentration of the trapped radiation could grow high enough to become dangerous to organisms. It wasn’t until 1958 and the launch of the American Explorer 1 that the radiation was first detected. The designer of the geiger counters used to detection this radiation was Dr. James Van Allen.
RACHEL
Early satellites determined that there were actually two belts of trapped radiation circling Earth. The belts were tipped relative to the North and South Poles because our magnetic north and south poles don’t align with Earth’s spin axis. The belts begin 300 miles above Earth and end at around 36,000 miles higher. In the middle, between the two belts, is a safe region where radiation levels are much lower. Now you might be asking just what does this have to do with Sputnik 2?
PAUL
Well, Sputnik 2 carried geiger counters and passed through the radiation belts during its very elliptical orbit around Earth. Specifically, Sputnik 2 passed through the far northern portion of the belt, but only when it was out of range of Soviet telemetry stations. Since the Soviets didn’t explain how to decode the satellite’s telemetry, tracking stations in other parts of the world did not know how to interpret the data. Had the Soviets shared their telemetry format with the rest of the world, we could be calling this region of radiation the Vernov Belt today.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of November.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Monday, October 15, 2018
Waxing Crescent Moon on Sunday, October 14, 2018
The wind finally died down on Sunday evening. That let me take a picture of the moon through my telescope. The camera I used was my smart phone. I had to play with the exposure and focus settings to get an acceptable image. So below is my picture of the waxing (getting larger daily) crescent (less than half full) moon.
 |
| The nearly first quarter moon |
Idaho Skies Transcript for October 19th, 20th, and 21st
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 19th, 20th, and 21st. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon leaves the company of Mars and spends this week swimming through a rather dim part of the night sky.
PAUL
In fact, stargazers will notice that the only bright star in this part of the sky is below the moon on the 19th. The star’s name is Fomalhaut. And it’s close to our solar system, at only 25 light years away. Which is close enough for the Hubble Space Telescope to see a planet orbiting it.
RACHEL
Now let’s give a little context to this observation. Fomalhaut is very young and still surrounded in the gas cloud it condensed from. The planet is a giant planet and still very bright from its formation. And it’s very distant from Fomalhaut. So it’s not very surprising that this planet can be seen with a telescope.
PAUL
Fomalhaut is the brightest star of the Piscis Austrinis. Which is the constellation of the Southern Fish. Piscis Austrinis is below the more familiar constellation of Pisces. And Pisces is faint like the Southern Fish, but has no bright stars at all. So even though Pisces is big and overhead, it’s almost never seen by the causal stargazer.
RACHEL
Fittingly, Piscis Austrinis is considered the parent of the two fish in Pisces. In constellation maps, Fomalhaut is located at the mouth of the fish. And the fish’s mouth is turned upward so it can swallow the water pouring from the jar of Aquarius.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th, 20th, and 21st of October.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 19th, 20th, and 21st. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon leaves the company of Mars and spends this week swimming through a rather dim part of the night sky.
PAUL
In fact, stargazers will notice that the only bright star in this part of the sky is below the moon on the 19th. The star’s name is Fomalhaut. And it’s close to our solar system, at only 25 light years away. Which is close enough for the Hubble Space Telescope to see a planet orbiting it.
RACHEL
Now let’s give a little context to this observation. Fomalhaut is very young and still surrounded in the gas cloud it condensed from. The planet is a giant planet and still very bright from its formation. And it’s very distant from Fomalhaut. So it’s not very surprising that this planet can be seen with a telescope.
PAUL
Fomalhaut is the brightest star of the Piscis Austrinis. Which is the constellation of the Southern Fish. Piscis Austrinis is below the more familiar constellation of Pisces. And Pisces is faint like the Southern Fish, but has no bright stars at all. So even though Pisces is big and overhead, it’s almost never seen by the causal stargazer.
RACHEL
Fittingly, Piscis Austrinis is considered the parent of the two fish in Pisces. In constellation maps, Fomalhaut is located at the mouth of the fish. And the fish’s mouth is turned upward so it can swallow the water pouring from the jar of Aquarius.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th, 20th, and 21st of October.
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 October 17th and 18th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 17th and 18th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
It’s now winter for the Northern Hemisphere of Mars.
And you can find this planet quite easily.
RACHEL
You’re guaranteed to find this planet by following the moon’s lead on the 18th. That orangish star you’ll see to the right of the moon is the Red Planet. Now Mars is a tiny planet with a diameter only half the diameter of Earth. And its small size means gravity is only 38% as strong as it is on Earth.
PAUL
The moon is only half as large as Mars. And its surface gravity is just under half as strong its is on Mars. Now both the moon and Mars are rocky world. But while the moon is gray, Mars is a light orange.
RACHEL
Which is a little unexpected, since the rocks on the moon and Mars are similar. But since Mars has an atmosphere, the iron in its surface is rusted. And that’s similar to what we find on Earth, rusty soil after a long exposure to the atmosphere. This might be an important observation to make on the exoplanets that telescopes are discovering.
PAUL
Because if the exoplanet appears to be more gray than orange, we’ll know it’s more likely a terrestrial planet with no oxygen. But watch out, just because its surface is rusty, doesn’t mean the planet can support life. Because the atmosphere of Mars is a little less than 1% as dense as Earth’s. Much of the Martian atmosphere was lost to space. And what oxygen remains is locked up in rust.
RACHEL
Astronomers discovered that Mars has lost much of its atmosphere due to solar wind. Since Mars is so small, its core cooled quickly and can no longer generate a planet-wide magnetic field. And that lack of large magnetic field has allowed the sun to blow away much of the early Martian atmosphere.
PAUL
Today the rate of lose is only ¼ of a pound of atmosphere per second. But four billion years ago, the sun’s solar wind was much stronger. And it carried away over 99% of the Martian atmosphere in a geologically short period of time. Adios Martian lifeforms.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th and 18th of October.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 17th and 18th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
It’s now winter for the Northern Hemisphere of Mars.
And you can find this planet quite easily.
RACHEL
You’re guaranteed to find this planet by following the moon’s lead on the 18th. That orangish star you’ll see to the right of the moon is the Red Planet. Now Mars is a tiny planet with a diameter only half the diameter of Earth. And its small size means gravity is only 38% as strong as it is on Earth.
PAUL
The moon is only half as large as Mars. And its surface gravity is just under half as strong its is on Mars. Now both the moon and Mars are rocky world. But while the moon is gray, Mars is a light orange.
RACHEL
Which is a little unexpected, since the rocks on the moon and Mars are similar. But since Mars has an atmosphere, the iron in its surface is rusted. And that’s similar to what we find on Earth, rusty soil after a long exposure to the atmosphere. This might be an important observation to make on the exoplanets that telescopes are discovering.
PAUL
Because if the exoplanet appears to be more gray than orange, we’ll know it’s more likely a terrestrial planet with no oxygen. But watch out, just because its surface is rusty, doesn’t mean the planet can support life. Because the atmosphere of Mars is a little less than 1% as dense as Earth’s. Much of the Martian atmosphere was lost to space. And what oxygen remains is locked up in rust.
RACHEL
Astronomers discovered that Mars has lost much of its atmosphere due to solar wind. Since Mars is so small, its core cooled quickly and can no longer generate a planet-wide magnetic field. And that lack of large magnetic field has allowed the sun to blow away much of the early Martian atmosphere.
PAUL
Today the rate of lose is only ¼ of a pound of atmosphere per second. But four billion years ago, the sun’s solar wind was much stronger. And it carried away over 99% of the Martian atmosphere in a geologically short period of time. Adios Martian lifeforms.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th and 18th of October.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for October 15th and 16th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 15th and 16th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Earth’s Northern hemisphere recently passed the autumnal equinox. Meaning that its fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern.
PAUL
Mars, on the other hand, reaches the solstice on October 16th. But in case of Mars, it’s the winter solstice for its Northern hemisphere. Recall that the solstice and equinox occur as Earth’s spin axis, or poles tilt towards or away for the sun. So when a planet’s spin axis is tilted towards the sun, it’s summer in that hemisphere. And when it’s straight up and down, its either fall or spring.
RACHEL
Since Earth and Mars are independent worlds, their spin axes point in different directions. Earth’s spin axis points to Polaris, or the star at the end of the Little Dipper. While Mars’ spin axis points towards an area with no bright star. In fact, it’s an empty part of the sky northeast of Deneb.
PAUL
Deneb is the bright star nearly overhead these evenings. And the Martian North Pole points to a spot about the width of your fist northeast of Deneb. If you check this region out tonight, you’ll see for yourself that it’s very bare of bright stars. Meaning future Martian Boy Scouts will not have a guide star like they do on Earth.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 15th and 16th of October.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 15th and 16th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Earth’s Northern hemisphere recently passed the autumnal equinox. Meaning that its fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern.
PAUL
Mars, on the other hand, reaches the solstice on October 16th. But in case of Mars, it’s the winter solstice for its Northern hemisphere. Recall that the solstice and equinox occur as Earth’s spin axis, or poles tilt towards or away for the sun. So when a planet’s spin axis is tilted towards the sun, it’s summer in that hemisphere. And when it’s straight up and down, its either fall or spring.
