PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 27th, 28th, and 29th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon is new late on the 27th.
RACHEL
Unfortunately, the moon is not passing over the sun.
PAUL
That would result in a solar eclipse like the one Idahoans will see on August 21st.
RACHEL
Even though the moon is not passing over the sun, it’s still too close for stargazers to see.
PAUL
To be able to see the moon, it has to be far enough away from the sun to be above the horizon after the sun has set.
RACHEL
Depending on the tilt of the moon’s path with respect to the horizon...
PAUL
...and the speed of the moon around Earth...
RACHEL
...some stargazers have seen the moon when it was just under 24 hours old.
PAUL
In our case, we get an opportunity to see the moon on the 29th when its 48 hours old.
RACHEL
Your chance of seeing the moon that young is greater if you drive up to Bogus Basin.
PAUL
That way you’re above the haze in the valley.
RACHEL
And the horizon between west and southwest appears lower.
PAUL
It should get dark enough to see the moon by 6:30 PM.
RACHEL
But a pair of binoculars might show it 30 minutes earlier.
PAUL
However, do not start scanning the horizon with binoculars until after the sun has set.
RACHEL
If you see the moon on the 29th, you’ll have accomplished a feat very people have done.
PAUL
Now, can you beat your record and find the moon when it’s even younger?
RACHEL
It’s a game some stargazers like to play.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 27th, 28th, and 29th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Transcript for January 25th and 26th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 25th and 26th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The Opportunity Mars rover celebrates its 12th year on Mars.
PAUL
Now this calls for a party.
RACHEL
Maybe a slice of Red Velvet cake?
PAUL
Perhaps.
RACHEL
Anyway, Opportunity was launched on July 7th 2003
PAUL
And designed for a 90 day mission on Mars.
RACHEL
However, JPL normally over-builds it spacecraft because of the harshness of spaceflight.
PAUL
Therefore, the rover has been traversing Mars for over 4,700 days so far.
RACHEL
Even though it travels more slowly than a human does...
PAUL
...yeah, 1/10th of a mile per hour...
RACHEL
...it has managed to cover over 27 miles of the Martian surface.
PAUL
This illustrates one of the benefits of using rovers in place of fixed spacecraft landers.
RACHEL
Opportunity has photographed dust devils crossing the surface.
PAUL
Which shows that Mars’ very thin atmosphere can push winds fast enough to lift small dust grains off the surface.
RACHEL
It’s also found the remains of old geothermal sites.
PAUL
We now know that Mars once had liquid water and magma interacting with each other like we see at Yellowstone.
RACHEL
It’s also discovered pristine meteorites laying on the Martian surface.
PAUL
That’s an indication that there’s too little liquid water on the surface of Mars today to chemical weather the meteorites.
RACHEL
So be sure to celebrate the anniversary of Opportunity’s landing on Mars.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 25th and 26th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 25th and 26th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The Opportunity Mars rover celebrates its 12th year on Mars.
PAUL
Now this calls for a party.
RACHEL
Maybe a slice of Red Velvet cake?
PAUL
Perhaps.
RACHEL
Anyway, Opportunity was launched on July 7th 2003
PAUL
And designed for a 90 day mission on Mars.
RACHEL
However, JPL normally over-builds it spacecraft because of the harshness of spaceflight.
PAUL
Therefore, the rover has been traversing Mars for over 4,700 days so far.
RACHEL
Even though it travels more slowly than a human does...
PAUL
...yeah, 1/10th of a mile per hour...
RACHEL
...it has managed to cover over 27 miles of the Martian surface.
PAUL
This illustrates one of the benefits of using rovers in place of fixed spacecraft landers.
RACHEL
Opportunity has photographed dust devils crossing the surface.
PAUL
Which shows that Mars’ very thin atmosphere can push winds fast enough to lift small dust grains off the surface.
RACHEL
It’s also found the remains of old geothermal sites.
PAUL
We now know that Mars once had liquid water and magma interacting with each other like we see at Yellowstone.
RACHEL
It’s also discovered pristine meteorites laying on the Martian surface.
PAUL
That’s an indication that there’s too little liquid water on the surface of Mars today to chemical weather the meteorites.
