Idaho Skies Transcript for November 1st to the 8th

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Hey! The waning gibbous moon passes below the Gemini Twins on the night of the 1st.

PAUL
So if you were trying to learn how to identify this constellation, the 1st would be the perfect night.

RACHEL
There are two stars that really stand out in Gemini.

PAUL
They’re Castor and Pollux, the names of the Gemini Twins.

RACHEL
How can our listeners tell the difference between them?

PAUL
Easy, Pollux is the slightly brighter of the pair.

RACHEL
If you know someone 34 years old this year, then Pollux is his or her birthday star.

PAUL
That’s because it’s 34 light years away.

RACHEL
And Castor is the birthday star this year for any of your friends who are 52 years old.

PAUL
The moon will help you find a star orbited by a white dwarf on the 2nd.

RACHEL
The star is located to the lower right of the moon and its name is Procyon.

PAUL
Procyon means before the dog.

RACHEL
What is this dog and its name refers to?

PAUL
Why it’s Sirius, the dog star of Canis Major.

RACHEL
That’s right. Do you know why it got this name?

PAUL
Because from mid-northern latitudes, Procyon rises before Sirius, and therefore heralds its rising.

RACHEL
Both Sirius and Procyon have something in common; they both have white dwarf companions.

PAUL
White dwarfs are stars at the end of their stellar lives.

RACHEL
And we’ll tell you more on white dwarfs next week.

PAUL
You can easily locate two star clusters on the morning of the 3rd, if you’ll let the moon be your guide.

RACHEL
The first star cluster is called the Beehive and its only six degrees away from the moon.

PAUL
Which is just over one binocular field of view away.

RACHEL
To see this nice star cluster, aim your binoculars at the moon and then shift your view northward.

PAUL
That’s also straight up the terminator of the moon.

RACHEL
Just after the moon leaves the field of view, the Beehive will enter in the upper right hand edge.

PAUL
The second star cluster is M-67 and it’s a bit smaller and more difficult to see.

RACHEL
However, it’s within the same field of view as the moon, so it’s even easier to find than the Beehive

PAUL
To find this star cluster, place the moon in the center of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Then look for a smaller clump of stars near the bottom of the view.

PAUL
Once you find it, shift the moon out of your vision.

RACHEL
That way the moon’s light won’t interfere with the cluster.

PAUL
There’s a very nice grouping between the planets and the moon on the morning of the 6th.

RACHEL
To see them, go outside at around 5:00 AM or before you leave for work.

PAUL
You’ll see the moon next to Jupiter, which will appear as a bright star.

RACHEL
Below the moon is even brighter Venus.

PAUL
And just above Venus is Mars, which is slightly yellowish in color.

RACHEL
The moon’s not finished with the planets yet.

PAUL
That’s right; it’s next to Venus and Mars on the morning of the 7th.

RACHEL
They’ll be close enough together that all three can be seen together in binoculars.

PAUL
And be sure to look for any Earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.

RACHEL
You might even see some lunar details in the Earth’s reflected sunlight.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of November. Next week the moon meets up with the three morning planets.

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