RACHEL
Since Earth and Mars are independent worlds, their spin axes point in different directions. Earth’s spin axis points to Polaris, or the star at the end of the Little Dipper. While Mars’ spin axis points towards an area with no bright star. In fact, it’s an empty part of the sky northeast of Deneb.
PAUL
Deneb is the bright star nearly overhead these evenings. And the Martian North Pole points to a spot about the width of your fist northeast of Deneb. If you check this region out tonight, you’ll see for yourself that it’s very bare of bright stars. Meaning future Martian Boy Scouts will not have a guide star like they do on Earth.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 15th and 16th of October.
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.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Falcon 9 Launch out of Vandenberg AFB
I hope you got to see the launch of Falcon 9 from Vandenberg AFB Saturday night. We were able to see the second stage exhaust plume as the rocket arced over the horizon form near Homedale.
 |
| On it's way up |
 |
| Arcing over |
 |
| Heading down to the Southern Hemisphere |
Idaho Skies Transcript for October 12th, 13th, and 14th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 12th, 13th, and 14th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
BRING DOWN MUSIC
PAUL
This weekend would be a great time to go moon watching.
RACHEL
First of all, Earthshine is becoming visible again. It’s easier to see Earthshine if you use your binoculars. So aim binoculars at the moon and look for a faint illumination over its dark portion.
PAUL
That illumination comes from sunlight, but its sunlight that reflected off Earth’s clouds. Most people think it’s the Earth’s oceans that would be the most reflective. But it’s not. The Apollo astronauts commented on just how dark the oceans and continents appears from the moon. That means, the cloudier Earth is, the brighter Earthshine becomes. And this has given climatologists another way to gauge the effects of climate change by looking at Earthshine reports from the past.
RACHEL
But it’s not just Earthshine you’ll see this weekend. Because on the 14th, Saturn appears just one degree below the moon. Saturn will be the brightest mellow star below the moon, so you can’t miss it. While binoculars can’t show you Saturn’s rings, they will show you other treats in the area.
PAUL
Surrounding the moon on its right side are several star clusters and nebulae. These are smaller and fainter than the Beehive star, so you’ll need to get out from under the street lights. But even a short distance away from town will make the sky plenty dark enough. So if you get the chance, be sure to scan the sky around the moon for small fuzzy glowing clouds. Some of them will even contain a sprinkle of stars.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th, 13th, and 14th of October.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 12th, 13th, and 14th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
BRING DOWN MUSIC
PAUL
This weekend would be a great time to go moon watching.
RACHEL
First of all, Earthshine is becoming visible again. It’s easier to see Earthshine if you use your binoculars. So aim binoculars at the moon and look for a faint illumination over its dark portion.
PAUL
That illumination comes from sunlight, but its sunlight that reflected off Earth’s clouds. Most people think it’s the Earth’s oceans that would be the most reflective. But it’s not. The Apollo astronauts commented on just how dark the oceans and continents appears from the moon. That means, the cloudier Earth is, the brighter Earthshine becomes. And this has given climatologists another way to gauge the effects of climate change by looking at Earthshine reports from the past.
RACHEL
But it’s not just Earthshine you’ll see this weekend. Because on the 14th, Saturn appears just one degree below the moon. Saturn will be the brightest mellow star below the moon, so you can’t miss it. While binoculars can’t show you Saturn’s rings, they will show you other treats in the area.
PAUL
Surrounding the moon on its right side are several star clusters and nebulae. These are smaller and fainter than the Beehive star, so you’ll need to get out from under the street lights. But even a short distance away from town will make the sky plenty dark enough. So if you get the chance, be sure to scan the sky around the moon for small fuzzy glowing clouds. Some of them will even contain a sprinkle of stars.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th, 13th, and 14th of October.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for October 10th and 11th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The three-day old makes its evening reappearance on the 11th.
PAUL
Since it’s so young, it won’t appear very far from the sun.
Which means it won’t be very high above the horizon either.
But if you look just above the southwest horizon at 8:00 PM, you should be able to the waxing crescent moon.
And you know what else you’ll be able to see?
RACHEL
Jupiter.
Our largest planet will appear just below the moon.
In fact, they’re close enough that both can be seen together in binoculars.
Jupiter may be easier to find since it’s a bright spark of light.
And not an extended crescent like the moon.
PAUL
From our perspective, Jupiter is traveling to the other side of the solar system.
But that’s really due to the fact that Earth travels once around the sun in just one year.
While Jupiter takes 12 years to do the same thing.
So in reality, it’s Earth pulling ahead of Jupiter and that makes it look like its traveling to the other side of the sun.
RACHEL
By the end of October, or perhaps the beginning of November, Jupiter will be too close to the sun to be seen.
Therefore, take some time out during the next two weeks to see Jupiter in the evening for the last time this year.
Jupiter will become a morning planet in the east sometime after early December.
And then an evening planet in May next year.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of October.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The three-day old makes its evening reappearance on the 11th.
PAUL
Since it’s so young, it won’t appear very far from the sun.
Which means it won’t be very high above the horizon either.
But if you look just above the southwest horizon at 8:00 PM, you should be able to the waxing crescent moon.
And you know what else you’ll be able to see?
RACHEL
Jupiter.
Our largest planet will appear just below the moon.
In fact, they’re close enough that both can be seen together in binoculars.
Jupiter may be easier to find since it’s a bright spark of light.
And not an extended crescent like the moon.
PAUL
From our perspective, Jupiter is traveling to the other side of the solar system.
But that’s really due to the fact that Earth travels once around the sun in just one year.
While Jupiter takes 12 years to do the same thing.
So in reality, it’s Earth pulling ahead of Jupiter and that makes it look like its traveling to the other side of the sun.
RACHEL
By the end of October, or perhaps the beginning of November, Jupiter will be too close to the sun to be seen.
Therefore, take some time out during the next two weeks to see Jupiter in the evening for the last time this year.
Jupiter will become a morning planet in the east sometime after early December.
And then an evening planet in May next year.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of October.
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 October 8th and 9th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 8th and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Comet Giacobini-Zinner is passing through the inner solar system this month.
Which means its appearing at its brightest.
Unfortunately, this comet is not very bright to begin with.
However, as it rounds the sun, its surface is warming up and some of its ices are sublimating.
RACHEL
Sublimating is when a solid changes directly into a gas.
As comets sublimate, the escaping gases carry away cometary dust.
Which remains within the comets orbit.
And can eventually, cross the orbit of our home world.
PAUL
As it does, the dust slams into the atmosphere at speeds greater than 25,000 miles per hour.
High speeds like this violently compress the air ahead to make it very hot.
In fact, hot enough to melt the dust into what we call a meteor.
RACHEL
Just by chance, meteors from Comet Giacobini-Zinner reach their peak intensity on night of the 9th.
They’ll appear to radiate from a point in the sky that also contains the head of Draco the Dragon.
So this meteor shower is called the Draconids.
Usually, there aren’t very many Draconids hour, but the shower has been known to surprise stargazers.
PAUL
So if you have time on the night of the 9th, look in the high northwest for the head of Draco the Dragon.
Which is to the right of the bright star Vega.
Any Draconid meteors will appear to originate from the squashed square of Draco’s head.
And with the moon at new, its light won’t interfere with seeing this meteor shower.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 8th and 9th of October.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 8th and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Comet Giacobini-Zinner is passing through the inner solar system this month.
Which means its appearing at its brightest.
Unfortunately, this comet is not very bright to begin with.
However, as it rounds the sun, its surface is warming up and some of its ices are sublimating.
RACHEL
Sublimating is when a solid changes directly into a gas.
As comets sublimate, the escaping gases carry away cometary dust.
Which remains within the comets orbit.
And can eventually, cross the orbit of our home world.
PAUL
As it does, the dust slams into the atmosphere at speeds greater than 25,000 miles per hour.
High speeds like this violently compress the air ahead to make it very hot.
In fact, hot enough to melt the dust into what we call a meteor.
RACHEL
Just by chance, meteors from Comet Giacobini-Zinner reach their peak intensity on night of the 9th.
They’ll appear to radiate from a point in the sky that also contains the head of Draco the Dragon.
So this meteor shower is called the Draconids.
Usually, there aren’t very many Draconids hour, but the shower has been known to surprise stargazers.
PAUL
So if you have time on the night of the 9th, look in the high northwest for the head of Draco the Dragon.
Which is to the right of the bright star Vega.
Any Draconid meteors will appear to originate from the squashed square of Draco’s head.
And with the moon at new, its light won’t interfere with seeing this meteor shower.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 8th and 9th of October.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Monday, October 1, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for October 5th, 6th, and 7th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 5th, 6th, and 7th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Early rising Idaho stargazers will find the moon near the brightest star of Leo the Lion on the 5th. The star is yellowish-orange in color and its named Regulus. The star’s color and position within the constellation makes it the heart of this celestial lion. But it’s a heart that’s three times larger than the sun, or 2.7 million miles across.
