PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 13th and 14th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Earth’s orbit around the sun makes the sun appear to travel through 13 constellations. We call 12 of these the zodiac.
RACHEL
Zodiac has the same root word found in zoo. So listeners won’t be surprised that the word zodiac is from the Greek for circle of little animals. All but one of the zodiacal constellations are animals in one form or another. The one constellation that is not an animal is Libra the Scales. However, it used to be a part of Scorpius.
PAUL
Three of the constellations represent humans. Those are Gemini, Virgo, and Aquarius. Six are strictly animals, Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull, Cancer the Crab, Leo the Lion, Scorpius the Scorpion, and Pisces the Fish. The remaining two are chimeras or mixtures of animals. These are Sagittarius the Centaur Archer and Capricornus, the half goat half fish.
RACHEL
Technically, there’s nothing special about these constellations. If Earth’s orbit was tilted at a different angle, then the sun would appear to travel through a different set of constellations. Besides, the constellations and their boundaries are human inventions and not special to the universe overall.
PAUL
Because Earth’ spin axis wobbles every 26,000 years, the actual zodiacal constellation the sun occupies each day shifts. About 2,000 years ago, the sun resided in Cancer on the first day of summer. This is why we call the latitude of 23.5 degrees north the Tropic of Cancer. The latitude of 23.5 degrees south is called the Tropic of Capricorn for the opposite reason.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 13th and 14th of May.
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.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Sunspot AR2740 and AR2741
Sunspot AR2740 used to be called AR2738 before it rotated to the far side of the sun. The sun rotates once every 27 or so days (the number of days is different for different latitudes). Since AR2738 survived for more than 14 days, the sun's rotation brought it back to our view again. As a result, astronomers gave it a new name, AR2740.
The image below shows the sunspot taken with a cellphone through a safe solar telescope. If you look carefully to the spot's lower left, there's another sunspot very close to the sun's edge. In a another few days, this spot ought to be easily visible. The spot's name is AR2741.
The sun is in a quiet phase, so it's a pleasant surprise to see sunspots at this time.
The image below shows the sunspot taken with a cellphone through a safe solar telescope. If you look carefully to the spot's lower left, there's another sunspot very close to the sun's edge. In a another few days, this spot ought to be easily visible. The spot's name is AR2741.
The sun is in a quiet phase, so it's a pleasant surprise to see sunspots at this time.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Idaho Skies Transcript for May 10th, 11th, and 12th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 10th, 11th, and 12th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
While listeners relax this weekend, the moon will be very busy on astronomical business.
PAUL
Have your binoculars ready as soon as it gets dark on the 10th. Stargazers will find the half full moon a mere one degree away for the Beehive Star cluster. Recall that binoculars have a field of view of 7.5 degrees and the moon appears half a degree across. So the Beehive will appear in binoculars with the moon and only two lunar diameters away.
RACHEL
The Beehive will appear as a sprinkle of stars to the moon’s right. Since the moon’s light will interfere, you won’t see the two dozen or more stars people can normally see. However, you will notice the star cluster appears as large as the moon. The star cluster has over 1,000 stars and is around 600 light years away.
PAUL
The moon then reaches first quarter on the 12th. So this weekend will be a perfect time to observe the moon through binoculars, spotting scope, or small telescope. With the terminator turned directly towards Earth, the straight edge between day and night will appear flush with craters.
RACHEL
Before turning in for the night on Sunday, take a moment to stargaze. You’ll find the moon located at the base of Leo the Lion. The star located to the moon’s lower right is Regulus, the Lion’s heart. The star farther away to the moon’s upper left is called Denebola. This is the base of the Lion’s tail.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th, 11th, and 12th of May.
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 May 10th, 11th, and 12th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
While listeners relax this weekend, the moon will be very busy on astronomical business.
PAUL
Have your binoculars ready as soon as it gets dark on the 10th. Stargazers will find the half full moon a mere one degree away for the Beehive Star cluster. Recall that binoculars have a field of view of 7.5 degrees and the moon appears half a degree across. So the Beehive will appear in binoculars with the moon and only two lunar diameters away.
RACHEL
The Beehive will appear as a sprinkle of stars to the moon’s right. Since the moon’s light will interfere, you won’t see the two dozen or more stars people can normally see. However, you will notice the star cluster appears as large as the moon. The star cluster has over 1,000 stars and is around 600 light years away.
PAUL
The moon then reaches first quarter on the 12th. So this weekend will be a perfect time to observe the moon through binoculars, spotting scope, or small telescope. With the terminator turned directly towards Earth, the straight edge between day and night will appear flush with craters.
RACHEL
Before turning in for the night on Sunday, take a moment to stargaze. You’ll find the moon located at the base of Leo the Lion. The star located to the moon’s lower right is Regulus, the Lion’s heart. The star farther away to the moon’s upper left is called Denebola. This is the base of the Lion’s tail.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 10th, 11th, and 12th of May.
