I'm changing things up this week and
rather than sharing an observation that I have made, I'm sharing an
observation I hope to make...
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| Geminid Meteor Shower (Photo credit: NASA, Jimmy Westlake) |
This Saturday night, December 13th,
2014 will be the best timing for peak viewing of the Geminid meteor
shower. If you have not experienced a good meteor shower before, I
highly recommend the effort of bundling up and heading outside to
check it out. Although we often tried to see meteors when I was a
kid, the timing or location never seemed to work out to see very
many. When I was in college I took Astronomy. As a course requirement
we all got geared up and ventured outside at around 2:00 AM to view
the peak of a winter meteor shower. It was spectacular. I counted 200
shooting stars and then stopped to just enjoy the rest.
The Geminid meteor shower occurs as
Earth passes through the debris of an extinct comet named 3200
Phaethon. As this happens we see meteors flying from the
constellation Gemini, hence the name: Geminid meteor shower. During
the nights of December 13th and 14th if you are in a dark, rural
location at the appropriate time you might see up to 120 meteors an
hour. It looks like we are in a good position to see some meteors before the wee hours, so head on out after dark and see what you can see!
There are several methods to locate the
constellation Gemini in the night sky. If you live in the Northeast
and are good with a compass, look in the east-northeast sky within 3
hours of sunset. You can also use a star wheel like this one to help
determine the location.
Another
excellent tool for orienting yourself to the night sky is Google's Sky Map app. With the app you
hold your phone or device up toward the sky and it shows what you
should be seeing in your location. Gemini is the constellation of the
twins, and as the meteor shower is going on the Google Sky Map view
looks as if one of the twins has crazy hair! You can't miss it! If
you have downloaded the Stellarium planetarium software that I have mentioned in other posts about astronomy, you
can set the time and date and search for Gemini. Once you've spotted
it, do yourself a favor and turn off the tech so that you can
appreciate the real-life experience of watching the meteor show!
I am looking forward to going out to
view the meteor shower over the weekend. I hope that you can
experience it too. Happy star-gazing!
Find out more:
- Accuweather Meteor Shower Viewing Conditions
- Watch the shower on-line
- Space.com Geminid Meteor Shower
- NASA connect: Geminid Meteor Shower
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