Transcript for the Last week of January

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

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
If you’re out and about at 6:40 AM on Sunday, January 26th, then look for the thin crescent moon in the low southeast.

RACHEL
The moon will be above the star Antares, one of the largest stars in our galaxy.

PAUL
If this star replaced our sun, it would engulf all the inner planets out to Mars.

RACHEL
This is funny in a way, since the star’s name means rival of Mars.

PAUL
Antares is a red giant star and the heart of the constellation of Scorpius, the Scorpion.

RACHEL
Time for planet watching this week.

PAUL
Innermost Mercury reaches its greatest distance from the sun on the 31st.

RACHEL
Astronomers call this event its greatest eastern elongation.

PAUL
Although Mercury is 18 degrees away from the sun, a line between Mercury and the sun tilts strongly relative to the horizon.

RACHEL
This means Mercury only appears 9 degrees above the horizon.

PAUL
If you want to see this tiny planet, then go outside at 6:30 PM and look low in the west-southwest.

RACHEL
Mercury will be the only star visible near the horizon.

PAUL
For a second treat, search to the right of Mercury with your binoculars.

RACHEL
Less than a binocular’s field of view away, you will spy the one day old moon.

PAUL
It will appear as an incredibly thin crescent, if your can locate it.

RACHEL
United States entered the Space Age 56 years ago on the 31st.

PAUL
That’s when the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and the US Army lofted the satellite Explorer 1 into orbit.

RACHEL
The rocket was the four stage Juno 1 rocket, which was a modification of von Braun’s Redstone missile.

PAUL
Explorer 1 weighed 31 pounds and was 81 inches long and 7 inches in diameter.

RACHEL
Its experiments included Geiger counters to measure radiation, a microphone to listen to micrometeoroid strikes, a temperature gauge to determined how the sun’s light affected the satellite, and radio.

PAUL
Explorer 1 was the third spacecraft into Earth orbit.

RACHEL
The other two were the Soviet Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2.

PAUL
However, unlike the Sputniks, Explorer 1 made the first discovery of the Space Age.

RACHEL
It was the existence of a belt of radiation surrounding Earth.

PAUL
Since physicist James van Allen built the Geiger counters responsible for this discovery, we call the belts the Van Allen belts.

RACHEL
Explorer 1 remained in orbit until 1972 when air friction finally brought it back to Earth.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the last of January. Join us next month for the space and astronomy events for Idaho.

RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel…

PAUL
and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.