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.
Idaho Skies Transcript for May 8th and 9th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 8th and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
On the 8th and 9th, the moon passes through Gemini the Twins.
RACHEL
Gemini is one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy back in second century AD. In mythology, Gemini represents the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux. Their mother was Leda, the queen of Sparta. Her twin sons had two fathers, her husband Tyndareus and the Greek god Zeus.
PAUL
Castor was the mortal brother while Pollux was immortal. The brothers are famous for being sailors on Jason’s voyage to find the Golden Fleece. Their presence onboard the Argo helped calm the sea during a rough patch of their journey. Since then, sailors have considered the Gemini Twins to be their protectors.
RACHEL
Gemini is one of the12 constellations of the Zodiac. This means the constellation lies along the elliptic and that sun, moon, and planets can appear within it. Its brightest two stars are named Castor and Pollux, with Pollux being the slight brighter one. One of the best meteor showers appears in Gemini and peaks on the night of December 13th and 14th.
PAUL
Castor appears as a single star to our eyes and as three stars through a small telescope. It turns out that astronomers using a spectroscope can detect that each of those stars is actually two in orbit around each other. Pollux on the other hand is just a single star. But a giant yellow-orange star nine times larger than our sun.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 8th and 9th of May.
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 May 8th and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
On the 8th and 9th, the moon passes through Gemini the Twins.
RACHEL
Gemini is one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy back in second century AD. In mythology, Gemini represents the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux. Their mother was Leda, the queen of Sparta. Her twin sons had two fathers, her husband Tyndareus and the Greek god Zeus.
PAUL
Castor was the mortal brother while Pollux was immortal. The brothers are famous for being sailors on Jason’s voyage to find the Golden Fleece. Their presence onboard the Argo helped calm the sea during a rough patch of their journey. Since then, sailors have considered the Gemini Twins to be their protectors.
RACHEL
Gemini is one of the12 constellations of the Zodiac. This means the constellation lies along the elliptic and that sun, moon, and planets can appear within it. Its brightest two stars are named Castor and Pollux, with Pollux being the slight brighter one. One of the best meteor showers appears in Gemini and peaks on the night of December 13th and 14th.
PAUL
Castor appears as a single star to our eyes and as three stars through a small telescope. It turns out that astronomers using a spectroscope can detect that each of those stars is actually two in orbit around each other. Pollux on the other hand is just a single star. But a giant yellow-orange star nine times larger than our sun.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 8th and 9th of May.
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 May 6th and 7th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for May 6th and 7th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
It is a busy next few days; we have a meteor shower and several astronomical pairings to enjoy.
PAUL
First, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is not over yet. The moon is only two days old on Monday. This means its light won’t interfere with the shower. Just look for streaks of light originating from the low southeast. Your chance of seeing meteors improves after midnight.
RACHEL
Then on the 6th, the two-day old crescent moon appears just below Aldebaran. Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus the Bull and the pair of them will appear in the low west-northwest. Look for a faintly yellowish star and then the moon just above it. Your binoculars will be perfect for this event.
PAUL
Mars is approaching ever closer to the sun this spring. As it does, it gets farther away from Earth and fainter. This might make it difficult to identify from the background stars. However, there’s some help on the 7th. That evening, the waxing crescent moon appears four degrees away from the Red Planet. Mars will be the yellowish star to the moon’s right.
RACHEL
Finally, be sure to get your binoculars out on the 7th. While they won’t show you any details on Mars, they will let you see a star cluster. The star cluster’s name is M-35 and it’s just above the moon. Place the moon at the bottom of your binocular view and then look for a small sprinkle of stars at the top.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 6th and 7th of May.
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 May 6th and 7th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
It is a busy next few days; we have a meteor shower and several astronomical pairings to enjoy.
PAUL
First, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is not over yet. The moon is only two days old on Monday. This means its light won’t interfere with the shower. Just look for streaks of light originating from the low southeast. Your chance of seeing meteors improves after midnight.
RACHEL
Then on the 6th, the two-day old crescent moon appears just below Aldebaran. Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus the Bull and the pair of them will appear in the low west-northwest. Look for a faintly yellowish star and then the moon just above it. Your binoculars will be perfect for this event.
PAUL
Mars is approaching ever closer to the sun this spring. As it does, it gets farther away from Earth and fainter. This might make it difficult to identify from the background stars. However, there’s some help on the 7th. That evening, the waxing crescent moon appears four degrees away from the Red Planet. Mars will be the yellowish star to the moon’s right.
RACHEL
Finally, be sure to get your binoculars out on the 7th. While they won’t show you any details on Mars, they will let you see a star cluster. The star cluster’s name is M-35 and it’s just above the moon. Place the moon at the bottom of your binocular view and then look for a small sprinkle of stars at the top.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 6th and 7th of May.
