Transcript for May 17 to 23

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon reappears in the evening skies beginning on the 20th.

PAUL
That means it’s a good time to start moon watching.

RACHEL
The moon’s thin crescent will be an attractive sight for your binoculars.

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

RACHEL
The moon is approaching Venus or the Evening Star later this week.

PAUL
Their closest approach is on the 21st.

RACHEL
Unfortunately, the distance between them is too great to observe both at the same time in binoculars.

PAUL
However, they’ll still worth a peek.

RACHEL
Venus will be located to the right of the crescent moon.

PAUL
In a telescope, you’ll be able to see that Venus is a half crescent shape.

RACHEL
Over the next two months, Venus will grow larger and become a thinner crescent.

PAUL
Venus is so bright that its glare makes it nearly impossible to see its shape clearly after it gets dark

RACHEL
That means the best time to see the shape of Venus is shortly after sunset and before the sky gets dark.

PAUL
Saturn reaches opposition on the 23rd.

RACHEL
At opposition, a planet like Saturn appears opposite the sun in our sky.

PAUL
So look for a slightly creamy-white star in the low south-southeast after it gets dark.

RACHEL
Unlike the surrounding stars, Saturn will not twinkle.

PAUL
Below Saturn, you’ll see a slightly dimmer but orangish star.

RACHEL
The star is Antares, which the Greeks named after the god of war, Ares.

PAUL
The pair makes a nice contrast in color.

RACHEL
The moon approaches so close to Jupiter on the 23rd that you can see both simultaneously in binoculars.

PAUL
Concentrate your attention on Jupiter and you’ll notice that a retinue of moons accompanies it.

RACHEL
Through your binoculars, you should be able to detect Europa on the left side of Jupiter and Callisto on the right side

PAUL
A telescope or spotting scope with higher magnification will reveal the satellite Io located between Europa and Jupiter.

RACHEL
Closer to the moon on the 23rd and located to its right is a star cluster named M-67.

PAUL
Astronomers estimate that this star cluster is 5 billion years old, which makes it slightly older than the sun.

RACHEL
M-67 is visible in binoculars, but appears mostly as a fuzzy spot.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of May. Next week the moon travels through a lonely part of the sky and we’ll tell you about some of the landmarks you can see.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com. For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.