Transcipt: March Week 3

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies on Radio Boise. This is the third week of March. We’re your hosts, Paul..

RACHEL
..Rachel..

KRIS
..And Kris

PAUL
Fifty years ago on the 17th, the United States launched the Vanguard satellite.

RACHEL
Three months earlier, the original Vanguard booster exploded at lift-off in front of millions on television.

KRIS
The second booster launch was successful and Vanguard became our second satellite in earth orbit and the fourth in the history of the space age.

RACHEL
The Vanguard booster was so good at launching small satellites into orbit that Vanguard is still in orbit today.

PAUL
The now defunct Vanguard is a six inch aluminum sphere with six antennas and six tiny solar cells.

KRIS
Because of atmospheric drag that exists even 2,000 miles above the earth, Vanguard will return to earth’s atmosphere in 240 years.

RACHEL
One of Vanguard’s most interesting discoveries is that the world is not round like a sphere, but is more pear-shaped.

PAUL
On the evening of the 17th, you can use the moon to find the Beehive star cluster.

KRIS
To the moon’s right and 5-1/2 degrees away, you’ll see a star cluster larger than the moon’s diameter.

RACHEL
The angular distance between the moon and the Beehive is nearly the distance across your binoculars field of view.

KRIS
So once you have the moon in sight, turn your binoculars to the right until the moon is close to the left edge of the field of view.

RACHEL
Then you’ll see a scattering of stars on the right that will remind you of a swarm of bees.

PAUL
On the 18th, the moon leads you to Regulus and Saturn.

KRIS
From the moon to Saturn spans an angle of 5-1/2 degrees, or less than the field of view of your binoculars.

RACHEL
Regulus is the lucida, or brightest star of Leo the Lion and is 77 light years away.

KRIS
Saturn will appear star-like and yellow in your binoculars.

PAUL
The Vernal Equinox occurs on the 19th at 10:48 PM.

RACHEL
That’s the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere.

KRIS
If you could see the earth’s equator projected into space, the sun would be sitting on it today.

RACHEL
And from today until the first day of autumn, the sun will be north of the earth’s equator.

KRIS
As a consequence, we’ll enjoy days that are longer than the night.

PAUL
Beginning on the evening of the 23rd, the Zodiacal Light is visible in the west after it gets dark.

RACHEL
The Zodiacal Light appears as a faint triangle of light reaching half way up to the zenith.

KRIS
The light is actually sunlight, but reflected from dust orbiting between earth and the sun.

RACHEL
The source of this dust is asteroid collisions and comet tails.

KRIS
The dust is constantly being replenished.

RACHEL
The Zodiacal Light will remain visible for the next two weeks before evening moonlight begins interfering.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of March. Next week our two topics are the moon and Antares.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

RACHEL
..Rachel..

KRIS
.. and Kris.