Idaho Skies Transcript for December 14th and 15th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 14th and 15th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
For stargazers trying to identify Gemini the Twins, your friend is the moon on the 14th.

PAUL
That’s because it passes through the feet of Gemini the Twins that night.

RACHEL
The stars in Gemini form two horizontal rows of stars in the low east at 9:00 PM.

PAUL
The moon will be at located at the right end of the bottom row.

RACHEL
This row represents Pollux, the immortal half of the twins.

PAUL
The row of stars above the moon represents Castor, Pollux’s mortal brother.

RACHEL
In Greek mythology, the mother of Gemini Twins was Leda.

PAUL
But they had different fathers.

RACHEL
The father of Castor was Leda’s husband, Tyndareus, king of Sparta.

PAUL
But the father of Pollux was Zeus, king of the Greek pantheon of gods.

RACHEL
The Gemini Twins are considered protectors of sailors.

PAUL
And they are associated with St. Elmo’s Fire.

RACHEL
For listeners unfamiliar with St. Elmo’s fire, it’s a glowing electrical discharge from sharp-pointed objects.

PAUL
Sailors have observed St. Elmo’s fire emanating from the masts of sailing ships as they sailed through thunderstorms.

RACHEL
It occurs when the voltage difference between the sea and the clouds is great enough to turn the atmosphere around the mast into a plasma.

PAUL
Which is the same thing occurring in fluorescent lights when they glow.

RACHEL
There’s another way to picture Gemini, as the legs of a soccer player.

PAUL
The bright stars of Gemini then represent the hips of the soccer player.

RACHEL
And that means the moon is a soccer ball that Gemini is about to kick on the 14th.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 14th and 15th of December.

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.