PAUL
Did you know that Regulus is a fast rotator? In fact, it spins on its axis in only 16 hours. Or 45 times faster than the sun. If Regulus rotated three hours more quickly, the star’s gravity would be insufficient to hold it together. And the star would tear itself apart.
RACHEL
Astronomers have determined that Regulus is young, only 50 million years old. While that might not sound young to you and me, in star years, that’s very young. And Regulus won’t live nearly as long as the sun. That’s because Regulus is massive, over three times heavier than the sun. Which makes its core hotter and denser.
PAUL
Astronomers know that it’s the heat and pressure that drives stellar fusion. Higher heat and pressure makes the rate of fusion in Regulus is much higher than in the sun. So it’s not surprising that Regulus is expected to only live to be 350 million years old. Compare that our sun, which is over ten times older.
RACHEL
And our sun is only half way through its life.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th, 6th, and 7th of October.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 5th, 6th, and 7th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Early rising Idaho stargazers will find the moon near the brightest star of Leo the Lion on the 5th. The star is yellowish-orange in color and its named Regulus. The star’s color and position within the constellation makes it the heart of this celestial lion. But it’s a heart that’s three times larger than the sun, or 2.7 million miles across.
PAUL
Did you know that Regulus is a fast rotator? In fact, it spins on its axis in only 16 hours. Or 45 times faster than the sun. If Regulus rotated three hours more quickly, the star’s gravity would be insufficient to hold it together. And the star would tear itself apart.
RACHEL
Astronomers have determined that Regulus is young, only 50 million years old. While that might not sound young to you and me, in star years, that’s very young. And Regulus won’t live nearly as long as the sun. That’s because Regulus is massive, over three times heavier than the sun. Which makes its core hotter and denser.
PAUL
Astronomers know that it’s the heat and pressure that drives stellar fusion. Higher heat and pressure makes the rate of fusion in Regulus is much higher than in the sun. So it’s not surprising that Regulus is expected to only live to be 350 million years old. Compare that our sun, which is over ten times older.
RACHEL
And our sun is only half way through its life.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th, 6th, and 7th of October.
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 October 3rd and 4th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The Beehive star cluster is one of the most attractive star clusters. It’s a galactic star cluster, or one without a central concentration or spherical outline. And the stars in a galactic star clusters are born at the same time from the same cloud of dust and gas. But they’re relative young star clusters compared to the globular star clusters.
RACHEL
While globular star clusters can date for the beginning of the universe, or 12 billion years ago, galactic star clusters are only tens to hundreds of millions of years old. But galactic star clusters don’t die young because their stars die that soon. They only last for millions of years because by then, their stars will have drifted apart. And astronomers believe the sun was probably born in such a star cluster 4.55 billion years ago.
PAUL
To see the Beehive on the 4th, first look at the moon at about 4:00 AM. Then aim your binoculars at the waning crescent moon and you’ll see the Beehive third lunar diameters away. Specifically, to the moon’s upper left. The star cluster will appear roughly three times larger than the moon. And you’ll be able to detect more stars if you place the moon outside your field of view.
RACHEL
The Beehive is one of the closest star clusters to the solar system. Astronomers believe its distance is around 570 light years. Did you know that they have discovered at least six solar systems in the Beehive? The problem is that the Beehive is 1/7th the age of the solar system. So there’s almost no chance those planets have anything more than single cell life.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of October.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The Beehive star cluster is one of the most attractive star clusters. It’s a galactic star cluster, or one without a central concentration or spherical outline. And the stars in a galactic star clusters are born at the same time from the same cloud of dust and gas. But they’re relative young star clusters compared to the globular star clusters.
RACHEL
While globular star clusters can date for the beginning of the universe, or 12 billion years ago, galactic star clusters are only tens to hundreds of millions of years old. But galactic star clusters don’t die young because their stars die that soon. They only last for millions of years because by then, their stars will have drifted apart. And astronomers believe the sun was probably born in such a star cluster 4.55 billion years ago.
PAUL
To see the Beehive on the 4th, first look at the moon at about 4:00 AM. Then aim your binoculars at the waning crescent moon and you’ll see the Beehive third lunar diameters away. Specifically, to the moon’s upper left. The star cluster will appear roughly three times larger than the moon. And you’ll be able to detect more stars if you place the moon outside your field of view.
RACHEL
The Beehive is one of the closest star clusters to the solar system. Astronomers believe its distance is around 570 light years. Did you know that they have discovered at least six solar systems in the Beehive? The problem is that the Beehive is 1/7th the age of the solar system. So there’s almost no chance those planets have anything more than single cell life.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of October.
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 October 1st and 2nd
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Happy birthday NASA!
PAUL
President Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 29th, 1958. And it became operation 60 years ago on the 1st. Did you know that Eisenhower created NASA to be our nation’s civilian agency to lead its peaceful use of space?
RACHEL
However, he grudgingly created it in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1. Grudgingly because the launch of Sputnik 1 lead many Americans to think that the US was backwards in space technology. When he understood that we were not.
PAUL
Meanwhile, a different organization, the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA, was created to manage the development of our nation’s military space technology. So things like spy satellites fell under the prevue of ARPA. Now before NASA, there was an organization called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA. And it was responsible for leading our nation in aeronautical research. But it was dissolved on October 1st, 1958 and all its facilities were turned over the NASA.
RACHEL
One of NASA’s first tasks was putting an American into space and returning him safely. Later, President Kennedy tasked it with putting a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth. Meanwhile, NASA was also seeing to the launch of unmanned spacecraft that have explored the solar system. And today it is responsible for space telescopes that have located massive black holes and exoplanets.
PAUL
One of its challenges today is to incorporate commercial spaceflight into its explorations. With companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 1st and 2nd of October.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Happy birthday NASA!
PAUL
President Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 29th, 1958. And it became operation 60 years ago on the 1st. Did you know that Eisenhower created NASA to be our nation’s civilian agency to lead its peaceful use of space?
RACHEL
However, he grudgingly created it in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1. Grudgingly because the launch of Sputnik 1 lead many Americans to think that the US was backwards in space technology. When he understood that we were not.
PAUL
Meanwhile, a different organization, the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA, was created to manage the development of our nation’s military space technology. So things like spy satellites fell under the prevue of ARPA. Now before NASA, there was an organization called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA. And it was responsible for leading our nation in aeronautical research. But it was dissolved on October 1st, 1958 and all its facilities were turned over the NASA.
RACHEL
One of NASA’s first tasks was putting an American into space and returning him safely. Later, President Kennedy tasked it with putting a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth. Meanwhile, NASA was also seeing to the launch of unmanned spacecraft that have explored the solar system. And today it is responsible for space telescopes that have located massive black holes and exoplanets.
PAUL
One of its challenges today is to incorporate commercial spaceflight into its explorations. With companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 1st and 2nd of October.
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.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for September 24th and 25th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 24th and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is full on the 24th.
PAUL
Since this is the first full moon after the Autumnal equinox, this means it’s also the Harvest Moon.
RACHEL
Astronomically, there’s nothing special about full moons.
PAUL
They rise close to the time the sun sets, but that’s about all.
RACHEL
However, the Harvest Moon occurs at a time when farmers are typically harvesting crops.
PAUL
And its light provides them with illumination after the sun has set.
RACHEL
Before the time of electricity, this illumination was important.
PAUL
Because it gave farmers additional hours to work in their fields.
RACHEL
Now normally, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each night.
PAUL
But in September, that time is reduced.
RACHEL
That’s because the moon’s apparent path relative to the horizon varies over the course of a year.
PAUL
In September, the moon is on a path that’s not very steep relative to the eastern horizon.
RACHEL
Which means the moon’s position appears to shift more horizontally than vertically every night.
PAUL
Because the moon’s light brightens the night time sky, it’s more difficult to make out faint objects.
RACHEL
And that’s a shame this year when comet Giacobini-Zinner is its brightest.
PAUL
If you want to take a gander at this comet, then look for Gemini the Twins in the low east at 2:00 AM.
RACHEL
Castor is the top star of the pair and the comet is just above Castors foot.
PAUL
Or the star at the right end of the chain representing Castor.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 24th and 25th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 24th and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is full on the 24th.
PAUL
Since this is the first full moon after the Autumnal equinox, this means it’s also the Harvest Moon.
RACHEL
Astronomically, there’s nothing special about full moons.
PAUL
They rise close to the time the sun sets, but that’s about all.
RACHEL
However, the Harvest Moon occurs at a time when farmers are typically harvesting crops.
PAUL
And its light provides them with illumination after the sun has set.
RACHEL
Before the time of electricity, this illumination was important.
PAUL
Because it gave farmers additional hours to work in their fields.
RACHEL
Now normally, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each night.
PAUL
But in September, that time is reduced.
RACHEL
That’s because the moon’s apparent path relative to the horizon varies over the course of a year.
PAUL
In September, the moon is on a path that’s not very steep relative to the eastern horizon.
RACHEL
Which means the moon’s position appears to shift more horizontally than vertically every night.
PAUL
Because the moon’s light brightens the night time sky, it’s more difficult to make out faint objects.
