Idaho Skies Transcript for November 27th and 28th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 27th and 28th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Early risers will find Mars just three degrees from the star Spica.

PAUL
Mars has just rounded the far side of the sun, from Earth’s perspective.

RACHEL
This summer it will blaze as a bright reddish-orange beacon.

PAUL
Meanwhile, stargazers will find Mars right now if they look in the low southeast at 6:00 AM.

RACHEL
The first star you’ll see is pure white Spica; the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.

PAUL
Then to the upper left of Spica and pretty close to it is a fainter, slightly yellowish star.

RACHEL
That star is Mars.

PAUL
Mars is too far away to show any detail in telescopes, let alone binoculars.

RACHEL
The casual stargazer can take pleasure in knowing they’re looking at a world half the size of Earth.

PAUL
And one with an atmosphere only 1% as dense as ours.

RACHEL
However, this may be a future second home for our near descendants.

PAUL
One thing they’ll have to do is beef up the little planet’s atmosphere.

RACHEL
That way it can be breathable and comfortably warm.

PAUL
The process is called terraforming.

RACHEL
And it could require that we crash icy comets into the planet at regular intervals.

PAUL
Or dump massive quantities of chlorofluorocarbons into the Martian atmosphere.

RACHEL
That sounds like a lot of ethical questions I don’t want to even try to unpack.

PAUL
However, one day our ancestors might know a red Mars, a green Mars, and finally a blue Mars.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 27th and 28th of November.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.