Transcript for February 16-22

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

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
The 18th is the 84th anniversary of Clyde Tombaugh’s discovery of Pluto.

RACHEL
Clyde was a Kansas farm boy with an interest in astronomy.

PAUL
The astronomers at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona were so impressed with his work that they invited him to join their staff.

RACHEL
His task was to take photographs of the sky in search of a 9th planet in our solar system.

PAUL
This required Clyde to take and search hundreds of photographs through the Observatory’s 13 inch telescope.

RACHEL
Each photograph contained thousands of star images and one of those stars could be the planet he was seeking.

PAUL
Clyde searched for the unknown planet by comparing two photographs of the same star field taken several days a part.

RACHEL
If the photographic plates contained an image of the 9th planet, the planet would shift in position while the stars remained stationary.

PAUL
On the 18th of February, he found one star that turned out to be Pluto.

RACHEL
Today astronomers have cataloged over a thousand Pluto-like bodies in the frozen depths of our solar system.

PAUL
The 19th is the 541st anniversary of Nicolas Copernicus' birth.

RACHEL
The public knows Copernicus for his model of a sun-centered solar system.

PAUL
Copernicus was not the first person to propose the heliocentric model.

RACHEL
That’s right, some ancient Greeks and Arabs had done the same centuries prior.
Copernicus was fortunate in proposing this model when many learned people were more willing to accept a sun centered solar system.

PAUL
On the 19th, Mars and the star Spica pose together with the moon.

RACHEL
Spica will be noticeably whiter in color and below the moon.

PAUL
Mars will have a more yellow color and appear to the moon’s left.

RACHEL
If you have the free time, go outside at 3:00 AM on the 21st.

PAUL
You’ll find the moon low in the southeast sandwiched between the star Zubenelgenubi and the planet Saturn.

RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is the brightest star to the moon’s right and a pair of binoculars will show that this is a double star.

PAUL
Saturn is brighter and located farther away to the moon’s left.

RACHEL
And a small telescope will show Saturn’s rings and brightest satellite, Titan.

PAUL
Titan will appear three ring diameters away from Saturn to its lower left through your telescope.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of February. The moon forms an attractive grouping with Venus, the Morning Star next week. 

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

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

RACHEL
and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.