Transcript for October 4th to 10th

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon will help you find a large star cluster on the morning of the 6th.

PAUL
To find it, aim your binoculars at the moon, which you’ll find in the low east at 4:00 AM.

RACHEL
Then move your binoculars to the left by 1½ fields of view.

PAUL
You’ll then see the star cluster near the top of your binoculars.

RACHEL
The star cluster’s name is the Beehive because its stars resemble a swarm of bees around a hive.

PAUL
If you wake up by 5:30 AM on Thursday October 8th, you’ll see the thin crescent moon very near the brilliant Venus and the less brilliant star Regulus.

RACHEL
Venus is nearing the half full phase now, so a pair of binoculars won’t show it as anything but a bright point of light.

PAUL
But wait! The moon is still a nice binocular object and you should be able to see Earthshine on its dark hemisphere.

RACHEL
Better still, there are two additional planets visible that morning, Jupiter and Mars.

PAUL
Jupiter is the bright "star" closer to the horizon than Venus.

RACHEL
And Mars is the fainter "star" between Jupiter and Venus...

PAUL
...but closer to Jupiter.

RACHEL
You may see a faintly yellowish tint to Mars.

PAUL
The moon is not finished with the morning planets yet.

RACHEL
That’s right. On the morning of the 9th, the moon parks next to Mars.

PAUL
The planets Jupiter, Mars, and Venus along with the moon will span an angle of 12 degrees.

RACHEL
That’s small enough to cover them all with your outstretched palm.

PAUL
When your arm is fully extended.

RACHEL
You might be able to see Earthshine once more on the morning of the 10th if you go outside by 6:30 AM.

PAUL
However, it’s even better is to wait until around 6:50 AM when Mercury rises.

RACHEL
Mercury will appear as a star as far below the moon as Jupiter is above the moon.

PAUL
This means you’ll see, from the horizon going up, Mercury, the thin crescent moon, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus.

RACHEL
The heart of Leo the Lion, Regulus is the star next to Venus.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of October. Next week we’ll tell you were to see Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

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.