Transcript for the Third Week of October 2013

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

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
The moon appears between two star clusters on the evening of the 20th.

RACHEL
You’ll want to get your binoculars out for this astronomical event.

PAUL
After dark on the 20th, you’ll find the Pleiades star cluster left of the moon and the larger, sparser Hyades star cluster below the Pleiades.

RACHEL
You may know the Pleiades star cluster by its popular name, the Seven Sisters.

PAUL
In Greek mythology, the Seven Sisters were the daughters of Atlas, a Titan.

RACHEL
After the war between the Titans and the Zeus, king of the Greek gods, Atlas was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders.

PAUL
That’s when Orion the Hunter began pursuing seven of his daughters.

RACHEL
This made Atlas most unhappy.

PAUL
Zeus, who cursed Atlas to carry the heavens, took pity on Atlas in this one regard and placed his daughters in the heavens for their protection.

RACHEL
In dark skies, people with good vision can see six stars in the Pleiades.

PAUL
And that it has the shape like a tiny dipper. However, this is not the Little Dipper.

RACHEL
Now look at them in your binoculars and you’ll see at least two dozen stars in the Pleiades.

PAUL
The stars in the Pleiades formed around 100 million years ago.

RACHEL
This was near the end of the reign of the dinosaurs.

PAUL
That means these stars are only two percent of the age of our solar system.

RACHEL
The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 20th and morning of the 21st.

PAUL
Typically, 21 meteors per hour are visible from this shower.

RACHEL
Unfortunately, the moon is just past full this morning.

PAUL
That means 2013 is not a great year to watch this meteor shower.

RACHEL
Your chances of seeing Orionid meteors occurs several days earlier when the moon sets while it’s still dark.

PAUL
Speaking of the moon, it traverses the outer edge of the Hyades star cluster on the night of the 21st.

RACHEL
In Greek mythology, the Hyades are also daughters of Atlas.

PAUL
Astronomers tell us that the stars in the Hyades are six times older than the neighboring Pleiades.

RACHEL
If you point your binoculars at the moon on the 21st, you’ll see that this star cluster spans an area much larger than the moon.

PAUL
You will also see that it has a distinct V shape.

RACHEL
You will see several dozen stars in this cluster in dark skies.

PAUL
The moon is just below Gemini on the morning of the 26th

RACHEL
To the moon’s left, you will see a very bright star that’s not a part of this constellation.

PAUL
It’s Jupiter and it is so bright that you can’t miss it.

RACHEL
Look at Jupiter through your binoculars and you will see three fainter stars forming a line with the brighter planet.

PAUL
These are its largest moons.

RACHEL
From the bottom-left to the top-right, you will see Callisto, Europa, Jupiter, and finally Io and Ganymede.

PAUL
However, Io and Ganymede are so close together they can’t be resolved as individual satellites.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the fourth week of October. Next week we’ll discuss Mars and Venus.

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

RACHEL
and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.