Transcript for August 16 - 22

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon reappears in the evening on the 19th.

PAUL
It will reside in the low west, as it gets dark around 9:45 PM.

RACHEL
If you point your binoculars at the thin crescent, you might see earthshine or the Da Vinci Glow across the dark, left hand side of the moon.

PAUL
Be sure to watch the moon for the next week as it grows into the first quarter moon.

RACHEL
Your binoculars will show an ever growing profusion of craters in the southern hemisphere.

PAUL
And mountain ranges in the northern hemisphere.

RACHEL
Your best views come from looking along the moon’s terminator.

PAUL
Or the boundary between day and night.

RACHEL
There’s a star twinkling below the moon on the 19th, do you want to know which one it is?

PAUL
Sure, it’s Spica, the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.

RACHEL
Virgo is a rather large and dim constellation overall.

PAUL
However, Spica is a blue-giant star that’s the 15th brightest star in our sky and not easily missed.

RACHEL
Since Spica is 260 light years away, the light you see tonight left the star in 1755.

PAUL
What does our sun look like to inhabitants at Spica?

RACHEL
Our sun is invisible to them except in large telescopes.

PAUL
On the evening of the 21st, the moon is located between two astronomical treats.

RACHEL
The first is the wide double star Zubenelgenubi.

PAUL
And it’s the star located to the moon’s lower right.

RACHEL
The sharp eye among our listeners will notice it’s actually two stars.

PAUL
The rest of us will need a pair of binoculars to see this.

RACHEL
What’s the second treat?

PAUL
It’s Saturn.

RACHEL
Unlike Zubenelgenubi, Saturn requires more than just a pair of binoculars.

PAUL
Fortunately, a spotting scope is sufficient.

RACHEL
At a magnification of 20 power the rings will begin to appear.

PAUL
And they’re easily visible at a magnification of 25 power or higher.

RACHEL
Saturn is the yellowish-white star located to the left of the moon.

PAUL
And unlike Zubenelgenubi, Saturn will not twinkle.

RACHEL
Though technically in Libra, Saturn makes its appearance with Scorpius the Scorpion.

PAUL
The orangish star even farther away to the lower left of the moon is the Scorpion’s heart, Antares.

RACHEL
Which is a red giant star and over 600 light years away.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of August. Next week we’ll tell you about the monster lurking in the center of the galaxy.

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.