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.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Idaho Skies Transcript for April 29th and 30th
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Did you know that you can visit a gravitational wave observatory in Washington?
RACHEL
Many Idaho Sky listeners have visited optical observatories, like the one at Bruneau Dunes. However, unlike an optical observatory, a gravitational wave observatory looks for and measures disturbances in the fabric space-time. So astronomers there aren’t looking through telescopes.
PAUL
Since gravitational waves distort space and time, their passage causes the distance between objects to shift slightly. The amount of shift is smaller than the diameter of a proton once it reaches Earth. If you recall from school, protons are one of the subatomic particles inside the nucleus of an atom.
RACHEL
So how on Earth do you measure a gravitational wave on Earth? Well, out at the Hanford site in eastern Washington, MIT and CalTech have built a two-mile long interferometer. An interferometer is a device that compares two laser beams to each other. However, the beams have to come from the same laser to make this work.
PAUL
At the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, the light of a single laser is split into two beams and send down two paths. When a gravitational wave passes through the observatory, the two paths vary in distance very slightly. And by using the process of interferometry, that tiny distance can be measured.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of April.
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 April 29th and 30th. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Did you know that you can visit a gravitational wave observatory in Washington?
RACHEL
Many Idaho Sky listeners have visited optical observatories, like the one at Bruneau Dunes. However, unlike an optical observatory, a gravitational wave observatory looks for and measures disturbances in the fabric space-time. So astronomers there aren’t looking through telescopes.
PAUL
Since gravitational waves distort space and time, their passage causes the distance between objects to shift slightly. The amount of shift is smaller than the diameter of a proton once it reaches Earth. If you recall from school, protons are one of the subatomic particles inside the nucleus of an atom.
RACHEL
So how on Earth do you measure a gravitational wave on Earth? Well, out at the Hanford site in eastern Washington, MIT and CalTech have built a two-mile long interferometer. An interferometer is a device that compares two laser beams to each other. However, the beams have to come from the same laser to make this work.
PAUL
At the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, the light of a single laser is split into two beams and send down two paths. When a gravitational wave passes through the observatory, the two paths vary in distance very slightly. And by using the process of interferometry, that tiny distance can be measured.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 29th and 30th of April.
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.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Idaho Skies Transcript for April 22nd and 23rd
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 22nd and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Hey stargazers, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd.
PAUL
Listeners wanting to observe the first warm-weather meteor shower of the year will want to see this one. This event occurs on a Monday night and Tuesday morning, which can be a problem for those who work. However, this year the moon is 20 days old and therefore, a large gibbous that will affect meteor viewing once it rises.
RACHEL
The sky gets dark enough for meteor viewing by 10:00 PM. The radiant for this shower, which is where meteors will appear to originate, also rises by this time. The moon on the other hand will rise by 1:30 AM. This means stargazers will only have between 10:00 PM and 1:30 AM to watch the meteor shower.
PAUL
So yes, this meteor shower occurs a little late on a Monday night. However, it’s not an event that requires stargazers to stay up past midnight to see. Meteor enthusiasts should search for streaks of light originating from the low northeast. That’s close to the brightest star you’ll see in this part of the sky, Vega.
RACHEL
Under dark conditions, this shower can produce up to 18 meteors per hour. The meteors are only the size of a grain of rice, but traveling at a speed of 29 miles per second. That’s an immense amount of kinetic energy and the reason why they can appear so bright. So enjoy a demonstration of destructive reentry on Monday night.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 22nd and 23rd of April.
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 April 22nd and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Hey stargazers, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd.
PAUL
Listeners wanting to observe the first warm-weather meteor shower of the year will want to see this one. This event occurs on a Monday night and Tuesday morning, which can be a problem for those who work. However, this year the moon is 20 days old and therefore, a large gibbous that will affect meteor viewing once it rises.
RACHEL
The sky gets dark enough for meteor viewing by 10:00 PM. The radiant for this shower, which is where meteors will appear to originate, also rises by this time. The moon on the other hand will rise by 1:30 AM. This means stargazers will only have between 10:00 PM and 1:30 AM to watch the meteor shower.
PAUL
So yes, this meteor shower occurs a little late on a Monday night. However, it’s not an event that requires stargazers to stay up past midnight to see. Meteor enthusiasts should search for streaks of light originating from the low northeast. That’s close to the brightest star you’ll see in this part of the sky, Vega.
RACHEL
Under dark conditions, this shower can produce up to 18 meteors per hour. The meteors are only the size of a grain of rice, but traveling at a speed of 29 miles per second. That’s an immense amount of kinetic energy and the reason why they can appear so bright. So enjoy a demonstration of destructive reentry on Monday night.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 22nd and 23rd of April.
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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