Idaho Skies Transcript for 23 to 29 March

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
On the morning of the 27th, you can see the crescent moon close to the Morning Star, Venus.

PAUL
The moon will be three days from new, so it will appear as a very thin crescent.

RACHEL
The distance between the crescent moon and Venus will be three degrees, or roughly the width of three fingers in your outstretched hand.

PAUL
That means the pair will also fit very nicely within the view of a pair of binoculars.

RACHEL
You’ll need to go outside at 5:30 AM to see alignment between Venus and the moon.

PAUL
Be sure to search the low east-southeast horizon.

RACHEL
If you have a camera and tripod, you might want to take a picture of this astronomical event.

PAUL
You’ll need a tripod in order to hold the camera steady during the exposure.

RACHEL
The exposure time could be a second or more long.

PAUL
This also means you’ll want to use a cable release to trigger the camera’s shutter rather than trying to push the shutter button by hand.

RACHEL
A cable release is a flexible steel cable that creates a second shutter button that’s not attached directly to the camera.

PAUL
That way, any shaking that comes from pushing the shutter button isn’t transferred to the camera itself.

RACHEL
To increase your chances of a great picture, try taking several pictures with different camera settings.

PAUL
The second new moon of March occurs on the 30th.

RACHEL
The second full moon has been traditionally called the Blue Moon for several decades at least.

PAUL
So what should we call the second new moon of the month?

RACHEL
Phil Plait of the website Bad Astronomy mentions calling it the Black Moon.

PAUL
You might try looking for the 33 hour old moon on March 31st.

RACHEL
You’ll need a low and clear western horizon.

PAUL
That should make the parking lot at Bogus Basin an ideal location.

RACHEL
Start scanning along the western horizon beginning at 7:55 PM.

PAUL
The moon will only be five degrees above the horizon, so the ground and moon will appear within the field of view of the binoculars.

RACHEL
The moon will set by 8:20.

PAUL
Good luck finding this very young moon

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

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.