Look for the trio on the 19th after sunset.
 |
| Earthshine is visible on the young waxing crescent moon. Venus, the Evening Star this sprig and summer is located to the moon's right. And you can see fainter Mercury to the upper right of Venus. |
Monday, March 19, 2018
Mercury, Venus, and the Young Crescent Moon
Hey! The moon shared the evening sky with the Evening Star and Mercury on the evening of the 18th. I was able to get a picture of the trio in between some clouds. I used a Finepix S700 camera with a 2 second exposure and six power optical zoom.
Look for the trio on the 19th after sunset.
Look for the trio on the 19th after sunset.
Idaho Skies Transcript for March 23rd, 24th, and 25th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 23rd, 24th, and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon reaches first quarter this weekend.
PAUL
Scan along the terminator of the moon with binoculars or telescope and you’ll see lots of concavities on the moon.
RACHEL
These were first discovered by Galileo in 1609.
PAUL
The concavities are so small that it took Galileo’s first telescope to see even the largest one.
RACHEL
Galileo described them as depressions and not as mountains like some later astronomers did.
PAUL
His name for them, crater, comes from the name for a shallow cup.
RACHEL
Since their discovery, many astronomers wonder what was their cause.
PAUL
We’re familiar with volcanoes, so many geologists and astronomers believed that craters had a volcanic origin.
RACHEL
It was English astronomer Richard Anthony Procter who first made people seriously consider meteor impacts as their origin.
PAUL
Procter, by the way, was born 181 years ago on the 23rd.
RACHEL
Even into the mid 1960s, astronomers and geologists remained divided into two crater camps.
PAUL
The Vulcanists argued that lunar craters were the result of volcanoes on the moon.
RACHEL
The other camp, the Impact Theorists, argued that craters were the result of meteor impacts on the moon.
PAUL
There remained two camps until geologist Gene Shoemaker convinced scientists that Meteor Crater in Arizona was the result of a meteor impact on Earth.
RACHEL
And that was a scant four years before the first Apollo moon landing.
PAUL
Today, astronomers and geologists use crater densities as a tool for comparing the ages of planetary surfaces.
RACHEL
They can because they now understand craters are formed from a rain of meteors.
PAUL
And the more craters in a given area, the longer that area has been exposed to meteors.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of March.
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.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 23rd, 24th, and 25th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon reaches first quarter this weekend.
PAUL
Scan along the terminator of the moon with binoculars or telescope and you’ll see lots of concavities on the moon.
RACHEL
These were first discovered by Galileo in 1609.
PAUL
The concavities are so small that it took Galileo’s first telescope to see even the largest one.
RACHEL
Galileo described them as depressions and not as mountains like some later astronomers did.
PAUL
His name for them, crater, comes from the name for a shallow cup.
RACHEL
Since their discovery, many astronomers wonder what was their cause.
PAUL
We’re familiar with volcanoes, so many geologists and astronomers believed that craters had a volcanic origin.
RACHEL
It was English astronomer Richard Anthony Procter who first made people seriously consider meteor impacts as their origin.
PAUL
Procter, by the way, was born 181 years ago on the 23rd.
RACHEL
Even into the mid 1960s, astronomers and geologists remained divided into two crater camps.
PAUL
The Vulcanists argued that lunar craters were the result of volcanoes on the moon.
RACHEL
The other camp, the Impact Theorists, argued that craters were the result of meteor impacts on the moon.
PAUL
There remained two camps until geologist Gene Shoemaker convinced scientists that Meteor Crater in Arizona was the result of a meteor impact on Earth.
RACHEL
And that was a scant four years before the first Apollo moon landing.
PAUL
Today, astronomers and geologists use crater densities as a tool for comparing the ages of planetary surfaces.
RACHEL
They can because they now understand craters are formed from a rain of meteors.
PAUL
And the more craters in a given area, the longer that area has been exposed to meteors.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of March.
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.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Idaho Skies Transcript for March 21st and 22nd
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 21st and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The star Aldebaran lies along the ecliptic.
RACHEL
The ecliptic is an imaginary circle in the sky formed by the path of the sun, moon, and planets.
PAUL
This circle is tilted 23.5 degrees with respect to the equator’s projection into the sky.
RACHEL
Since the equator and ecliptic appear as circles on the spherical sky, they cross each other in two points.
PAUL
Those points of intersection are where the sun is located on the equinoxes.
RACHEL
Or the first day of spring and the first day of autumn.
PAUL
And when the sun’s location on the ecliptic is north of the equator, its spring and summer for the Northern hemisphere.
RACHEL
With small exceptions, you’ll always find the sun and planets close to the ecliptic.