RACHEL
And that’s a shame this year when comet Giacobini-Zinner is its brightest.
PAUL
If you want to take a gander at this comet, then look for Gemini the Twins in the low east at 2:00 AM.
RACHEL
Castor is the top star of the pair and the comet is just above Castors foot.
PAUL
Or the star at the right end of the chain representing Castor.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 24th and 25th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Another Lunar Photography Attempt
Still experimenting with camera exposure settings. This was the best I got on the 16th with my cellphone's camera. It's darker in order to prevent the cusp from being over-exposed.
 |
| The moon on September 16, 2018 |
Idaho Skies Transcript for September 21st, 22nd, and 23rd
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Hey, autumn begins in Idaho at 3:54 PM.
PAUL
Astronomers call this the Autumnal Equinox.
RACHEL
Autumnal is obviously a reference to autumn, but what about equinox?
PAUL
Equinox comes from the Latin for equal night.
RACHEL
Wait, the night equals what?
PAUL
Well, it’s the length of night. Its length is equal to the length of the day.
RACHEL
So in other words, the night and day have the same number of minutes.
PAUL
The term was first used by Chaucer in the 1300’s.
RACHEL
It’s in a book that he wrote for his son, Little Lewis.
PAUL
Chaucer’s book was actually a technical manual, the first one written in English.
RACHEL
Or middle English in this case.
PAUL
His book explained how to use the astrolabe, an ancient astronomical device.
RACHEL
The descendant of the astrolabe is today’s planisphere.
PAUL
Many stargazers have seen or even used the planisphere.
RACHEL
It’s a two dimensional model of the night time sky made from two rotating disks.
PAUL
Its outer disk is a window and marked in the hours of the day.
RACHEL
The inner disk is a map of the stars and constellations.
PAUL
And its rim is marked in the days of the year.
RACHEL
By aligning a time of the day to the day of the year, the window rotates to show the position of the stars.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
Hey, autumn begins in Idaho at 3:54 PM.
PAUL
Astronomers call this the Autumnal Equinox.
RACHEL
Autumnal is obviously a reference to autumn, but what about equinox?
PAUL
Equinox comes from the Latin for equal night.
RACHEL
Wait, the night equals what?
PAUL
Well, it’s the length of night. Its length is equal to the length of the day.
RACHEL
So in other words, the night and day have the same number of minutes.
PAUL
The term was first used by Chaucer in the 1300’s.
RACHEL
It’s in a book that he wrote for his son, Little Lewis.
PAUL
Chaucer’s book was actually a technical manual, the first one written in English.
RACHEL
Or middle English in this case.
PAUL
His book explained how to use the astrolabe, an ancient astronomical device.
RACHEL
The descendant of the astrolabe is today’s planisphere.
PAUL
Many stargazers have seen or even used the planisphere.
RACHEL
It’s a two dimensional model of the night time sky made from two rotating disks.
PAUL
Its outer disk is a window and marked in the hours of the day.
RACHEL
The inner disk is a map of the stars and constellations.
PAUL
And its rim is marked in the days of the year.
RACHEL
By aligning a time of the day to the day of the year, the window rotates to show the position of the stars.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of September.
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 September 19th and 20th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Mars reached opposition earlier this summer.
RACHEL
Which means it was at its closest to Earth.
PAUL
That closeness also means Mars appeared at its largest and brightest.
RACHEL
For Mars, a planet only half the diameter of Earth, appearing larger than normal isn’t a lot of help for binoculars.
PAUL
But it was significantly brighter.
RACHEL
And in fact, still is.
PAUL
The waning gibbous moon passes just above Mars on the 19th.
RACHEL
You can’t miss the planet with its bright with a distinct yellowish-orange color.
PAUL
Even though Mars was named after various gods of war, its color doesn’t come blood.
RACHEL
Its color comes from iron oxide.
PAUL
Yep, the surface of Mars is rusty.
RACHEL
Over eons, the wind has broken down the rust into a very fine dust.
PAUL
So fine in fact that the weak winds of Mars can loft the dust into the sky.
RACHEL
Which gives Mars an orangish-colored sky.
PAUL
Without that dust, the sky would be black.
RACHEL
That’s because there isn’t enough air in the Martian atmosphere to scatter the sun’s blue light.
PAUL
Earth, on the other hand, as an atmosphere with plenty of oxygen and nitrogen molecules.
RACHEL
And these scatter blue light very strongly.
PAUL
So no matter which way you look up, you see blue light from the sun.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Mars reached opposition earlier this summer.
RACHEL
Which means it was at its closest to Earth.
PAUL
That closeness also means Mars appeared at its largest and brightest.
RACHEL
For Mars, a planet only half the diameter of Earth, appearing larger than normal isn’t a lot of help for binoculars.
PAUL
But it was significantly brighter.
RACHEL
And in fact, still is.
PAUL
The waning gibbous moon passes just above Mars on the 19th.
RACHEL
You can’t miss the planet with its bright with a distinct yellowish-orange color.
PAUL
Even though Mars was named after various gods of war, its color doesn’t come blood.
RACHEL
Its color comes from iron oxide.
PAUL
Yep, the surface of Mars is rusty.
RACHEL
Over eons, the wind has broken down the rust into a very fine dust.
PAUL
So fine in fact that the weak winds of Mars can loft the dust into the sky.
RACHEL
Which gives Mars an orangish-colored sky.
PAUL
Without that dust, the sky would be black.
RACHEL
That’s because there isn’t enough air in the Martian atmosphere to scatter the sun’s blue light.
PAUL
Earth, on the other hand, as an atmosphere with plenty of oxygen and nitrogen molecules.
RACHEL
And these scatter blue light very strongly.
PAUL
So no matter which way you look up, you see blue light from the sun.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for September 17th and 18th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 17th and 18th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The first quarter moon passed Saturn early on the morning of the 17th.
PAUL
And on the evening of the 17th, it appears to the left of Saturn.
RACHEL
This would be a good night to observe the moon and the region around Saturn.
PAUL
First, the first quarter phase is the best phase to observe the moon.
RACHEL
Because this is when lunar craters and mountains appear their most prominent.
PAUL
That’s because we can see the very long shadows they project across the lunar surface.
RACHEL
Craters are most plentiful in the moon’s southern hemisphere.
PAUL
And mountains are most visible in the moon’s northern hemisphere.
RACHEL
The lunar mountain chains ring the perimeter of the lunar seas.
PAUL
This is where the massive impacts that created the lunar seas lifted lunar crust its highest above the surface.
RACHEL
The mountains were frozen into the surface after the impacts.
PAUL
And some of them are as tall as Mount Borah, or 12,000 feet tall.
RACHEL
Now scan the region surrounding Saturn with your binoculars.
PAUL
You can’t miss Saturn; it’s the mellow star to the lower right of the moon.
RACHEL
The region around Saturn has several hazy spots that are visible through binoculars.
PAUL
Especially when observed from locations without a local street lights.
RACHEL
These hazy spots are either glowing clouds of dust and gas…
PAUL
…or star clusters.
RACHEL
And some of the hazy spots will even contain stars you can see.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th and 18th of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 17th and 18th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The first quarter moon passed Saturn early on the morning of the 17th.
PAUL
And on the evening of the 17th, it appears to the left of Saturn.
RACHEL
This would be a good night to observe the moon and the region around Saturn.
PAUL
First, the first quarter phase is the best phase to observe the moon.
RACHEL
Because this is when lunar craters and mountains appear their most prominent.
PAUL
That’s because we can see the very long shadows they project across the lunar surface.
RACHEL
Craters are most plentiful in the moon’s southern hemisphere.
PAUL
And mountains are most visible in the moon’s northern hemisphere.
RACHEL
The lunar mountain chains ring the perimeter of the lunar seas.
PAUL
This is where the massive impacts that created the lunar seas lifted lunar crust its highest above the surface.
RACHEL
The mountains were frozen into the surface after the impacts.
PAUL
And some of them are as tall as Mount Borah, or 12,000 feet tall.
RACHEL
Now scan the region surrounding Saturn with your binoculars.
PAUL
You can’t miss Saturn; it’s the mellow star to the lower right of the moon.
RACHEL
The region around Saturn has several hazy spots that are visible through binoculars.
PAUL
Especially when observed from locations without a local street lights.
RACHEL
These hazy spots are either glowing clouds of dust and gas…
PAUL
…or star clusters.
RACHEL
And some of the hazy spots will even contain stars you can see.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th and 18th of September.
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.
Friday, September 14, 2018
The Moon on September 13, 2018
I used a cellphone to photograph the moon last night. The phone was held to a 40 mm eyepiece and it recorded this picture. Using a large aperture telescope makes this easier.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for September 14th, 15th, and 16th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 14th, 15th, and 16th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Night owls, get your binoculars out!
RACHEL
Because there’s a comet you might be able to see.
PAUL
The comet’s name is Giacobini-Zinner.
RACHEL
And it was discovered 118 years ago this December
PAUL
Comet Giacobini-Zinner orbits the sun once every 6.6 years.
