Idaho Skies Transcript for November 17th, 18th, and 19th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 17th, 18th, and 19th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Hey Idaho, let’s go meteor watching this week!

PAUL
The Leonid meteor shower is now at its peak intensity.

RACHEL
This meteor shower consists of cometary dust that’s slamming into the atmosphere at 44 miles per second.

PAUL
That’s faster than most other meteors and it results in a tremendously high kinetic energy for meteoroids.

RACHEL
Therefore, it’s not surprising that the largest Leonid meteoroids can result in spectacularly bright meteors.

PAUL
Look for Leonid meteors as they radiate from the low east after midnight.

RACHEL
And be sure to dress warmly.

PAUL
Stargazers could see upwards of 20 meteors per hour from this shower.

RACHEL
The moon’s new on the 18th.

PAUL
Which is one reason why the Leonids are such a great meteor shower this year.

RACHEL
The new moon means that the moon is passing too close to the sun for us to see it.

PAUL
The moon’s super thin crescent shape and location in the daytime sky makes it’s all but invisible.

RACHEL
Even though it is hiding in plain sight.

PAUL
With impossibly fantastic eyes, you would see the moon five degrees above the sun on the 18th.

RACHEL
Which is ten times the apparent diameter of the sun.

PAUL
So even when the moon is new, it’s still located in the sky.

RACHEL
It’s just too faint to see against an even brighter sky.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 17th, 18th, and 19th of November.

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

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.