RACHEL
So be sure to celebrate the anniversary of Opportunity’s landing on Mars.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 25th and 26th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Transcript for January 22nd and 23rd
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 23rd and 24th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The every thin crescent moon appears next to Saturn on the morning of the 24th.
RACHEL
To see this astronomical event, go outside at 6:30 AM.
PAUL
Then look very low in the southeast.
RACHEL
The moon will appear as a very thin crescent and Saturn will be the star to the right of the moon.
PAUL
The moon is thin enough that your binoculars will not show a lot of craters.
RACHEL
However, they will show several star clusters and nebulae lying between the solar system and the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
PAUL
To see them, just scan the region to the left of the moon.
RACHEL
You’re looking for the small fuzzy spots.
PAUL
This region of the sky is located over the galaxy’s nucleus.
RACHEL
Which is the region we see in the low south on summer nights.
PAUL
Since its six months before we see this region in the south after sunset, we can see it at 6:00 AM January mornings.
RACHEL
The reason we see it in the morning now is that the stars rise four minutes earlier each day.
PAUL
That makes a day with respect to the stars only 23 hours and 56 minutes long.
RACHEL
Astronomers call this the sidereal day.
PAUL
The length of the day relative to the sun however is 24 hours long.
RACHEL
And astronomers call this the solar day.
PAUL
The four minute difference results from Earth orbiting the sun once a year.
RACHEL
So as Earth goes around the sun, the stars appear to rise four minutes earlier than the sun each day.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd and 24th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 23rd and 24th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The every thin crescent moon appears next to Saturn on the morning of the 24th.
RACHEL
To see this astronomical event, go outside at 6:30 AM.
PAUL
Then look very low in the southeast.
RACHEL
The moon will appear as a very thin crescent and Saturn will be the star to the right of the moon.
PAUL
The moon is thin enough that your binoculars will not show a lot of craters.
RACHEL
However, they will show several star clusters and nebulae lying between the solar system and the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
PAUL
To see them, just scan the region to the left of the moon.
RACHEL
You’re looking for the small fuzzy spots.
PAUL
This region of the sky is located over the galaxy’s nucleus.
RACHEL
Which is the region we see in the low south on summer nights.
PAUL
Since its six months before we see this region in the south after sunset, we can see it at 6:00 AM January mornings.
RACHEL
The reason we see it in the morning now is that the stars rise four minutes earlier each day.
PAUL
That makes a day with respect to the stars only 23 hours and 56 minutes long.
RACHEL
Astronomers call this the sidereal day.
PAUL
The length of the day relative to the sun however is 24 hours long.
RACHEL
And astronomers call this the solar day.
PAUL
The four minute difference results from Earth orbiting the sun once a year.
RACHEL
So as Earth goes around the sun, the stars appear to rise four minutes earlier than the sun each day.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd and 24th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
January's Star is Rigel
This month’s star is Rigel, the blue-white star marking Orion’s left foot. Rigel is called Beta Orionis by astronomers. To appear as the 7th brightest star in the sky at a distance of 863 light years, Rigel has to be a very large and massive star. Therefore, it’s not surprising to learn that Rigel is 120,000 times brighter, 25 times more massive, and 96 times larger than the sun. If it replaced our sun, the surface of Rigel would engulf poor little Mercury. It would appear some 45 degrees across in our sky and roast Earth’s surface to death.
Like people, stars this massive don’t live long. It appears Rigel is only 8 million years old and it’s already used up its original supply of hydrogen. The star is now consuming its supply of helium ash. In star years, Rigel will not last much longer. And when it does go, it will explode as a supernova and send the heavy metals it has generated over its short life across this region of the galaxy. As a result, future stars will form with more elements like carbon, oxygen, iron, and gold.
The star’s name comes from the Arabic word for foot (in Arabic, the star is called the foot of the great one). The oldest reference to its current name goes back to the 13th century.
Rigel can be seen in the low southeast before the sky gets completely dark in January.
Transcript for January 20th to 22nd
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 20th, 21st, and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Stargazers should start looking for earthshine on the morning of the 22nd.
PAUL
Earthshine is also called the moon’s Ashen Glow.
RACHEL
Stargazers will notice the dark portion of the moon is not actually black.
PAUL
Instead, it’s faintly illuminated.
