Idaho Skies Transcript for October 4th and 5th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 4th and 5th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Venus and Mars are very close to each other on the 5th.

RACHEL
You can’t miss Venus; it appears as the brightest star in the east at 5:30 AM.

PAUL
The Morning Star will appear white in color, that’s if there’s no more smoke filling the air.

RACHEL
Mars is much fainter than Venus and will have a yellowish or even faint orangish tint.

PAUL
Their distance apart is only one-quarter of a degree.

RACHEL
Which is only half the apparent distance across the moon.

PAUL
Or the same as 1/30th the distance across a binocular’s field of view.

RACHEL
So, very close indeed.

PAUL
You can see them as separate planets using just your eyes.

RACHEL
But binoculars will give a better view.

PAUL
Venus is approaching the horizon, so it’s getting closer to the horizon every day.

RACHEL
Mars is traveling away from the horizon, so it’s getting higher every day.

PAUL
Funny thing though, both planets are traveling the same direction on the other side of the sun.

RACHEL
The reason they appear to travel in different directions relative to the horizon has to do with the speed of Earth around the sun.

PAUL
Venus travels faster than Earth, so it appears to be approaching the sun from our perspective.

RACHEL
Mars on the other hand is slower than Earth.

PAUL
So Earth is catching up to Mars and increasing the angular distance between it and the sun.

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

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.