RACHEL
Its path takes beyond Jupiter…
PAUL
… and just outside Earth’s orbit.
RACHEL
And this year it reaches its closest point to the sun when Earth is nearby.
PAUL
Which means it should be bright enough to see through binoculars.
RACHEL
Best of, it will appear very close to the bright star Capella on the morning of the 15th.
PAUL
So even if you can’t see the comet without optical aid, you’ll still know where to point your binoculars.
RACHEL
Now your chances of seeing the comet are better if you get out of town to make this observation.
PAUL
After arriving at a dark location, look in the low northeast for the brightest star.
RACHEL
That star is Capella, the brightest star of the pentagon-shaped Auriga.
PAUL
Point your binoculars at this star and look just to its lower left.
RACHEL
The distance between Capella and Giacobini-Zinner is 1.5 degrees.
PAUL
Or about 1/6th the distance across your binoculars’ field of view.
RACHEL
The comet will appear as a hazy disk that might appear elongated slightly to the upper right.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 14th, 15th, and 16th of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 14th, 15th, and 16th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Night owls, get your binoculars out!
RACHEL
Because there’s a comet you might be able to see.
PAUL
The comet’s name is Giacobini-Zinner.
RACHEL
And it was discovered 118 years ago this December
PAUL
Comet Giacobini-Zinner orbits the sun once every 6.6 years.
RACHEL
Its path takes beyond Jupiter…
PAUL
… and just outside Earth’s orbit.
RACHEL
And this year it reaches its closest point to the sun when Earth is nearby.
PAUL
Which means it should be bright enough to see through binoculars.
RACHEL
Best of, it will appear very close to the bright star Capella on the morning of the 15th.
PAUL
So even if you can’t see the comet without optical aid, you’ll still know where to point your binoculars.
RACHEL
Now your chances of seeing the comet are better if you get out of town to make this observation.
PAUL
After arriving at a dark location, look in the low northeast for the brightest star.
RACHEL
That star is Capella, the brightest star of the pentagon-shaped Auriga.
PAUL
Point your binoculars at this star and look just to its lower left.
RACHEL
The distance between Capella and Giacobini-Zinner is 1.5 degrees.
PAUL
Or about 1/6th the distance across your binoculars’ field of view.
RACHEL
The comet will appear as a hazy disk that might appear elongated slightly to the upper right.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 14th, 15th, and 16th of September.
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 September 12th and 13th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 12th and 13th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon keeps close company with Venus and Jupiter early this week.
PAUL
On the 12th, the moon is the triangular peak of the trio.
RACHEL
Although it’s awfully thin, this still might be a good night to look for Earthshine.
PAUL
It appears as a faint illumination on the dark portion of the moon.
RACHEL
Which becomes more apparent through binoculars.
PAUL
A telescope shows that Venus is a waning crescent.
RACHEL
In other words, it’s less than half full and gradually getting smaller.
PAUL
To see its phase, you need to aim a telescope at Venus before the sky gets dark.
RACHEL
Because after dark, the brilliance of Venus creates far too much glare for you to make out its shape.
PAUL
On the night of the 13th, stargazers will find the moon just above Jupiter and a famous double star.
RACHEL
Jupiter will be the bright star just below and left of the moon.
PAUL
Your binoculars will show you some the larger satellites of Jupiter.
RACHEL
Which look like stars in a nearly straight line with Jupiter.
PAUL
Now to the lower right of the moon, will be a second and fainter star.
RACHEL
That’s Zubenelgenubi, a double star.
PAUL
And if you aim your binoculars at this star, you’ll see it’s double.
RACHEL
Some people have sharp enough vision that they don’t need binoculars to see both stars.
PAUL
Umm, so on the 13th, stargazers have craters, satellites, and double stars to view.
RACHEL
That’s a pretty good way to spend an evening.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th and 13th of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 12th and 13th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon keeps close company with Venus and Jupiter early this week.
PAUL
On the 12th, the moon is the triangular peak of the trio.
RACHEL
Although it’s awfully thin, this still might be a good night to look for Earthshine.
PAUL
It appears as a faint illumination on the dark portion of the moon.
RACHEL
Which becomes more apparent through binoculars.
PAUL
A telescope shows that Venus is a waning crescent.
RACHEL
In other words, it’s less than half full and gradually getting smaller.
PAUL
To see its phase, you need to aim a telescope at Venus before the sky gets dark.
RACHEL
Because after dark, the brilliance of Venus creates far too much glare for you to make out its shape.
PAUL
On the night of the 13th, stargazers will find the moon just above Jupiter and a famous double star.
RACHEL
Jupiter will be the bright star just below and left of the moon.
PAUL
Your binoculars will show you some the larger satellites of Jupiter.
RACHEL
Which look like stars in a nearly straight line with Jupiter.
PAUL
Now to the lower right of the moon, will be a second and fainter star.
RACHEL
That’s Zubenelgenubi, a double star.
PAUL
And if you aim your binoculars at this star, you’ll see it’s double.
RACHEL
Some people have sharp enough vision that they don’t need binoculars to see both stars.
PAUL
Umm, so on the 13th, stargazers have craters, satellites, and double stars to view.
RACHEL
That’s a pretty good way to spend an evening.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 12th and 13th of September.
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 September 10th and 11th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon was new on the 8th.
RACHEL
That means it will can reappear as early as the 11th.
PAUL
Quick, what else if visible in the low west these evenings?
RACHEL
Why it’s Venus, the Evening Star.
PAUL
Since Venus and the moon are both traveling along the ecliptic, the moon passes close to Venus on the 11th.
RACHEL
To see this pairing between the three-day old moon and Venus, look in the low west-southwest at around 8:45 PM.
PAUL
At first, you might only notice Venus, on account of its brightness.
RACHEL
The moon will be a very thin crescent to the right of Venus.
PAUL
Binoculars might help you see the crescent moon, but please wait until after the sun has set.
RACHEL
There’s another bright star near Venus.
PAUL
But this one is located to the upper left of Venus.
RACHEL
Care to guess what this is?
PAUL
If you said Jupiter, you’d be correct.
RACHEL
The moon is so thin that binoculars can’t show much of its surface detail.
PAUL
And Venus is still too small to show a phase.
RACHEL
But the moons of Jupiter are visible though binoculars.
PAUL
Ganymede and Io will be visible on the left.
RACHEL
And Europa and Callisto on the right.
PAUL
They’ll appear as stars forming a straight line with Jupiter.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 10th and 11th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon was new on the 8th.
RACHEL
That means it will can reappear as early as the 11th.
PAUL
Quick, what else if visible in the low west these evenings?
RACHEL
Why it’s Venus, the Evening Star.
PAUL
Since Venus and the moon are both traveling along the ecliptic, the moon passes close to Venus on the 11th.
RACHEL
To see this pairing between the three-day old moon and Venus, look in the low west-southwest at around 8:45 PM.
PAUL
At first, you might only notice Venus, on account of its brightness.
RACHEL
The moon will be a very thin crescent to the right of Venus.
PAUL
Binoculars might help you see the crescent moon, but please wait until after the sun has set.
RACHEL
There’s another bright star near Venus.
PAUL
But this one is located to the upper left of Venus.
RACHEL
Care to guess what this is?
PAUL
If you said Jupiter, you’d be correct.
RACHEL
The moon is so thin that binoculars can’t show much of its surface detail.
PAUL
And Venus is still too small to show a phase.
RACHEL
But the moons of Jupiter are visible though binoculars.
PAUL
Ganymede and Io will be visible on the left.
RACHEL
And Europa and Callisto on the right.
PAUL
They’ll appear as stars forming a straight line with Jupiter.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th and 11th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for September 7th, 8th, and 9th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 7th, 8th, and 9th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is new on the morning of the 9th.
PAUL
That means it appears as a waning crescent on the mornings of the 7th and 8th.
RACHEL
The moon is approaching the horizon along a steep path.
PAUL
Which gives stargazers their best opportunity to see a very old moon.
RACHEL
So look in the low east at about 5:00 AM if you’re interested in this challenge.
PAUL
And remember, a pair of binoculars will help you locate the very thin crescent moon.
RACHEL
However, the moon will be so thin that binoculars won’t show much in the way of lunar details.
PAUL
Did you know that the moon’s phase is the opposite of Earth’s phase as seen from the moon?
RACHEL
Meaning that if you were standing in the dark half of the moon facing us, you’d see a nearly full Earth overhead.
PAUL
That Earth would appear as a blue and white marble four times wider and taller than the moon appears to us.
RACHEL
And about 40 times brighter.
PAUL
But unlike the stationary moon, Earth would visibly spin on its axis.
RACHEL
So in as little as an hour, observant Earth-gazers would notice a change in the planet’s appearance.
PAUL
And because of the clouds, Earth wouldn’t look the same every day.
RACHEL
According to the Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon, the continents were not readily visible to them.
PAUL
Because both continents and oceans are very dark.
RACHEL
So they mostly saw Earth’s blue atmosphere and swirling bands of white clouds.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 7th, 8th, and 9th of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 7th, 8th, and 9th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon is new on the morning of the 9th.