RACHEL
In binoculars, that illumination is bright enough to show some lunar details.
PAUL
Details like the lunar seas or maria.
RACHEL
We know that the illumination comes from sunlight reflecting off of Earth.
PAUL
It was Leonardo da Vinci in the 1500s that explained the moon’s ashen glow as the result of sunlight reflecting off of Earth.
RACHEL
Did you know that by monitoring earthshine, scientists can determine the percentage of Earth’s cloud cover?
PAUL
That’s because earthshine is brighter when there are more clouds.
RACHEL
Long term variations in cloud cover can be determined this way since there are records of the brightness of earthshine.
PAUL
Earthshine is one example of planetshine.
RACHEL
Planetshine is the general term for the illumination of satellites by the reflection of sunlight off of any planet.
PAUL
And it’s been observed on the moons of Saturn by the Cassini spacecraft.
RACHEL
Planetshine has allowed the spacecraft to map the surfaces of moons when they were not properly illuminated by sunlight.
PAUL
By the way, some of the dark hemispheres of Saturn’s moons were observed using sunlight reflecting off the planets rings.
RACHEL
Let me guess, this is called ringshine.
PAUL
Yep.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of January.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 20th, 21st, and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Stargazers should start looking for earthshine on the morning of the 22nd.
PAUL
Earthshine is also called the moon’s Ashen Glow.
RACHEL
Stargazers will notice the dark portion of the moon is not actually black.
PAUL
Instead, it’s faintly illuminated.
RACHEL
In binoculars, that illumination is bright enough to show some lunar details.
PAUL
Details like the lunar seas or maria.
RACHEL
We know that the illumination comes from sunlight reflecting off of Earth.
PAUL
It was Leonardo da Vinci in the 1500s that explained the moon’s ashen glow as the result of sunlight reflecting off of Earth.
RACHEL
Did you know that by monitoring earthshine, scientists can determine the percentage of Earth’s cloud cover?
PAUL
That’s because earthshine is brighter when there are more clouds.
RACHEL
Long term variations in cloud cover can be determined this way since there are records of the brightness of earthshine.
PAUL
Earthshine is one example of planetshine.
RACHEL
Planetshine is the general term for the illumination of satellites by the reflection of sunlight off of any planet.
PAUL
And it’s been observed on the moons of Saturn by the Cassini spacecraft.
RACHEL
Planetshine has allowed the spacecraft to map the surfaces of moons when they were not properly illuminated by sunlight.
PAUL
By the way, some of the dark hemispheres of Saturn’s moons were observed using sunlight reflecting off the planets rings.
RACHEL
Let me guess, this is called ringshine.
PAUL
Yep.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of January.
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.
Transcript for January 18th and 19th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 18th and 19th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
There’s an astronomical trio on the morning of the 19th.
RACHEL
To see this sight, go outside at about 3:00 AM and look for the moon in the low southeast.
PAUL
The moon is the first of the trio.
RACHEL
The other two are the planet Jupiter and the star Spica.
PAUL
Jupiter is the bright creamy white star located to the right of the moon.
RACHEL
Spica is a whiter spark of light and it’s located to the moon’s lower right.
PAUL
The moon is in the last quarter phase.
RACHEL
That means stargazers with a pair of binoculars can enjoy the trio even more.
PAUL
When they point binoculars at the moon, it will show lots of craters, especially strewn across its southern hemisphere.
RACHEL
Jupiter on the other hand will show no surface detail.
PAUL
However, its four largest satellites will appear in a line on the right side of the planet.
RACHEL
It might be tough to see Ganymede, because of how close it appears to the glare of Jupiter.
PAUL
The other three will definitely be easier to see.
RACHEL
They are, going from closest to Jupiter to farthest, Ganymede...
PAUL
...volcanic Io...
RACHEL
...icy Europa...
PAUL
...and finally Callisto.
RACHEL
These four satellites are close to the size of our moon and yet, binoculars can show them from 480 million miles away.
PAUL
Imagine what Earth and the moon would look like from Jupiter?
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 18th and 19th of January.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 18th and 19th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
There’s an astronomical trio on the morning of the 19th.
RACHEL
To see this sight, go outside at about 3:00 AM and look for the moon in the low southeast.
PAUL
The moon is the first of the trio.
