Transcript for 6 to 12 October

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of October. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
Early on the evening of the 8th, the young crescent moon forms a triangle with two other astronomical objects.

RACHEL
To the lower right of the moon is brilliant Venus.

PAUL
Even though Venus is not the planet closest to the sun, its surface is hotter than Mercury’s.

RACHEL
To the moon’s lower left is the other party in this trio, the star Antares.

PAUL
Antares is a super red giant star and the brightest star of Scorpius the Scorpion.

RACHEL
The trio of the moon, Venus, and Antares will be very low in the southwest at 8:00 PM.

PAUL
Find a location with a clear southwest horizon in order to maximize your viewing time of this alignment.

RACHEL
This is not the end of the action in the low west. Venus and Antares continue approaching closer to each other until next week.

PAUL
So you might want to keep an eye on this region of the sky even after the moon has left the scene.

RACHEL
The moon is passing through a thick section of the Milky Way on the 10th.

PAUL
This area of the Milky Way lies between Earth and the central bulge of the Milky Way galaxy.

RACHEL
Since its closer to the nucleus of the galaxy, it contains more star clusters and nebulae than any other part of the sky.

PAUL
Many of the star clusters and nebulae are visible in a pair of binoculars, if you observe them where the sky is clear and dark.

RACHEL
You’ll need to find a location away from light and let your eyes become adapted to the dark.

PAUL
Did you know that your eyes adapt to the dark by dilating your pupils.

RACHEL
This lets more light enter into your eye and then you can see fainter stars as a result.

PAUL
The process of getting dark adapted can take as long as 20 minutes for older adults.

RACHEL
After your eyes have adapted, begin scanning the region west of the moon with your binoculars.

PAUL
Be sure to scan both high and low.

RACHEL
In binoculars, the stars will remain pin points of light.

PAUL
Nebulae however will appear as hazy spots.

RACHEL
Some of the largest star clusters will appear as small sprinkles of fainter stars.

PAUL
Did you know that it was Galileo who first discovered the nature of the Milky Way?

RACHEL
In 1609, Galileo overheard news about the discovery of a new optical instrument invented in Holland.

PAUL
An ambassador claimed the instrument magnified the view of what ever it was pointed at.

RACHEL
Galileo quickly realized its operating principle and made one for himself.

PAUL
His first telescope only magnified three times.

RACHEL
In time however, he became expert at making lenses and eventually created a telescope capable of magnifying 30 times.

PAUL
So Galileo is not the inventor of the telescope, but he is one of the first to turn it towards the heavens, including the Milky Way.

RACHEL
And he was the first to publish the results so that the public could read about them.

PAUL
Galileo discovered that the nebulous appearing Milky Way became a multitude of stars in his telescope.

RACHEL
You can do the same this week with your binoculars.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of October. Next week is the Hunter’s Moon.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies dot blogspot dot com. For Idaho Skies this is Rachel…

PAUL
and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.