Idaho Skies Transcript for November 29th and 30th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
On the 29th, stargazers will find the planet Uranus only seven degrees from the moon.

RACHEL
That’s so close that binoculars can easily locate the solar system’s 7th planet.

PAUL
To see Uranus, stargazers should take a pair of binoculars to a location with dark skies.

RACHEL
They won’t need to leave town, but they should at least get out from under street lights.

PAUL
Now Uranus will look like a star, so stargazers will need to take their time verifying the planet.

RACHEL
Fortunately, Uranus will be the brightest star in the area, so that won’t be too difficult.

PAUL
Stargazers should start by pointing their binoculars at the moon at around 8:00 PM.

RACHEL
Don’t worry if you can’t make this observation exactly at 8:00 PM, it’s just a little bit easier to identify Uranus at around this time.

PAUL
Then put the moon just outside the edge of the binoculars’ field of view at the 4:30 position.

RACHEL
Uranus will be the star just inside the binoculars’ field of view at the 10:30 position.

PAUL
Uranus is a planet four times larger than the Earth.

RACHEL
Astronomers consider it to be an ice giant.

PAUL
Ice giants are planets that formed from lots of water and frozen gases in the outer solar system.

RACHEL
The atmospheres of ice giants are richer in gases like methane than the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn.

PAUL
A day on Uranus lasts 17 hours, so not much shorter than a day on Earth.

RACHEL
However, a year on Uranus lasts 84 years.

PAUL
Its long year means that since its discovery in 1781, Uranus hasn’t even made three trips around the sun.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of November.

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.