Idaho Skies Transcript for December 3rd and 4th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for December 3rd and 4th. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Early-rising stargazers will find a treat in the morning sky.

RACHEL
If you look in the low southeast on Wednesday morning, you’ll find a very old moon close to the horizon. A good time to look for this is around 8:15 AM, before the sky brightens too much form the rising sun. You’ll want binoculars to scan the low horizon and locate the moon.

PAUL
If you’re not sure where to look for the moon, then look for the Morning Star first. Brilliant Venus will be located three times higher in the southeast. Venus you can’t miss or confuse for another star because there’s nothing like it in the sky. Venus is leaving the far side of the sun and speeding ahead to get between Earth and the sun.

RACHEL
Venus and the moon aren’t your ultimate goals. Your goal is a star located below just a little distance beneath the moon. This is Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system. Mercury will be faint compared to Venus, but it will be the only star to appear beneath the moon. If you find this sun-baked world, you’ll be in a small company of people. That’s because most people on planet Earth have never seen the planet Mercury. 

PAUL
One would think that since Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is, that Mercury would have the higher surface temperature. Actually, the hottest is the surface of Venus because of its massive atmosphere. This atmosphere is primarily carbon dioxide, a famous greenhouse gas. Because the pressure of the Venusian atmosphere is 90 times greater than Earth’s and almost entirely CO2, what heat reaches its surface and never escape. 

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 3rd and 4th of December.

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.