Transcript for October 17th and 18th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 17th and 18th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Stargazers will find the evening sky graced with a trio of astronomical objects late on the evening of the 17th.

PAUL
The trio is made up of the nearly full moon and two splashy star clusters.

RACHEL
So look in the east for the moon at around 10:00 PM.

PAUL
Stargazers will find the Pleiades star cluster to the upper left of the moon.

RACHEL
And they’ll find the Hyades to the lower left of the moon.

PAUL
The moon will be too full to show more than just lunar seas through your binoculars.

RACHEL
However, the Pleiades and Hyades will each show around two dozen stars in binoculars.

PAUL
The Pleiades forms a tight grouping of stars with more glitter than the larger and sparser Hyades do.

RACHEL
When you observe the Hyades, don’t be fooled by the bright star orange star.

PAUL
Its name is Aldebaran and it’s only half as far away as the Hyades.

RACHEL
Hey! Stargazers will find the moon inside the Hyades star cluster on the night of the 18th.

PAUL
Even better, stargazers can also watch the moon drift past the bright orange star Aldebaran over the course of an hour.

RACHEL
Point your binoculars at the moon at 11:00 PM and notice how close Aldebaran is the upper left edge of the moon.

PAUL
Look again thirty minutes later and you’ll find Aldebaran nearly above the moon.

RACHEL
Thirty minutes later still, or around midnight, Aldebaran appears to the upper right of the moon.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th and 18th of October.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.