Transcript: January 31st to February 6th

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

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
You’ll find a planet and a double star next to the moon on the morning of the 1st.

PAUL
The planet is Mars and the double star is Zubenelgenubi.

RACHEL
Both are located to the lower right of the first quarter moon.

PAUL
Of the three, only the moon and Zubenelgenubi are objects fit for your binoculars.

RACHEL
Mars is approaching opposition this May, so it’s growing ever closer to Earth.

PAUL
Opposition?

RACHEL
Yes, opposition. It’s when a superior planet is opposite the sun from Earth’s perspective.

PAUL
Wait, go back. Superior planet?

RACHEL
A superior planet is one that is farther from the sun than Earth.

PAUL
Oh, so you mean Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

RACHEL
That’s right.

PAUL
What makes opposition so special?

RACHEL
At opposition, superior planets are their closest to Earth and therefore appear their brightest and largest.

PAUL
In the case of Mars, opposition is very important since it’s significantly closer to Earth than any other planet.

RACHEL
Yes, and opposition lets telescopes see the greatest details possible.

PAUL
So what can we expect to see on Mars this spring?

RACHEL
Not much for binoculars, unfortunately. However, if you have a large amateur telescope, you’ll be able to see Martian features like Syrtis Major.

PAUL
What about the canals?

RACHEL
Sorry, no canals.

PAUL
Zubenelgenubi is the second binocular object you’ll see near the moon on the 1st.

RACHEL
It’s a double star that some people can split into two separate stars using just their eyes.

PAUL
To find the trio of Mars, the moon, and Zubenelgenubi, go outside at 5:30 AM on the 1st and look in the southeast.

RACHEL
The moon, Mars and Zubenelgenubi will all fit within the view of binoculars.

PAUL
Now that you know the superior planets, you know that the inferior planets are Venus and Mercury.

RACHEL
And the moon passes each in turn on the 5th and 6th.
PAUL
On the 5th, you’ll find Venus below the moon in the east.

RACHEL
In fact, it’s so bright you can’t miss it.

PAUL
Because Venus isn’t very far from the sun, you’ll need to go out between 6:30 and 6:45 AM if you want to see this pair.

RACHEL
Mercury reaches its greatest distance from the sun on the 6th.

PAUL
So on the morning of the 6th look for Mercury and Venus paired up together in the low eastern sky.

RACHEL
But there’s also some bad news.

PAUL
The tilt of Mercury’s orbit is shallow relative to the horizon.

RACHEL
That means Mercury won’t be very far above the horizon, even though it’s quite some distance from the sun.

PAUL
To find Mercury, go outside by 7:00 AM on the 6th and put Venus it in the upper right edge of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Mercury will be the star located at the lower left edge of your binoculars.

PAUL
Dawn causes the sky to brighten by 7:00 AM, so you don’t have too much time to find Mercury.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of February. Next week we’ll talk about something called albedo.

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.