Transcript for May 10 - 16

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Earth passes through the thickest part of a meteor stream on the 5th.

PAUL
Its debris left behind by the famous Comet Halley.

RACHEL
Astronomers call the meteor shower the Eta Aquarids.

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of May. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The moon is approaching new again on the 14th and 15th.

RACHEL
That means these are good mornings to see the thin crescent moon.

PAUL
Look for the moon in the low east as you drive to work at 6:00 AM.

RACHEL
And make sure you look for earthshine on the moon.

PAUL
The light of earthshine will help fill in the dark right side of the moon.

RACHEL
Use your binoculars and you should be able to make out some lunar details in the faint light.

PAUL
Did you know that astronomers discovered Pluto in 1930?

RACHEL
However, it wasn’t until 1978 that astronomers discovered it had a satellite.

PAUL
Then ten years ago on the 15th, astronomers discovered two additional moons of Pluto.

RACHEL
Astronomers named the moons Nix and Hydra.

PAUL
Is that because of New Horizons?

RACHEL
Yep, the N and H in Nix and Hydra were chosen for the N and H in New Horizons.

PAUL
New Horizons is the American spacecraft rapidly approaching Pluto.

RACHEL
Pluto has never been explored by spacecraft.

PAUL
So the New Horizons is our first chance to see this enigmatic world close up.

RACHEL
That means it’s important that New Horizons doesn’t collide with an unknown moon as its approaches Pluto.

PAUL
Because of its ability to detect faint objects, astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to search for potentially threatening moons.

RACHEL
In addition to Nix and Hydra, Hubble has also discovered the moons Styx and Kerberos.

PAUL
How could tiny Pluto have five moons?

RACHEL
Astronomers believe Pluto was struck by a passing object early in its history.

PAUL
The whack was similar to the one Earth suffered over four billion years ago.

RACHEL
The impact with Pluto resulted in a debris field orbiting the tiny body.

PAUL
Over time, some debris collapsed back onto to Pluto and the rest coalesced into five new moons.

RACHEL
The largest was Charon, which is about half the size of Pluto.

PAUL
One danger for New Horizons comes from debris that may not have formed a moon.

RACHEL
That’s right; some of it may have formed a dark ring around Pluto.

PAUL
So now, New Horizons is taking images of the Plutonian system in search of possible new hazards.

RACHEL
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for July 14th.

PAUL
That’s when the New Horizons will make a high speed flyby of Pluto.

RACHEL
By the way, Nix is the Greek goddess of the night...

PAUL
...Hydra is a multi-headed serpent-like monster that Hercules killed...

RACHEL
...Styx is the Greek ferryman of the dead...

PAUL
...and Kerberos is the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to Hades.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of May. There are planets to see and next week we’ll tell you how to find them.

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.