Idaho Skies Transcript for April 18th and 19th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 18th and 19th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Stargazers will find the moon immersed in a large star cluster on the evening of the 18th.

RACHEL
We know that star cluster by its name, the Hyades.

PAUL
Which means the moon is also passing through Taurus the Bull.

RACHEL
It also means that the moon appears close to the brightest star of Taurus, Aldebaran.

PAUL
So get your binoculars out as this view is bound to please the most discriminating stargazer.

RACHEL
Stargazers will first notice just how thin the moon appears.

PAUL
Then they’ll see many of the stars of the Hyades below and right of the moon.

RACHEL
Aldebaran will be the bright and orangish-yellow star appearing at the moon’s upper left.

PAUL
While the moon and Aldebaran appear close together in binoculars, they’re not really that close at all.

RACHEL
It takes light about 1.25 seconds to travel the distance between the moon and Earth...

PAUL
...but 65 years to travel between Earth and Aldebaran.

RACHEL
Did you know that Aldebaran is more massive than the sun?

PAUL
Which means it’s fusing its supply of hydrogen faster than the sun.

RACHEL
Astronomers believe there’s no more hydrogen fusing in the core of Aldebaran

PAUL
Instead, its core is made up of helium ash, which Aldebaran is not hot enough to fuse yet.

RACHEL
However, the fusing hydrogen is confined to a shell surrounding its hot helium core.

PAUL
And that’s expanded the stars atmosphere to 44 times larger than our sun.

RACHEL
That expansion has also cooled its atmosphere.

PAUL
Which is why it appears a light orange to us and not yellow or blue-white.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 18th and 19th of April.

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.