Transcript for May 15th to 21st

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

PAUL
…and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon passes very close to Spica on the night of the 17th.

PAUL
Spica is the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden, which is the second largest constellation in the sky.

RACHEL
Only the constellation of Hydra is larger.

PAUL
Hydra is the constellation of the water snake and its located east of Virgo.

RACHEL
Virgo is made up of dim stars, so the constellation doesn’t stand out to the extent that its large size would indicate.

PAUL
One depiction of Virgo is as a goddess of justice named Justitia.

RACHEL
In this guise, she holds the scales of justice in her hands.

PAUL
And those scales are represented by the constellation of Libra the Scales.

RACHEL
So it’s not surprising that a widely spaced double star located in Libra can be found below the moon two days later on the 19th.

PAUL
The star’s name is Zubenelgenubi and the angular distance between the companion stars is wide enough that some people can see it as two separate stars without optical aid.

RACHEL
The rest of us need a pair of binoculars.

PAUL
You’ll find the double star 5 degrees below the moon on the night of the 19th.

RACHEL
So to find it, place the moon at the top of your binocular’s view.

PAUL
Then Zubenelgenubi will appear as the bright pair of stars at the bottom of your view.

RACHEL
The moon is full on the 21st.

PAUL
The full moon in May is called the Flower Moon by some people.

RACHEL
This year the Flower moon located between the planets Mars and Saturn.

PAUL
Mars is the bright orange-tinted star to the right of the moon.

RACHEL
And Saturn is the fainter yellow-white star to the lower left of the moon.

PAUL
Currently, there are five spacecraft orbiting Mars, three American, one European, and one Indian.

RACHEL
On Mars are two functioning rovers.

PAUL
They’re named Opportunity and Curiosity

RACHEL
Unfortunately, there’s only one spacecraft orbiting Saturn, Cassini.

PAUL
Below the moon is another orange star, Antares.

RACHEL
Antares is a red giant star and it represents the heart of Scorpius the Scorpion.

PAUL
Antares has the same color as Mars, but it’s not quite as bright as Mars these days.

RACHEL
That’s because Earth is approaching close to Mars.

PAUL
As Earth and Mars approach one another, Mars changes from an average orangish star into a bright orange beacon.

RACHEL
So when you observe Mars and Antares these days, look for their similar color but distinctly different brightness.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of May. Mars reaches opposition next week and we’ll tell more about it.

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.