Idaho Skies Transcript for April 19th and 20th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Last time we mentioned that stargazers could see Saturn’s largest moon through a small telescope.

RACHEL
But even a spotting scope is enough to see this moon.

PAUL
Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system, only Jupiter’s Ganymede is larger.

RACHEL
Did you know that Titan is even larger than Mercury, the solar system’s smallest planet?

PAUL
Unlike Mercury however, Titan consists of icy materials like water and ammonia.

RACHEL
That means it’s far less dense than metallic Mercury.

PAUL
And unlike Mercury, Titan has a substantial atmosphere.

RACHEL
In fact, the atmosphere of Titan has a pressure 50% greater than Earth’s.

PAUL
This means an astronaut on Titan’s surface wouldn’t need a spacesuit to protect her from a vacuum.

RACHEL
But she would need a spacesuit to protect her from the gases in Titan’s atmosphere.

PAUL
Titan has an atmosphere that’s mostly nitrogen mixed with a little methane.

RACHEL
While not poisonous gases, breathing them would lead to quick suffocation.

PAUL
An explorer on Titan would also need a spacesuit to protect her from the cold.

RACHEL
The temperature of Titan’s surface is -290 degrees Fahrenheit.

PAUL
Which is nearly cold enough to turn its nitrogen atmosphere into a liquid.

RACHEL
Aside from an atmosphere you can’t breathe and intensely cold temperatures, Titan is a lot like Earth.

PAUL
That’s because it has sand dunes, mountains, clouds, rain, lakes, and rivers.

RACHEL
Not too bad for a moon nearly a billion miles away.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of April.

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.