Idaho Skies Transcript for August 1st and 2nd

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for August 1st and 2nd. We’re your hosts, Paul...


RACHEL
...and Rachel.


PAUL
Stargazers will have noticed that Venus is getting ever closer to the horizon.


RACHEL
This means it’s on it way out of the evening sky.


PAUL
In fact, within six weeks Venus will be lost in the sun’s glare.


RACHEL
So take some time out this evening to look for Venus in the low west.


PAUL
Guess whose birthday it is on the 1st.


RACHEL
It’s the birthday of Maria Mitchell.


PAUL
Did you known that she was the first American woman to become an official astronomer?


RACHEL
One reason why is that she was born a Quaker.


PAUL
The Quaker (faith) religion is famous for viewing men and women as equals.


RACHEL
Which meant she had access to a better education than most women did in 1818.


PAUL
Maria became famous in 1847 when she discovered a comet.


RACHEL
Her comet was too faint for a person to see without a telescope.


PAUL
This made her only the third woman to discover a comet.


RACHEL
And the only American woman to do so.


PAUL
She made measurements of the comet’s position and used that data to calculate its orbit a month later.


RACHEL
Maria’s discovery and work resulted in her being awarded a gold medal by the king of Denmark.


PAUL
One result of this award is that it helped legitimize American astronomy in the eyes of the Europeans.


RACHEL
Her accomplishments don’t end with a comet discovery.


PAUL
That’s right; she and her students were the first astronomers to take daily pictures of sunspots.


RACHEL
She was the first woman elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1850.


PAUL
She became the first astronomy professor at Vassar College in 1865.


RACHEL
And she was also the director of the college’s observatory.


PAUL
You can learn more about Maria Mitchell on Wikipedia


RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 1st and 2nd of August.


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.