Idaho Skies Transcript for February 28th and March 1st

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for February 28th and March 1st. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Take a quick look at the moon on the evening of the 28th.

RACHEL
That night, the moon is located in Leo the Lion and only two days from full.

PAUL
You’ll notice that there’s a bright star to the lower right of the moon. Can you guess its name?

RACHEL
If you said Regulus, then give yourself a pat on the back.

PAUL
Regulus represents the heart of Leo the Lion and its only ½ of a degree from the moon.

RACHEL
Or the same angular distance as the moon’s apparent diameter.

PAUL
Since the moon’s glare can be bright, Regulus will be easier to see if you use binoculars.

RACHEL
Regulus is 77 light years away from the solar system.

PAUL
So if you know someone who was born in 1941, then Regulus is their birthday star this year.

RACHEL
Fifty-two years ago on the 1st, the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet might have landed.

PAUL
Might have landed?

RACHEL
Yep, it might have. The Soviet’s launched Venera 3 the previous November with the hope of being the first to reach Venus.

PAUL
This was after their space program had suffered a long string of frustrations and failures with their previous unmanned missions.

RACHEL
This time, the launch successfully put the spacecraft on course for Venus.

PAUL
However, Venera 3’s radio system failed two weeks before it reached the planet.

RACHEL
Which means that the first spacecraft to reach another planet was probably dead on arrival.

PAUL
Hey, no one said that spaceflight was easy.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 28th of February and 1st of March.

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.