Transcript for December 2nd to 4th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. We’re hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon is located to the left of Venus on the 2nd.

PAUL
It’s still a very thin crescent, but much easier to see than yesterday.

RACHEL
To see the crescent moon, stargazers need to look in the low southwest at around 6:30, or as soon as it gets dark.

PAUL
Binoculars won’t show much lunar detail yet, there just isn’t enough illuminated moon.

RACHEL
The moon continues its eastward trek and on the 4th, it’s just right of a pale orange star.

PAUL
The star is actually Mars, the solar system’s fourth planet.

RACHEL
Although Mars appears star-like, it’s actually twice the size of the moon.

PAUL
It’s just their distances form Earth that makes them appear this way.

RACHEL
For stargazers curious to know, Mars is 134 million miles away while the moon is only 236 thousand miles away.

PAUL
The surfaces of Both Mars and the moon are rich in basalt, or lava rock.

RACHEL
Why the difference in color if they primarily consist of the same rock type?

PAUL
Well, basalt is a dark gray or black rock, but only as long as it’s not oxidized.

RACHEL
And since the moon has no atmosphere, it remains dark gray to this day.

PAUL
But when the iron in basalt becomes oxidized, it turns rust orange.

RACHEL
Which is the case with Mars, since it has an atmosphere.

PAUL
Well, not much of an atmosphere, but probably a more substantial one billions of years ago.

RACHEL
And planet color may be a good way to tell if an exoplanet is potentially habitatable.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of December.

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.