Idaho Skies Transcript for November 21st and 22nd

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for November 21st and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
The full moon appears near two large star clusters on the 22nd.

RACHEL
The star clusters are the Pleiades and the Hyades. The smaller of the two is the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters because of the mythology surrounding it. The usual claim is that a sharp-eyed stargazer can see seven members of this star cluster. However, most of us can only see six. So there’s a story explaining the missing Pleiad, which according to the Greek Eratosthenes, is named Merope. 

PAUL
Merope’s other sisters are named Alcyone, Asterope, Calaeno, Electra, Maia, and Taygete. They were the daughters of the titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione. The brightest of the sisters is Alcyone. Stargazers will see her at the middle left of the star cluster during November evenings. 

RACHEL
To the unaided eye, the Pleiades look like a frosty patch of night sky, just perfect for chilly autumn nights. This frosty appearance is due to a multitude of stars too faint to be seen without optical aid. It’s not due to the dusty cloud that the star cluster is moving through. The Merope nebula, as this glowing cloud is known as, is the result of the Pleiades’ starlight reflecting off of dust. Astronomers call this a reflection nebula and you need a telescope to see it. 

PAUL
The Pleiades appear as a tiny dipper, but please don’t confuse it for the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper or Ursa Minor is much larger and located in the northern sky tonight. The Pleiades are a true star cluster, meaning all of its stars formed together about 100 million years ago. However, due to the gravitational interactions between the stars, the cluster will dissolve into the galaxy in another 250 million years. So be sure to observe this star cluster before it’s too late.   

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st and 22nd of November.

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.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.