Idaho Skies Transcript for November 1st and 2nd

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The planet Uranus is five degrees above the moon on the 2nd.

RACHEL
The seventh planet was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel.

PAUL
And it was the first planet to be discovered by telescope.

RACHEL
However, Uranus is often faintly visible without a telescope.

PAUL
The emphasis here is on the word faintly.

RACHEL
Fortunately, Uranus is approaching opposition, so it’s a bit brighter than usual.

PAUL
Still, a pair of binoculars will make it much easier to see this planet.

RACHEL
To find Uranus, point your binoculars at the moon after it gets dark on the 2nd.

PAUL
Then look five degrees above the moon and slightly left.

RACHEL
Recall that most binoculars have field of view equal to 7.5 degrees.

PAUL
Which means Uranus will appear 2/3rds of the way above the moon.

RACHEL
Or put another way, Uranus is ten times the moon’s apparent diameter above it.

PAUL
If you see a warped rectangle of stars just below what you think is Uranus, then you’ll know you’re seeing Uranus.

RACHEL
Especially if only one of the star in the rectangle is as bright as Uranus.

PAUL
And the other three are slightly fainter.

RACHEL
Through binoculars, Uranus appears star-like.

PAUL
But it’s four times larger than Earth...

RACHEL
...or the third largest planet in the solar system.

PAUL
And it’s 18 times more distant from the sun.

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

 PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.