Idaho Skies Transcript for September 11th and 12th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for September 11th and 12th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Stargazers with binoculars are in for a visual treat on the morning of the 12th.

RACHEL
That’s when the moon passes though the very edge of the Hyades star cluster.

PAUL
The brightest star appearing in the Hyades is Aldebaran and it’s the brightest star in Taurus the Bull.

RACHEL
The moon passes over Aldebaran at 5:46 AM.

PAUL
This is called an occultation and Aldebaran will wink out in a fraction of a second.

RACHEL
So aim your binoculars at the moon at around 5:40 AM.

PAUL
Look for Aldebaran; it’s the star on the moon’s left.

RACHEL
Over the next six minutes, you’ll notice that the moon is creeping ever closer to Aldebaran.

PAUL
It will be a little more difficult to observe the reappearance of Aldebaran.

RACHEL
That’s because it occurs at 7:02 AM in bright dawn.

PAUL
It will be visible, but you definitely need to use your binoculars.

RACHEL
Also on morning of the 12th, Mercury reaches its greatest distance from the sun.

PAUL
So at around 6:30 AM, look in the east for Venus, the Morning Star.

RACHEL
Below it and slightly to the left is the next brightest star, Mercury.

PAUL
Then farther below Mercury is even fainter Mars.

RACHEL
These planets, the terrestrial planets are rocky worlds.

PAUL
And most of them have very little atmosphere.

RACHEL
The atmosphere these planets currently have, originated from within the planet via volcanic action.

PAUL
This means they have atmospheres of primarily nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and not hydrogen and helium.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 11th and 12th of September.

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.