Transcript for December 8-15

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of December. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon is at first quarter on the 9th.

PAUL
The quarter moon is among the best times to look at the moon through your binoculars or small telescope.

RACHEL
Concentrate your efforts along the straight-line boundary between day and night, or what astronomers call the terminator.

PAUL
The terminator is where shadows cast by the rising sun stretch their longest length.

RACHEL
Since the terminator directly faces Earth at first quarter, the moon’s curvature doesn’t foreshorten the shadows.

PAUL
The combination of long shadows and no apparent foreshortening lets the terminator accentuate the smallest lunar surface features.

RACHEL
The Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th.

PAUL
The moon is full in another three days, so in order to have your best views of this shower you’ll want to go outside after the moon sets at 4:00 AM.

RACHEL
Even though this is early for meteor watching, this shower is still worth your time.

PAUL
That’s because at its peak, 80 meteors per hour are visible from this shower.

RACHEL
In addition, the meteors are relatively bright and easy to see.

PAUL
Did you know that Geminid meteors appear yellowish in color rather than white like most meteors?

RACHEL
Something else that makes the Geminids unique is that their parent is an asteroid rather than a comet.

PAUL
This means the typical Geminid meteoroid is rocky and not fluffy comet dust.

RACHEL
You’ll know a meteor is a Geminid if it appears to radiate from a point high in the west-southwest.

PAUL
On the 14th, the moon is well placed between two large and bright star clusters.

RACHEL
The star clusters are the Pleiades and Hyades.

PAUL
This is an another great opportunity to use your binoculars.

RACHEL
That’s because the typical telescope has too much magnification.

PAUL
If you have a digital camera, tripod, and cable release, you might try taking a picture of this grouping.

RACHEL
The exposure time only needs to be a few seconds long.

PAUL
So using a tripod and cable release is important to keep the camera motionless during the exposure.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of December. The moon leads us to Jupiter next week and we’ll tell you how to see its largest moons through your binoculars.

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.