Idaho Skies Transcript for June 15th, 16th, and 17th

PAUL

Welcome to Idaho Skies for June 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

 

RACHEL

…and Rachel.

 

PAUL

The night of the 16^th is going to be an interesting one for stargazers.

 

RACHEL

That’s because there are two astronomical events in close proximity that night.

 

PAUL

And both of them are perfect for your binoculars.

 

RACHEL

The action starts at around 10:00 PM, or as soon as the skies get dark.

 

PAUL

So start by looking in the low west for the four day old crescent moon.

 

RACHEL

Which will be located to the upper left of brilliant Venus.

 

PAUL

Scan the moon with your binoculars and you’ll see foreshortened craters along its brightly illuminated edge.

 

RACHEL

Now swing your binoculars back to Venus.

 

PAUL

But stop when you get half way there.

 

RACHEL

You’ll see the Beehive star cluster neatly positioned between the moon and Venus.

 

PAUL

The Beehive is packed with about 20 stars that you can see through binoculars.

 

RACHEL

Now that you can locate the Beehive, watch it for several days as Venus is approaching.

 

PAUL

Our next target is Regulus on the evening of the 17^th.

 

RACHEL

Regulus is the brightest star of Leo the Lion and it appears to the moon’s left.

 

PAUL

The star’s name means Little King in Latin…

 

RACHEL

…because the star represents the heart of Leo.

 

PAUL

And the ancients considered lions to represent nobility.

 

RACHEL

So don’t miss seeing this royal star on the evening of the 17^th.

 

PAUL

That’s Idaho Skies for the 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th of June.

 

RACHEL

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

 

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel…

 

PAUL

…and Paul.

 

RACHEL

Dark skies and bright stars.