PAUL
That means it appears as a waning crescent on the mornings of the 7th and 8th.
RACHEL
The moon is approaching the horizon along a steep path.
PAUL
Which gives stargazers their best opportunity to see a very old moon.
RACHEL
So look in the low east at about 5:00 AM if you’re interested in this challenge.
PAUL
And remember, a pair of binoculars will help you locate the very thin crescent moon.
RACHEL
However, the moon will be so thin that binoculars won’t show much in the way of lunar details.
PAUL
Did you know that the moon’s phase is the opposite of Earth’s phase as seen from the moon?
RACHEL
Meaning that if you were standing in the dark half of the moon facing us, you’d see a nearly full Earth overhead.
PAUL
That Earth would appear as a blue and white marble four times wider and taller than the moon appears to us.
RACHEL
And about 40 times brighter.
PAUL
But unlike the stationary moon, Earth would visibly spin on its axis.
RACHEL
So in as little as an hour, observant Earth-gazers would notice a change in the planet’s appearance.
PAUL
And because of the clouds, Earth wouldn’t look the same every day.
RACHEL
According to the Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon, the continents were not readily visible to them.
PAUL
Because both continents and oceans are very dark.
RACHEL
So they mostly saw Earth’s blue atmosphere and swirling bands of white clouds.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 7th, 8th, and 9th of September.
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 September 5th and 6th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Morning stargazers will find the Beehive star cluster near the moon on the 6th.
RACHEL
The Beehive is the best astronomical object in Cancer the Crab.
PAUL
And it’s one of Earth’s closest open star clusters.
RACHEL
The crab is a dim constellation and its two center stars are its most noticeable part.
PAUL
Primarily because of their proximity to each other.
RACHEL
But just barely noticeable, you’ll need to leave the city for dark country skies to see these stars.
PAUL
The northern star of this stellar pair is named Asellus Borealis.
RACHEL
And the southern is named Asellus Australis.
PAUL
Asellus by the way means donkey colt in Latin.
RACHEL
And the two stars represented two donkeys feeding at a manager between them.
PAUL
The manager in this case, was a small nebulous patch that the ancients saw between the two stars.
RACHEL
Galileo was the first to turn an astronomical telescope to this hazy spot in 1609.
PAUL
And he was surprised to discover that it consisted on some 40 stars.
RACHEL
To find the Beehive star cluster yourself, aim your binoculars at the moon on the morning of the 6th.
PAUL
Which will be a very thin crescent in the low east at 5:00 AM.
RACHEL
Then shift your binoculars towards the lower left of the moon until it just disappears from the binocular view.
PAUL
The Beehive will pop into view in the 7 o’clock position.
RACHEL
Be sure to count the number of stars you can see.
PAUL
Can you see 40 stars like Galileo?
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 5th and 6th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
RACHEL
…and Rachel.
PAUL
Morning stargazers will find the Beehive star cluster near the moon on the 6th.
RACHEL
The Beehive is the best astronomical object in Cancer the Crab.
PAUL
And it’s one of Earth’s closest open star clusters.
RACHEL
The crab is a dim constellation and its two center stars are its most noticeable part.
PAUL
Primarily because of their proximity to each other.
RACHEL
But just barely noticeable, you’ll need to leave the city for dark country skies to see these stars.
PAUL
The northern star of this stellar pair is named Asellus Borealis.
RACHEL
And the southern is named Asellus Australis.
PAUL
Asellus by the way means donkey colt in Latin.
RACHEL
And the two stars represented two donkeys feeding at a manager between them.
PAUL
The manager in this case, was a small nebulous patch that the ancients saw between the two stars.
RACHEL
Galileo was the first to turn an astronomical telescope to this hazy spot in 1609.
PAUL
And he was surprised to discover that it consisted on some 40 stars.
RACHEL
To find the Beehive star cluster yourself, aim your binoculars at the moon on the morning of the 6th.
PAUL
Which will be a very thin crescent in the low east at 5:00 AM.
RACHEL
Then shift your binoculars towards the lower left of the moon until it just disappears from the binocular view.
PAUL
The Beehive will pop into view in the 7 o’clock position.
RACHEL
Be sure to count the number of stars you can see.
PAUL
Can you see 40 stars like Galileo?
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 5th and 6th of September.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies 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 for September 3rd and 4th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The star cluster M-35 is only 5 degrees from the moon on the morning of the 4th.
PAUL
That means it’s within binocular view of the moon.
RACHEL
M-35 is not a very bright cluster, so the moon’s close proximity will make it much easier to locate than normal.
PAUL
And it’s visible in binoculars as long as you get out from under the lights.
RACHEL
Around 5:00 AM will be a good time to go looking for this star cluster.
PAUL
So find the thin waning crescent moon in the east in Gemini the Twins.
RACHEL
Then point your binoculars at the moon and place it on the right edge of your view.
PAUL
The M-35 star cluster will appear between the center and left edge of your view.
RACHEL
This is a galactic star cluster.
PAUL
Or one that’s irregularly-shaped and not strongly concentrated towards the center.
RACHEL
Galactic star clusters contain fewer stars than spherical globular star clusters.
PAUL
And galactic star clusters are younger to boot.
RACHEL
Our sun was most likely born in a galactic star cluster like M-35 along with possibly hundreds of siblings.
PAUL
Over millions of years, the stars left their nest to start their own journeys through the galaxy.
RACHEL
Today, some 4.5 billion years after their birth, these stars are scattered across the galaxy.
PAUL
Meaning we can’t currently see any of the sun’s siblings.
RACHEL
Besides, the more massive stars of the sun’s birth cluster have died by now.
PAUL
Leaving only stars with masses like the sun and smaller.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Rachel…
PAUL
…and Paul.
RACHEL
The star cluster M-35 is only 5 degrees from the moon on the morning of the 4th.
PAUL
That means it’s within binocular view of the moon.
RACHEL
M-35 is not a very bright cluster, so the moon’s close proximity will make it much easier to locate than normal.
PAUL
And it’s visible in binoculars as long as you get out from under the lights.
RACHEL
Around 5:00 AM will be a good time to go looking for this star cluster.
PAUL
So find the thin waning crescent moon in the east in Gemini the Twins.
RACHEL
Then point your binoculars at the moon and place it on the right edge of your view.
PAUL
The M-35 star cluster will appear between the center and left edge of your view.
RACHEL
This is a galactic star cluster.
PAUL
Or one that’s irregularly-shaped and not strongly concentrated towards the center.
RACHEL
Galactic star clusters contain fewer stars than spherical globular star clusters.
PAUL
And galactic star clusters are younger to boot.
RACHEL
Our sun was most likely born in a galactic star cluster like M-35 along with possibly hundreds of siblings.
PAUL
Over millions of years, the stars left their nest to start their own journeys through the galaxy.
RACHEL
Today, some 4.5 billion years after their birth, these stars are scattered across the galaxy.
PAUL
Meaning we can’t currently see any of the sun’s siblings.
RACHEL
Besides, the more massive stars of the sun’s birth cluster have died by now.
PAUL
Leaving only stars with masses like the sun and smaller.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of September.
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.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Cellphone Telescope Bracket Test on Planets
Last night I aimed the 16" telescope on Jupiter and Saturn. These are the pictures I took with my cellphone at 72 power.
My future plans include collecting multiple images of the planets over a month or more and using those images to chart the orbits of the moons. Also, I'd like to shoot raw images and then try photo-processing them.
 |
| This is Jupiter. From left to right, the moons are Callisto, Europa, Io, (Jupiter), and Ganymede |
 |
| Saturn over-exposed to show two moons. Titan is at the lower left and Rhea is just below. |
 |
| A wavy Saturn. The air was turbulent and the mirror hadn't reached ambient temperature yet. But hey, at least we can see rings. |
My future plans include collecting multiple images of the planets over a month or more and using those images to chart the orbits of the moons. Also, I'd like to shoot raw images and then try photo-processing them.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Idaho Skies Transcript for August 31st and September 1st and 2nd
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 31st and September 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
On the 31st, observant stargazers will notice there’s a star above Venus.
PAUL
The Evening Star will still be bright, but very close to the west-southwest horizon.
RACHEL
And above it will be a white spark otherwise known as Spica.
PAUL
Spica is the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.
RACHEL
Spica, like the rest of the stars, is drifting closer to the western horizon every day.
PAUL
That motion is the result of Earth revolving around the sun.
RACHEL
Looking down from the North Pole, Earth goes counter-clockwise around the sun.
PAUL
Which makes the stars slowly drift farther westward each night.
RACHEL
Recall that there are 360 degrees in a full circle.
PAUL
And that it takes the earth 365.24 days to orbit the sun.
RACHEL
That means that the stars appear to drift about one degree farther westward every day.
PAUL
And since there are 24 hours in a day, the stars rise and set about four minutes earlier each night.
RACHEL
So Spica will disappear in another two weeks.
PAUL
And then reappear in the eastern morning sky at the end of October.
RACHEL
Speaking of morning skies, the moon makes a close passage to the Hyades star cluster on September 2nd.