PAUL
The moon deviates from the ecliptic more than the planets because its orbit is tilted an additional five degrees.
RACHEL
Still, the moon’s path is near enough to the ecliptic to appear close to the star Aldebaran every month.
PAUL
Such is the case on the night of the 22nd, where stargazers will find the pair in the western sky.
RACHEL
That night, Aldebaran will be the yellow-orange star at the moon’s lower right.
PAUL
Look just beyond Aldebaran and you’ll see the Hyades star cluster.
RACHEL
The Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun makes the sun appear close to Aldebaran.
PAUL
In fact, on May 31st the sun passes five degrees above Aldebaran.
RACHEL
Of course, this will occur during the day when the stars will not be visible.
PAUL
So you’re going to have to take our word that Aldebaran is really there that day.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st and 22nd of March.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 21st and 22nd. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The star Aldebaran lies along the ecliptic.
RACHEL
The ecliptic is an imaginary circle in the sky formed by the path of the sun, moon, and planets.
PAUL
This circle is tilted 23.5 degrees with respect to the equator’s projection into the sky.
RACHEL
Since the equator and ecliptic appear as circles on the spherical sky, they cross each other in two points.
PAUL
Those points of intersection are where the sun is located on the equinoxes.
RACHEL
Or the first day of spring and the first day of autumn.
PAUL
And when the sun’s location on the ecliptic is north of the equator, its spring and summer for the Northern hemisphere.
RACHEL
With small exceptions, you’ll always find the sun and planets close to the ecliptic.
PAUL
The moon deviates from the ecliptic more than the planets because its orbit is tilted an additional five degrees.
RACHEL
Still, the moon’s path is near enough to the ecliptic to appear close to the star Aldebaran every month.
PAUL
Such is the case on the night of the 22nd, where stargazers will find the pair in the western sky.
RACHEL
That night, Aldebaran will be the yellow-orange star at the moon’s lower right.
PAUL
Look just beyond Aldebaran and you’ll see the Hyades star cluster.
RACHEL
The Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun makes the sun appear close to Aldebaran.
PAUL
In fact, on May 31st the sun passes five degrees above Aldebaran.
RACHEL
Of course, this will occur during the day when the stars will not be visible.
PAUL
So you’re going to have to take our word that Aldebaran is really there that day.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 21st and 22nd of March.
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.
Idaho Skies Transcript for March 19th and 20th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
We’ve spent some of our shows recently talking about Mercury.
PAUL
That’s because this little world is making a brief appearance this week.
RACHEL
On the evening of the 19th, it passes its closest to Venus from Earth’s perspective.
PAUL
You’ll find the distance between them just under four degrees.
RACHEL
With a spacing of four degrees, both of them will fit within the field of view of your binoculars.
PAUL
Remember though, you can’t use your binoculars on Mercury and Venus until after the sun has set.
RACHEL
Hey! Guess what happens on the 20th?
PAUL
Umm, my laundry gets washed?
RACHEL
No silly, it’s the Vernal Equinox.
PAUL
Yea, the first day of spring!
RACHEL
That’s right. On the 20th, the sun stands directly above the equator.
PAUL
And even better, every day for the next six months, the sun stands over the Northern hemisphere.
RACHEL
So in Idaho we get to celebrate both the spring and summer seasons.
PAUL
Now actually, the sun doesn’t shift its position in the sky.
RACHEL
That’s right, our orbit makes Earth sometimes point towards or away from the sun.
PAUL
During spring and summer is a time when our spin axis points towards the sun.
RACHEL
Which gives us longer days and shorter nights.
PAUL
So until the Autumnal Equinox in September, enjoy days longer than the nights.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of March.
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.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 19th and 20th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
We’ve spent some of our shows recently talking about Mercury.
PAUL
That’s because this little world is making a brief appearance this week.
RACHEL
On the evening of the 19th, it passes its closest to Venus from Earth’s perspective.
PAUL
You’ll find the distance between them just under four degrees.
RACHEL
With a spacing of four degrees, both of them will fit within the field of view of your binoculars.
PAUL
Remember though, you can’t use your binoculars on Mercury and Venus until after the sun has set.
RACHEL
Hey! Guess what happens on the 20th?
PAUL
Umm, my laundry gets washed?
RACHEL
No silly, it’s the Vernal Equinox.
PAUL
Yea, the first day of spring!
RACHEL
That’s right. On the 20th, the sun stands directly above the equator.
PAUL
And even better, every day for the next six months, the sun stands over the Northern hemisphere.
RACHEL
So in Idaho we get to celebrate both the spring and summer seasons.
