Idaho Skies Transcript for the week of December 9th

DAN

Welcome to Idaho Skies for the week of December 9^th. We’re your hosts, Dan…

BENJAMIN

…and Dan.

DAN

Because it travels around the heavens in 30 days, the moon makes a great astronomical guide. However, it’s restricted to the path taken by the sun and planets, or the constellations of the Zodiac. Since the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters are located in Taurus the Bull, the moon visits them monthly. 

BENJAMIN

So go outside on the 9^th to locate the Pleiades above the moon. Then again on the 10^th to find the moon inside the Hyades star cluster. Both star clusters are ideal binocular objects. As long as the moon’s light doesn’t interfere with the fainter stars, you’ll see at least two dozen stars in each cluster.   

DAN

Moonlight is a problem, however, because the moon is full on the 11^th. The full moon can be blinding through a telescope or even binoculars. After looking at the moon, don’t be surprised if you can’t see faint objects as well as you could before. Fortunately, this effect goes away in a few minutes.

BENJAMIN

You will hardly see any craters on the full moon. There are two reasons for this. First, when the sun is overhead, it casts few shadows. And two, Earth and the sun appear in the same place from the moon’s perspective. That means any shadows cast by sunlight are covered up by the terrain creating the shadows in the first place.      

DAN

That’s Idaho Skies for the week of December 9^th.  

BEJAMIN

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

For Idaho Skies this is Benjamin…

DAN

…and Dan.

BENJAMIN

Dark skies and bright stars.