Idaho Skies Transcript for December 6th and 7th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 6th and 7th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Hey, the Beehive star cluster is only three degrees away from the moon on the 7th.

RACHEL
By the way, three degrees is less than half the field of view through binoculars.

PAUL
The Beehive is large and bright enough that stargazers can see this star cluster as a fuzzy patch with just their eyes in dark skies.

RACHEL
But the Beehive really shines in binoculars.

PAUL
That’s where the star cluster appears as a swarm of stars instead of a fuzzy spot.

RACHEL
In fact, in good skies, stargazers may see as many as two dozen stars in a small area.

PAUL
The stars inside a star cluster are stellar brothers and sisters.

RACHEL
That’s because they were born from the same parent cloud of dust and gas.

PAUL
Like siblings, stars in a star cluster will eventually leave their homes to wander the galaxy.

RACHEL
They’ll develop the tendency to never call their moms, either.

PAUL
The presence of the moon will make it easier for city dwellers to find the Beehive star cluster.

RACHEL
So aim your binoculars at the moon at around 5:00 AM on the 7th.

PAUL
Then look to the moon’s upper right.

RACHEL
About six lunar diameters away stargazers will see a grouping of stars about the size of the moon.

PAUL
The stars will remind many stargazers of a swarm of bees around their hive.

RACHEL
The Beehive star cluster is 577 light years away.

PAUL
So the light you see tonight left in the year 1440, or 52 years before Columbus left Spain on a voyage that he thought would bring him to India (and China).

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 6th and 7th of December.

 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.