Idaho Skies Transcript for February 1st and 2nd

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for February 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The solar system’s largest asteroid is Ceres and it’s easy to find on the night of the 2nd.

RACHEL
To see Ceres, first point your binoculars at the moon.

PAUL
Then look ½ degree straight down the moon’s terminator, or boundary between day and night.

RACHEL
For a sense of scale, half a degree is the apparent diameter of the moon.

PAUL
Stargazers will see two stars directly below the moon.

RACHEL
And Ceres is the star to the right

PAUL
And the one that’s slightly closer to the moon.

RACHEL
Ceres was the first asteroid that astronomers discovered.

PAUL
In fact, they discovered on January 1st, 1801.

RACHEL
This dwarf planet is 590 miles across.

PAUL
Meaning it would span the distance across Idaho and Wyoming.

RACHEL
Did you know there’s a spacecraft in orbit around Ceres?

PAUL
Its name is Dawn and this is the second asteroid it has visited.

RACHEL
Dawn discovered the presence of bright spots on the surface of Ceres.

PAUL
The spots turned out to be salts deposited on the surface of Ceres.

RACHEL
Those salt patches were the result of a briny solution welling up to the surface.

PAUL
All that salt means that Ceres is rich in water.

RACHEL
And that will make it a great place to put a refueling station for spacecraft in the future.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 1st and 2nd of February.

 RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.