PAUL
Now actually, the sun doesn’t shift its position in the sky.
RACHEL
That’s right, our orbit makes Earth sometimes point towards or away from the sun.
PAUL
During spring and summer is a time when our spin axis points towards the sun.
RACHEL
Which gives us longer days and shorter nights.
PAUL
So until the Autumnal Equinox in September, enjoy days longer than the nights.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 19th and 20th of March.
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.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Full Moon Illusion
The moon near the horizon appears larger than the same moon overhead. for centuries, this effect has been argued about. Even today, we're still not sure why it happens. So driving to work this morning, I wasn't surprised to find that the crescent moon appeared larger than usual. I took a picture of the moon and then cropped the image to focus on the moon. It's surprising just how small it appears in the image.
You could prove the full moon illusion is just an illusion by using your cell phone to photograph the moon at moon rise and then several hours later. In both pictures, the moon will be the same size, but you'll swear the earlier moon was larger.
Here's a link to a Wikipedia article that you might find interesting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_illusion
You could prove the full moon illusion is just an illusion by using your cell phone to photograph the moon at moon rise and then several hours later. In both pictures, the moon will be the same size, but you'll swear the earlier moon was larger.
Here's a link to a Wikipedia article that you might find interesting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_illusion
Monday, March 12, 2018
Mercury and Venus
If you have a digital camera that you can mount to a tripod and take two second long exposures with, then try your hand at photographing Mercury and Venus this week. You'll need to try this as it's getting dark, the pair won't set very late.
 |
| Venus at the bottom of the image and Mercury in the upper right. Their spacing apart was nearly four degrees. Taken with a two second exposure and with six power optical zoom. |
Idaho Skies Transcript for March 16th, 17th, and 18th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 16th, 17th, and 18th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon is new just after midnight on the 17th.
RACHEL
And that means its only 38 hours old on the evening of the 18th.
PAUL
But wait, there’s more.
RACHEL
That’s right. If you look for the moon on the 18th, you’ll also see Mercury and Venus close by.
PAUL
Since the moon is barely a day and a half old, it’s a very thin crescent.
RACHEL
Meaning it’s difficult to see without binoculars.
PAUL
So at around 7:30 PM on the 18th, aim your eyes at the low west.
RACHEL
You’ll find that Venus is pretty easy to locate, since it’s so bright.
PAUL
Mercury however, will be a little more difficult to see for two reasons.
RACHEL
Because Mercury is only half the size of Venus and it’s much less reflective.
PAUL
That means you’re looking for a darker world when you search for Mercury.
RACHEL
But in Mercury’s favor, it’s only half the distance from Earth than Venus.
PAUL
Still, Mercury is about 40 times fainter than Venus on the 18th.
RACHEL
And located a little ways above the upper right of Venus.
PAUL
Next, search for the moon, which is nearly the same distance away from Venus as is Mercury.
RACHEL
But the moon is located to the left of Venus.
PAUL
Seeing both Mercury and the thin crescent moon will be easier if you use a pair of binoculars.
RACHEL
However, you can’t use them until after the sun has set.
PAUL
Good luck and may you be successful on your astronomical quest.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 16th, 17th, and 18th of March.
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.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for March 16th, 17th, and 18th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
The moon is new just after midnight on the 17th.
RACHEL
And that means its only 38 hours old on the evening of the 18th.
PAUL
But wait, there’s more.
RACHEL
That’s right. If you look for the moon on the 18th, you’ll also see Mercury and Venus close by.
PAUL
Since the moon is barely a day and a half old, it’s a very thin crescent.
RACHEL
Meaning it’s difficult to see without binoculars.
PAUL
So at around 7:30 PM on the 18th, aim your eyes at the low west.
RACHEL
You’ll find that Venus is pretty easy to locate, since it’s so bright.
PAUL
Mercury however, will be a little more difficult to see for two reasons.
RACHEL
Because Mercury is only half the size of Venus and it’s much less reflective.
PAUL
That means you’re looking for a darker world when you search for Mercury.
RACHEL
But in Mercury’s favor, it’s only half the distance from Earth than Venus.
PAUL
Still, Mercury is about 40 times fainter than Venus on the 18th.
RACHEL
And located a little ways above the upper right of Venus.
PAUL
Next, search for the moon, which is nearly the same distance away from Venus as is Mercury.
RACHEL
But the moon is located to the left of Venus.
PAUL
Seeing both Mercury and the thin crescent moon will be easier if you use a pair of binoculars.
RACHEL
However, you can’t use them until after the sun has set.
PAUL
Good luck and may you be successful on your astronomical quest.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 16th, 17th, and 18th of March.
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.
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