Idaho skies Transcript for September 4th and 5th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 4th and 5th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Quick, what’s the most distant planet in the solar system?

PAUL
Pluto! No wait, it’s Neptune!

RACHEL
That’s right. And Neptune appears next to the moon on the 5th.

PAUL
But isn’t Neptune faint?

RACHEL
Yes it is, so stargazers will need a pair of binoculars or even better, a small telescope to see it.

PAUL
So if a stargazer wants to see Neptune, what does she have to do?

RACHEL
First, travel to someplace with dark skies, but go with a companion for safety.

PAUL
Okay, so I’ll head to the Birds of Prey area.

RACHEL
Bring your binoculars and then aim them at the moon at around 10:00 PM.

PAUL
Got it. The moon is now in the center of my binoculars.

RACHEL
Remember that your binoculars have a field of view that spans 7.5 degrees.

PAUL
Yes they do, because they’re standard 7X50 binoculars.

RACHEL
From the center of the moon, look in the 11:00 position for a star 1.5 degrees away.

PAUL
That’s 1/5th the distance across the binoculars or about three lunar diameters.

RACHEL
Neptune is the only star at that position.

PAUL
And it’s flanked by nearly equally bright stars on its left and right.

RACHEL
Even easier for stargazers to see is the close pairing between Jupiter and Spica.

PAUL
So look in the low west-southwest at 9:00 PM on either the 4th or 5th.

RACHEL
Jupiter is the significantly brighter star on the right.

PAUL
And it’s slightly more yellow than Spica.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 4th and 5th of September.

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.