Idaho Skies Transcript for May 1st and 2nd

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel…

PAUL
…and Paul.

BRING DOWN MUSIC

RACHEL
Spring’s prime time for viewing the Beehive star cluster.

PAUL
On the evening of the 1st, this attractive star cluster is only nine degrees from the moon.

RACHEL
That’s approximately 20% greater than the distance across your binoculars’ view.

PAUL
So the star cluster is easy to find a little help from the moon.

RACHEL
To find the Beehive, go outside late on the night of the 1st and center the first quarter moon in binoculars.

PAUL
Then shift the binoculars up and slightly left until the moon leaves your binoculars’ view in the 5 o’clock position.

RACHEL
Shortly after the moon leaves your view, the Beehive will enter from the 11 o’clock position.

PAUL
Just remember that the distance between the moon and Beehive is nine degrees.

RACHEL
Therefore, the binoculars don’t have to shift much further once the moon has left.

PAUL
You can’t miss the Beehive.

RACHEL
That’s because it will appear as a compact grouping of stars.

PAUL
Did you know that astronomers use star clusters to understand the life history of stars?

RACHEL
It’s possible because the stars in star clusters were born from the same cloud of dust and gas at the same time.

PAUL
Therefore, any difference between the stars in a star cluster is due to their differences in masses.

RACHEL
This creates snapshots of stars at various ages.

PAUL
And like taking a snapshot of the people watching a baseball game, you can develop a hypothesis about how people grow older from a single picture.

FADE IN MUSIC

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 1st and 2nd of May.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog at idahoskies.blogspot.com for additional information.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.