“Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight - YAHOO!” |
| Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight - YAHOO! Posted: 13 Dec 2010 09:37 PM PST Monday night and early Tuesday morning marks the peak for the 2010 Geminid Meteor Shower., according to NASA. The Geminid Meteor Shower the result of debris from an extinct comet called 3200 Phaethon and is one of the most prolific meteor showers of the year. This year, viewing should be good for most of the United States due to favorable weather conditions. Meteor Shower Weather Forecast The Weather Channel says that the Northeast may experience lake-effect snow from upstate New York down into Pennsylvania and the usual lake-effect areas. Otherwise, the East Coast should have mostly clear skies during the overnight period. Clouds, of course, would block the view of the Geminid Meteor Shower because the meteors burn up in the upper atmosphere, well above any clouds. The Northwest may be the other problem spot this year, as rain is expected throughout the night. Tips for Spotting the Geminid Meteors The Geminid Meteor Shower get their name from the fact that they seem to come from the direction of the constellation Gemini, The Twins. There's some great advice on locating Gemini on the HomeboyAstronomy Blog. Even without locating Gemini, however, simply looking straight up into the night sky between 11 p.m. on Monday and 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14, should let you see the Geminid Meteor Shower. If you are in an area with lot soft ambient light, such as a city, you may have trouble seeing the Geminids. Meteors, like stars, show up better when there is less light pollution to compete against. Peak Rate of the Geminid Meteor Shower During peak hours, between 100 and 150 meteors per hour may be visible. That's easily two per minute, if skies are clear, so even those with limited patience should find enough to keep them interested in the skies tonight, weather permitting. Each one lasts only a short time, usually less than a second. No special equipment is needed to see the Geminid Meteors as they trace bright streaks across the sky, but make sure you dress appropriately for the weather in your area. Trails of Comet Dust Most of the regular meteor showers that we see are caused by trails of left-over comet dust drifting in space and intersecting the Earth's orbit once each year. The meteors themselves are generally not much bigger than a grain of sand and almost never reach the ground. The display each one puts on, however, is completely out of proportion to its diminutive size. Watching Meteors Makes Childhood Memories Watching a meteor shower can be a very memorable event for young children. It's an excuse to stay up late, or to have Mom and Dad get them up in the wee hours of the morning to go outside and see something really special. My own son tells me that setting out lounge chairs and bundling up in winter clothes and blankets under the December night sky to watch the Geminids together as a family some years ago, is one of his fondest childhood memories. Of course, you'll want to make sure you check local weather reports first to avoid disappointment, if the skies are overcast. Whether you watch with your family, or you are the only one willing to stay up late enough to watch, the Geminid Meteor Shower is one of the best shows of the year. If you miss the show , remember, even though the peak is tonight, there are still Geminid Meteors visible for a day or two before and after the peak although at a much reduced rate. Follow @space_matters on Twitter and 'like' the Space Matters Facebook fan page to read more space-related content from this author. Brad Sylvester writes about the space program for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Watching the Apollo missions through the static on a small black and white television sparked a lifelong interest in the space sciences for him. Since then, he has spent 40 years watching improvements in the technologies of space travel and our understanding of the universe unfold. 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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