Transcript for the Last Week of October

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the last week of October. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

RACHEL
On October 30th, 1938, the Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcasted a radio play.

PAUL
The producer was Orson Welles and he based his play on H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.

RACHEL
Orson Well’s Martian invasion was occurring that evening in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey.

PAUL
This was on the eve of war in Europe and many Americans found the news out of Europe unsettling.

RACHEL
Some feared that European events would drag the United States into another foreign war.

PAUL
Under this cloud uncertainty, the radio audience listened to news bulletins of strange events out of Grover’s Mill.

RACHEL
The news bulletins breaking into the ongoing music program told of Martian war machines attacking power plants and marching across the Hudson River.

PAUL
The panic that ensued was not as large as some stories have made it out to be.

RACHEL
Today we know Mars is a dead world.

PAUL
However, it may not have always been that way.

RACHEL
That’s right. Evidence collected by spacecraft point to a planet that in its past had large bodies of water.

PAUL
We don’t know yet how long conditions on Mars remained clement; however, it is possible that it was long enough for life to originate.

RACHEL
Any life that exists today is microbial at best.

PAUL
In order to discover it, spacecraft will need to drill deep into the planet’s surface or search through lava tubes.

RACHEL
On November 1st, Venus is at its greatest eastern elongation.

PAUL
The Evening Star will be visible in the west for two hours after it gets dark.

RACHEL
You can observe it sooner if you know where to look for it in the sunlit sky.

PAUL
You will find the planet low in the southwest when the sky gets dark at 7 PM.

RACHEL
Like Mars, some astronomers once considered Venus as potentially habitable.

PAUL
This was before they developed the tools to measure the temperature of Venus from Earth using microwave receivers.

RACHEL
Like Mars, Venus may have once been habitable billions of years ago.

PAUL
That’s before the sun warmed its surface to the point that a run away greenhouse ensued.

RACHEL
Today Venus is a scorching hot world with clouds of sulfuric acid and no water.

PAUL
Finally, this week, don’t forget to set your clock back on Saturday night, the second of November.

RACHEL
It’s the end of daylight saving time, so enjoy your extra hour of sleep.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last week of October. Join us next month for the space and astronomical events in Idaho.

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.