Idaho Skies Transcript for the weekend of February 7th

BENJAMIN

Welcome to Idaho Skies for the weekend of February 7^th. We’re your hosts, Benjamin…

PAUL

…and Paul.

BENJAMIN

On the last show, we talked about globular star clusters. This week, the moon passes close to a galactic star cluster and we think listeners should observe it. So let’s talk about these star clusters and how to see a nice one this week. Imagine before the invention of the telescope, when people only saw a small and fuzzy cloud in (the) Cancer the Crab.  

PAUL

This nebula was called the Praesepe. It was pictured as a manager holding hay for two donkeys. In this story, the donkeys were represented by the two faint stars next to the nebula. Until Galileo observed this fuzzy patch with his telescope, that’s all the ancients knew of it. When Galileo aimed a telescope at it, he counted over 40 stars inside of this cluster.      

BENJAMIN

Galileo’s telescope was too small to see the over 1,000 stars making up the Praesepe. He also didn’t know that the stars in the Praesepe formed together from the same cloud of dust and gas some 650 million years ago. Because of its large size and low density, the stars of the Praesepe cluster will eventually escape the cluster.       

PAUL

You still have lots of time to see this cluster, however. So aim your binoculars at the moon on the 8^th after it rises well above the eastern horizon. If the moon is at the top of your view, then the Praesepe will be located just beneath the center of your view. Once you see this cluster through binoculars, you’ll realize why it’s now called the Beehive star cluster.   

BENJAMIN

That’s Idaho Skies for the weekend of February 7^th.

PAUL

Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

BENJAMIN

…and Benjamin.

PAUL

Dark skies and bright stars.