PAUL
The moon will be at the last quarter phase; therefore, this will make a great target for your binoculars.
RACHEL
You’ll need to go outside at around a little after midnight to observe this duo.
PAUL
Be sure to look along the straight edge boundary between day and night where craters are most visible.
RACHEL
And then see count how many stars you can see in the Hyades.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 31st of August and the 1st and 2nd of September.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 31st and September 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
On the 31st, observant stargazers will notice there’s a star above Venus.
PAUL
The Evening Star will still be bright, but very close to the west-southwest horizon.
RACHEL
And above it will be a white spark otherwise known as Spica.
PAUL
Spica is the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.
RACHEL
Spica, like the rest of the stars, is drifting closer to the western horizon every day.
PAUL
That motion is the result of Earth revolving around the sun.
RACHEL
Looking down from the North Pole, Earth goes counter-clockwise around the sun.
PAUL
Which makes the stars slowly drift farther westward each night.
RACHEL
Recall that there are 360 degrees in a full circle.
PAUL
And that it takes the earth 365.24 days to orbit the sun.
RACHEL
That means that the stars appear to drift about one degree farther westward every day.
PAUL
And since there are 24 hours in a day, the stars rise and set about four minutes earlier each night.
RACHEL
So Spica will disappear in another two weeks.
PAUL
And then reappear in the eastern morning sky at the end of October.
RACHEL
Speaking of morning skies, the moon makes a close passage to the Hyades star cluster on September 2nd.
PAUL
The moon will be at the last quarter phase; therefore, this will make a great target for your binoculars.
RACHEL
You’ll need to go outside at around a little after midnight to observe this duo.
PAUL
Be sure to look along the straight edge boundary between day and night where craters are most visible.
RACHEL
And then see count how many stars you can see in the Hyades.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 31st of August and the 1st and 2nd of September.
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 August 29th and 30th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Stargazers should be on the look out for two planets on the 29th and 30th.
RACHEL
First is Saturn. It’s the brightest star in the low south after it gets dark.
PAUL
You’ll know its Saturn because its cream color and it doesn’t twinkle like the other stars.
RACHEL
If you’re observing from dark skies, you’ll notice there’s a teapot shaped constellation to the lower left of Saturn.
PAUL
Best of all, there are several star clusters and nebulae to Saturn’s lower right.
RACHEL
So point your binoculars at Saturn and then scan the lower right side of your view for fuzzy nebulae.
PAUL
The second planet to look for is more difficult, it’s Uranus, or the next planet beyond Saturn.
RACHEL
It’s visible in binoculars, that is, if you know where to look.
PAUL
Fortunately, the moon is an excellent guide on the 30th.
RACHEL
So get out from under the lights and aim your binoculars at the waning gibbous moon after it gets dark.
PAUL
Uranus is just less than six degrees away from the moon, so you can see both the moon and Uranus together in most binoculars.
RACHEL
Begin by placing the moon at the bottom right of your binoculars, preferably in the 5 o’clock position.
PAUL
Uranus will be the brightest star just over ¾ of the way across your binocular view.
RACHEL
And it will be located at the 11 o’clock position, if you keep the moon at the 5 o’clock position.
PAUL
Uranus is an ice giant planet that’s four times wider than Earth.
RACHEL
It’s 19 times farther away from the sun than Earth, so pretty cold there.
PAUL
Astronomers have discovered 27 satellites of Uranus and have given them names from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
RACHEL
So the planet has moons with names like Miranda and Oberon.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of August.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Stargazers should be on the look out for two planets on the 29th and 30th.
RACHEL
First is Saturn. It’s the brightest star in the low south after it gets dark.
PAUL
You’ll know its Saturn because its cream color and it doesn’t twinkle like the other stars.
RACHEL
If you’re observing from dark skies, you’ll notice there’s a teapot shaped constellation to the lower left of Saturn.
PAUL
Best of all, there are several star clusters and nebulae to Saturn’s lower right.
RACHEL
So point your binoculars at Saturn and then scan the lower right side of your view for fuzzy nebulae.
PAUL
The second planet to look for is more difficult, it’s Uranus, or the next planet beyond Saturn.
RACHEL
It’s visible in binoculars, that is, if you know where to look.
PAUL
Fortunately, the moon is an excellent guide on the 30th.
RACHEL
So get out from under the lights and aim your binoculars at the waning gibbous moon after it gets dark.
PAUL
Uranus is just less than six degrees away from the moon, so you can see both the moon and Uranus together in most binoculars.
RACHEL
Begin by placing the moon at the bottom right of your binoculars, preferably in the 5 o’clock position.
PAUL
Uranus will be the brightest star just over ¾ of the way across your binocular view.
RACHEL
And it will be located at the 11 o’clock position, if you keep the moon at the 5 o’clock position.
PAUL
Uranus is an ice giant planet that’s four times wider than Earth.
RACHEL
It’s 19 times farther away from the sun than Earth, so pretty cold there.
PAUL
Astronomers have discovered 27 satellites of Uranus and have given them names from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
RACHEL
So the planet has moons with names like Miranda and Oberon.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of August.
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 August 27th and 28th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 27th and 28th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The innermost planet makes a brief appearance this week.
PAUL
In fact, on the morning of the 27th, little Mercury appears at its highest above the horizon.
RACHEL
Mercury orbits the sun at a distance of 36 million miles, with a variation of seven million miles.
PAUL
Whoa, Mercury has a very eccentric orbit.
RACHEL
That’s right; in fact, its orbit is the most eccentric of all the planets.
PAUL
For a comparison, Earth’s orbit varies by less than two million miles from its average.
RACHEL
But remember, Earth’s orbit is three times larger than Mercury’s to begin with.
PAUL
Therefore, the 1.5 million mile variation in Earth’s orbit is like a half million mile variation to Mercury.
RACHEL
The farthest Mercury can appear away from the sun is 28 degrees.
PAUL
And since Idaho is far from the equator, Mercury travels in a tilted line that can never appear that high above the horizon.
RACHEL
So to see Mercury this week, look in the low east-northeast at around 6:15 AM.
PAUL
You’re looking for the brightest white star close to the horizon.
RACHEL
You can be certain it’s Mercury you’re looking at if the star doesn’t twinkle like the other stars.
PAUL
And that its position relative to the horizon changes significantly over several days.
RACHEL
Mercury’s small orbit means the Sun’s gravitational attraction to Mercury is much stronger than it is to Earth.
PAUL
Since the orbit is three times smaller than Earth’s, the sun’s gravitational force is nine times greater.
RACHEL
A stronger gravitational pull means Mercury must orbit faster or else plunge into the sun.
PAUL
Which is one reason why it only takes Mercury 88 days to orbit the sun once.
RACHEL
And that’s another reason why Mercury doesn’t appear above the horizon for more than about two weeks at a time.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 27th and 28th of August.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 27th and 28th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The innermost planet makes a brief appearance this week.
PAUL
In fact, on the morning of the 27th, little Mercury appears at its highest above the horizon.
RACHEL
Mercury orbits the sun at a distance of 36 million miles, with a variation of seven million miles.
PAUL
Whoa, Mercury has a very eccentric orbit.
RACHEL
That’s right; in fact, its orbit is the most eccentric of all the planets.
PAUL
For a comparison, Earth’s orbit varies by less than two million miles from its average.
RACHEL
But remember, Earth’s orbit is three times larger than Mercury’s to begin with.
PAUL
Therefore, the 1.5 million mile variation in Earth’s orbit is like a half million mile variation to Mercury.
RACHEL
The farthest Mercury can appear away from the sun is 28 degrees.
PAUL
And since Idaho is far from the equator, Mercury travels in a tilted line that can never appear that high above the horizon.
RACHEL
So to see Mercury this week, look in the low east-northeast at around 6:15 AM.
PAUL
You’re looking for the brightest white star close to the horizon.
RACHEL
You can be certain it’s Mercury you’re looking at if the star doesn’t twinkle like the other stars.
PAUL
And that its position relative to the horizon changes significantly over several days.
RACHEL
Mercury’s small orbit means the Sun’s gravitational attraction to Mercury is much stronger than it is to Earth.
PAUL
Since the orbit is three times smaller than Earth’s, the sun’s gravitational force is nine times greater.
RACHEL
A stronger gravitational pull means Mercury must orbit faster or else plunge into the sun.
PAUL
Which is one reason why it only takes Mercury 88 days to orbit the sun once.
RACHEL
And that’s another reason why Mercury doesn’t appear above the horizon for more than about two weeks at a time.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 27th and 28th of August.
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.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Moon Photograph
I purchased a used telescope this summer and was finally able to use it for a while on Friday night. With all this smoke, it may be a while before I can use it again.
I held my cellphone up to the focused eyepiece and recorded the following image. There were a lot of bad pictures while trying to get this one. But since digital pictures are free, it's no big deal. I really need to 3D design and print a bracket for holding the cellphone to the telescope's eyepiece.
I held my cellphone up to the focused eyepiece and recorded the following image. There were a lot of bad pictures while trying to get this one. But since digital pictures are free, it's no big deal. I really need to 3D design and print a bracket for holding the cellphone to the telescope's eyepiece.
