DAN
Welcome to Idaho Skies for
the week of October 14th. We’re your hosts, Dan…
STEVEN
…and Steven.
PAUL
The moon spends this week traveling past large star
clusters. Although craters will not be very visible on the gibbous moon, the
star clusters are still nice binocular targets.
DAN
The first star cluster is the called the Pleiades. You might
know it as the Seven Sisters. The name Pleiades comes from the Greek verb for
to sail. When the Pleiades rose just before sunrise, it was time for the Greek
to begin sailing in the Mediterranean Sea .
Until the weather was settled, it was too dangerous to sail.
STEVEN
The sisters are the daughters of the Greek titan, Atlas.
Atlas choose the wrong side in the war between the older titans and the younger
gods like Zeus. As a consequence, he was condemned to spend the rest of
eternity supporting the heavens on his back. He was eventually rescued from
this curse by being turned into stone.
DAN
The seven sisters are named Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia,
Taygeta, Celaeno, and Alcyone. The brightest is Alcyone. The distance to the
star cluster is 444 light years. So the light you see tonight left in the year
1575. Astronomers have determined that the star cluster formed within the last
100 million years.
STEVEN
Galileo was the first person to turn a telescope to the
Pleiades. He was surprised to find some three dozen stars when most people can
only six or seven member stars. You can see the cluster like Galileo did by
aiming your binoculars at the star cluster this week. Can you see as many stars
as Galileo?
PAUL
Enjoy viewing the Pleiades star cluster with your binoculars
this week. And don’t forget to look at the Hyades star cluster, which the moon
passes on the 16th.
DAN
That’s Idaho Skies
for the week of October 14th.
STEVEN
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this
week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Steven…
DAN
…and Dan.
STEVEN
Dark skies and bright stars.
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