Transcript for March 15th to 21st

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon is new on the 20th.

PAUL
That means beginning the morning of the 16th you should start looking for Earthshine as you drive to work.

RACHEL
Earthshine is that faint illumination on the dark portion of the moon from sunlight reflected off of Earth.

PAUL
Earthshine can be so bright that through binoculars, that you can make out the lunar seas on the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
What a sight an astronaut would see standing on the moon during Earthshine.

PAUL
Earth would be four times larger than the moon appears to us.

RACHEL
And it would be about 16 times brighter.

PAUL
An astronaut would see blue oceans...

RACHEL
...white clouds and polar caps.

PAUL
Even some land masses would be visible.

RACHEL
Hey, spring begins on the 20th at 3:45 PM.

PAUL
That’s when the sun passes right over Earth’s equator.

RACHEL
For the last six months, the sun has been located overhead for locations south of the equator.

PAUL
Now it’s our turn for longer days, shorter nights, and warmer weather.

RACHEL
However, please remember that Earth’s distance from the sun has nothing to do with the seasons.

PAUL
In fact, Earth’s actually closer to the sun on January 4th when Idaho is very cold.

RACHEL
The seasons result from the tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun.

PAUL
During the winter, the Northern hemisphere points away from the sun.

RACHEL
This creates shorter days and longer nights.

PAUL
And the sun crosses the sky at a lower altitude above the horizon.

RACHEL
The combinations of low sun angle and fewer daylight hours makes the Northern hemisphere get very cold.

PAUL
The moon reappears in the evening low in the western sky on the 21st.

RACHEL
Point you binoculars at Mars, the most noticeable star to the lower right of Venus.

PAUL
You’ll see that Mars is keeping close quarters with the moon.

RACHEL
And be sure to look for Earthshine on the left side of the moon.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of March. It’s star cluster week next week.

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.