“Don't Miss The Best Meteor Shower Of The Year TONIGHT - msnbc.com” plus 1 more |
| Don't Miss The Best Meteor Shower Of The Year TONIGHT - msnbc.com Posted: 13 Dec 2010 11:43 AM PST HUFFINGTONPOST.COM - Stargazers are in for a treat tonight as the annual Geminid meteor shower is set to peak in the early hours of December 14, 2010. According to The AP, astronomers predict that it will be the best meteor shower of the year, with over 100 blazing meteors streaking through the sky each hour. While the entire shower should be somewhat visible between December 12 and December 16, the best time to watch is between midnight tonight and sunset tomorrow morning, with ideal visibility in the Northern Hemisphere. The meteors will appear to fall from the Gemini constellation, thus the reason for its name, so face northeast to witness the spectacle. According to National Geographic, Geminid is the only annual meteor shower though to come from an asteroid-like object, known as 3200 Phaethon, a three-mile-wide space rock discovered by a NASA satellite in 1983. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Geminid meteor shower late tonight - Augusta Chronicle Posted: 13 Dec 2010 06:28 AM PST Associated Press The Geminid meteor shower will make its annual appearance, just in time for Christmas. Astronomers consider it the best meteor shower of the year, with more than 100 meteors streaking through the night sky every hour. The peak of the meteor shower will occur early Tuesday, between midnight and sunrise local time. The show will be best in the Northern Hemisphere, easily visible with the naked eye. The Geminids are actually rocky celestial leftovers. Every December, Earth passes through this stream of debris from 3200 Phaethon, once believed to be an asteroid and now considered an extinct — or iceless — comet. The meteors, or shooting stars, can appear anywhere, but always seem to fall from the Gemini constellation, thus their name. Meteors occur when bits of particles enter the atmosphere and burn up, resembling incoming fireballs. For those not willing to stay up late — or get up early — there should be a decent showing Monday once the sun sets. Actually, some meteors should be visible in the night sky from Dec. 12 to 16, as long as the sky is clear, according to NASA. And consider it a warm-up for the total lunar eclipse coming the night of Dec. 20 and wee hours of Dec. 21, depending on your time zone. It will be the only full lunar eclipse of the year and the entire event will be visible in North America, Central America, a bit of South America, Greenland and Iceland. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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