Idaho Skies Transcript for August 24th, 25th, and 26th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 24th, 25th, and 26th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon has left Mars behind and is now enjoying the company of Fomalhaut.
PAUL
Fomalhaut is that pale white star that stargazers see beneath the moon on the 25th.
RACHEL
You can’t miss it; it’s the only bright star in this region of the sky.
PAUL
Fomalhaut is the brightest star of Piscis Austrinus, or the Southern Fish.
RACHEL
The mouth of the Southern Fish is turned northward, and it’s swallowing the water pouring out of Aquarius’ jar.
PAUL
This region of the night sky is some times known as The Sea.
RACHEL
That’s because it contains a lot of water-related constellations.
PAUL
It’s possible that ancient cultures placed a lot of watery constellations there because this is where the sun resides during the rainy season.
RACHEL
The constellations in The Sea include Aquarius the Water-bearer...
PAUL
...Capricornus the Sea-Goat...
RACHEL
...Cetus the Sea Monster...
PAUL
...Delphinus the Dolphin...
RACHEL
...Eridanus the River...
PAUL
...Pisces the Fish...
RACHEL
...and Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.
PAUL
These are all constellations containing lots of stars that are too faint to see in town.
RACHEL
So The Sea looks like a dark hole in the sky with few to no stars.
PAUL
But in dark skies, stargazers will need a sky chart to help them identify the large constellations filling this region of the sky.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 24th, 25th, and 26th of August.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 24th, 25th, and 26th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon has left Mars behind and is now enjoying the company of Fomalhaut.
PAUL
Fomalhaut is that pale white star that stargazers see beneath the moon on the 25th.
RACHEL
You can’t miss it; it’s the only bright star in this region of the sky.
PAUL
Fomalhaut is the brightest star of Piscis Austrinus, or the Southern Fish.
RACHEL
The mouth of the Southern Fish is turned northward, and it’s swallowing the water pouring out of Aquarius’ jar.
PAUL
This region of the night sky is some times known as The Sea.
RACHEL
That’s because it contains a lot of water-related constellations.
PAUL
It’s possible that ancient cultures placed a lot of watery constellations there because this is where the sun resides during the rainy season.
RACHEL
The constellations in The Sea include Aquarius the Water-bearer...
PAUL
...Capricornus the Sea-Goat...
RACHEL
...Cetus the Sea Monster...
PAUL
...Delphinus the Dolphin...
RACHEL
...Eridanus the River...
PAUL
...Pisces the Fish...
RACHEL
...and Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.
PAUL
These are all constellations containing lots of stars that are too faint to see in town.
RACHEL
So The Sea looks like a dark hole in the sky with few to no stars.
PAUL
But in dark skies, stargazers will need a sky chart to help them identify the large constellations filling this region of the sky.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 24th, 25th, and 26th of August.
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 August 22nd and 23rd
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 22nd and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon glides past Mars on the 22nd and 23rd.
RACHEL
It’s impossible to miss Mars; it’s that bright orange beacon beneath the moon.
PAUL
Did you know there are eight active spacecraft at Mars right now?
RACHEL
Six of them are orbiters and the remaining two are planetary rovers.
PAUL
The oldest spacecraft at Mars is the American 2001 Mars Odyssey.
RACHEL
It’s an orbiter currently mapping the Martian surface and acting as a relay for both Mars rovers.
PAUL
Next is the European Mars Express.
RACHEL
It’s studying the Martian atmosphere.
PAUL
And it was recently announced that it probably located water beneath the Martian Southern icecap.
RACHEL
The next on-going Mars mission is the American Spirit Rover.
PAUL
It landed on Mars in 2004 and was still functioning last month before a severe dust storm settled in.
RACHEL
The American Curiosity Rover is the next currently active mission on Mars.
PAUL
Since it’s nuclear-powered, it’s still going strong.
RACHEL
Then there’s the Indian Mangalyaan orbiter, which arrived nearly four years ago.
PAUL
It was India’s first interplanetary space probe and is currently mapping the surface and looking for methane gas.
RACHEL
The next one is the American MAVEN orbiter.
PAUL
It’s exploring how Mars lost most of its liquid water.
RACHEL
And finally, the most recent arrival is European ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
PAUL
Its mission is to search for methane and other trace gases that might indicate life.
RACHEL
So when you look at Mars this evening, remember there are eight operating spacecraft and many derelicts there also.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 22nd and 23rd of August.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 22nd and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon glides past Mars on the 22nd and 23rd.
RACHEL
It’s impossible to miss Mars; it’s that bright orange beacon beneath the moon.
PAUL
Did you know there are eight active spacecraft at Mars right now?
RACHEL
Six of them are orbiters and the remaining two are planetary rovers.
PAUL
The oldest spacecraft at Mars is the American 2001 Mars Odyssey.
RACHEL
It’s an orbiter currently mapping the Martian surface and acting as a relay for both Mars rovers.
PAUL
Next is the European Mars Express.
RACHEL
It’s studying the Martian atmosphere.
PAUL
And it was recently announced that it probably located water beneath the Martian Southern icecap.
RACHEL
The next on-going Mars mission is the American Spirit Rover.
PAUL
It landed on Mars in 2004 and was still functioning last month before a severe dust storm settled in.
RACHEL
The American Curiosity Rover is the next currently active mission on Mars.
PAUL
Since it’s nuclear-powered, it’s still going strong.
RACHEL
Then there’s the Indian Mangalyaan orbiter, which arrived nearly four years ago.
PAUL
It was India’s first interplanetary space probe and is currently mapping the surface and looking for methane gas.
RACHEL
The next one is the American MAVEN orbiter.
PAUL
It’s exploring how Mars lost most of its liquid water.
RACHEL
And finally, the most recent arrival is European ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
PAUL
Its mission is to search for methane and other trace gases that might indicate life.
RACHEL
So when you look at Mars this evening, remember there are eight operating spacecraft and many derelicts there also.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 22nd and 23rd of August.
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 August 20th and 21st
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 20th and 21st. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
After dark, the waxing gibbous moon is perched to the upper right of a teapot.
PAUL
That teapot is the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer.
RACHEL
Sagittarius is more than just eight stars forming a teapot shape, but those eight are the easiest part to recognize.
PAUL
The moon’s glare will make it difficult to see, but the Milky Way looks like steam coming out of the teapot’s spout.
RACHEL
And that steam is passing up and behind the moon.
PAUL
The pale yellow star just to the moon’s left is Saturn, the most distant planet known to ancient cultures.
RACHEL
If you have a spotting scope or even small telescope, you can get a glimpse of Saturn’s magnificent rings.
PAUL
Your telescope will need a magnification of at least 25 power, however.
RACHEL
While they can’t help you with Saturn, binoculars will show you the star clusters and nebulae near the moon.
PAUL
So in dark skies, scan the region to the moon’s upper left for small fuzzy clouds.
RACHEL
Some of them will even contain a sprinkle of stars.
PAUL
Look especially for the globular star cluster, M-22.
RACHEL
To find it, draw a line from the bottom of the moon to Saturn.
PAUL
Then extend that line two times farther.
RACHEL
In your binoculars, you’re looking for a perfectly circular fuzzy spot.
PAUL
That hazy spot is actually a city of over 100,000 stars spanning 100 light years across.
RACHEL
Like other globular clusters, it’s old. Some 12 billion years old in fact.
PAUL
And its one of the solar system’s closest globular clusters at only 11,000 light years away.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 20th and 21st of August.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 20th and 21st. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
After dark, the waxing gibbous moon is perched to the upper right of a teapot.
PAUL
That teapot is the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer.
RACHEL
Sagittarius is more than just eight stars forming a teapot shape, but those eight are the easiest part to recognize.
PAUL
The moon’s glare will make it difficult to see, but the Milky Way looks like steam coming out of the teapot’s spout.
RACHEL
And that steam is passing up and behind the moon.
PAUL
The pale yellow star just to the moon’s left is Saturn, the most distant planet known to ancient cultures.
RACHEL
If you have a spotting scope or even small telescope, you can get a glimpse of Saturn’s magnificent rings.
PAUL
Your telescope will need a magnification of at least 25 power, however.
RACHEL
While they can’t help you with Saturn, binoculars will show you the star clusters and nebulae near the moon.
PAUL
So in dark skies, scan the region to the moon’s upper left for small fuzzy clouds.
RACHEL
Some of them will even contain a sprinkle of stars.
PAUL
Look especially for the globular star cluster, M-22.
RACHEL
To find it, draw a line from the bottom of the moon to Saturn.
PAUL
Then extend that line two times farther.
RACHEL
In your binoculars, you’re looking for a perfectly circular fuzzy spot.
PAUL
That hazy spot is actually a city of over 100,000 stars spanning 100 light years across.
RACHEL
Like other globular clusters, it’s old. Some 12 billion years old in fact.
PAUL
And its one of the solar system’s closest globular clusters at only 11,000 light years away.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 20th and 21st of August.
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.
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