RACHEL
The other two are the planet Jupiter and the star Spica.
PAUL
Jupiter is the bright creamy white star located to the right of the moon.
RACHEL
Spica is a whiter spark of light and it’s located to the moon’s lower right.
PAUL
The moon is in the last quarter phase.
RACHEL
That means stargazers with a pair of binoculars can enjoy the trio even more.
PAUL
When they point binoculars at the moon, it will show lots of craters, especially strewn across its southern hemisphere.
RACHEL
Jupiter on the other hand will show no surface detail.
PAUL
However, its four largest satellites will appear in a line on the right side of the planet.
RACHEL
It might be tough to see Ganymede, because of how close it appears to the glare of Jupiter.
PAUL
The other three will definitely be easier to see.
RACHEL
They are, going from closest to Jupiter to farthest, Ganymede...
PAUL
...volcanic Io...
RACHEL
...icy Europa...
PAUL
...and finally Callisto.
RACHEL
These four satellites are close to the size of our moon and yet, binoculars can show them from 480 million miles away.
PAUL
Imagine what Earth and the moon would look like from Jupiter?
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 18th and 19th of January.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Transcript for January 16th and 17th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 16th and 17th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
In order for American astronauts to go to the moon, the United States had to learn how to dock two spacecraft.
PAUL
Surprisingly though, this feat was first accomplished by the Soviet Union on January 16th, 1969.
RACHEL
Or six months before the first moon landing.
PAUL
This was the third docking attempt by the Soviet Union.
RACHEL
The previous missions all failed to dock and one cosmonaut’s life was lost.
PAUL
On January 16th, Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov was launched into Earth orbit onboard the spacecraft Soyuz 4.
RACHEL
Cosmonauts Aleksei and Yevgeny rode Soyuz 5 into orbit and rendezvoused with Soyuz 4.
PAUL
The cosmonauts spent an hour transferring from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4.
RACHEL
Why did it take so long?
PAUL
Because there was no tunnel between the docked Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 spacecraft.
RACHEL
In other words, the cosmonauts spent an hour performing a spacewalk to transfer from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4.
PAUL
Two months later, a Saturn V would carry Apollo 9 and its lunar lander into Earth orbit.
RACHEL
American astronauts McDivitt and Schweikart tested the lunar lander in Earth orbit.
PAUL
And then docked with astronaut Scott in the Apollo 9 spacecraft.
RACHEL
They were able to transfer back again to Apollo 9, but used a tunnel connecting the two spacecraft.
PAUL
In January 1969, the Soviets were still planning to send cosmonauts to the moon.
RACHEL
But they would have to perform an EVA to transfer from the lunar lander back to their spacecraft.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 16th and 17th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for January 16th and 17th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
In order for American astronauts to go to the moon, the United States had to learn how to dock two spacecraft.
PAUL
Surprisingly though, this feat was first accomplished by the Soviet Union on January 16th, 1969.
RACHEL
Or six months before the first moon landing.
PAUL
This was the third docking attempt by the Soviet Union.
RACHEL
The previous missions all failed to dock and one cosmonaut’s life was lost.
PAUL
On January 16th, Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov was launched into Earth orbit onboard the spacecraft Soyuz 4.
RACHEL
Cosmonauts Aleksei and Yevgeny rode Soyuz 5 into orbit and rendezvoused with Soyuz 4.
PAUL
The cosmonauts spent an hour transferring from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4.
RACHEL
Why did it take so long?
PAUL
Because there was no tunnel between the docked Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 spacecraft.
RACHEL
In other words, the cosmonauts spent an hour performing a spacewalk to transfer from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4.
PAUL
Two months later, a Saturn V would carry Apollo 9 and its lunar lander into Earth orbit.
RACHEL
American astronauts McDivitt and Schweikart tested the lunar lander in Earth orbit.
PAUL
And then docked with astronaut Scott in the Apollo 9 spacecraft.
RACHEL
They were able to transfer back again to Apollo 9, but used a tunnel connecting the two spacecraft.
PAUL
In January 1969, the Soviets were still planning to send cosmonauts to the moon.
RACHEL
But they would have to perform an EVA to transfer from the lunar lander back to their spacecraft.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 16th and 17th of January.
RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
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