Idaho Skies Transcript for May 29th and 30th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
The moon passes through Cancer the Crab on the 29th.

PAUL
Unfortunately, Cancer is a fairly faint constellation.

RACHEL
In fact, from town the constellation is all but invisible.

PAUL
And from the country, it's not much more visible.

RACHEL
What stands out the most about Cancer in dark skies are two stars flanking a small fuzzy spot.

PAUL
But don’t let the fuzzy nature of that spot fool you.

RACHEL
It’s actually the most impressive sight in Cancer, the Beehive star cluster.

PAUL
And it's easy to find on the 29th because the moon passes within four degrees of it.

RACHEL
That's so close that you'll be able to both the moon and the Beehive together in binoculars.

PAUL
So on the 29th aim your binoculars at the moon...

RACHEL
...and then shift them towards the right.

PAUL
Just as the moon leaves the lower left of the binoculars, you’ll find a tight bundle of stars in the middle of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Stargazers will want to steady their binoculars on something solid...

PAUL
...like a car, tree, or fencepost.

RACHEL
That's because with a steady view, eyes can detect fainter stars.

PAUL
Since star clusters contain more faint stars than bright stars, there'll be more stars to fill the cluster if you can see the fainter stars.

RACHEL
With steady binoculars and reasonably dark skies, stargazers may be able to count around 24 stars in this cluster.

PAUL
And what stargazers see is similar to what Galileo saw in 1609 with his telescope.

RACHEL
The cluster was actually one of the first astronomical objects Galileo saw with the newly invented telescope.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of May.

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

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.