Geminid meteor shower OBS/Disco thread

[earthlight]

The Geminid meteor shower is arguably the most vivid meteor shower of the calendar year, this year peaking on December 13-15. The Geminids often feature long, tailed, multi-colored meteors which can become quite frequent in numbers per hour.

The weather looks somewhat shaky after tonight, and international obs have been running above normal so far in the showers opening few days. So a few friends and I are headed out late tonight to watch for a few hours. Really, really stoked. The moon is timed well, especially early in the show (now).

So post your OBS here! If you're in the city, you should really try heading away from the lights for a few hours. You wont regret it, I promise!

[BxEngine]

What are the best hours to view them?

[earthlight]

What are the best hours to view them?

Usually after 11pm. What's the most perplexing thing about the Geminids? They have no known solid evidence as to their existence. Meteor showers are a result of the earth passing through areas of space rock, most of them owing to comets or other areas that have formed the debris. But the Geminids come from a rather mysterious rocky object..3200 Paethon..which isn't nearly big enough in size to explain the absurd amount of meteors we see from the Geminids each year.

[earthlight]

Also, let's not forget the total lunar eclipse December 20-21...the last of it's kind viewable in North America until 2014. It's really a tremendous period for stargazing.

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2010-Fig04.pdf

[jjvesnow]

Will there be alot tonight? i thought it doesnt start for a couple more days?

[earthlight]

Will there be alot tonight? i thought it doesnt start for a couple more days?

There won't be a ton, but there have been some decent international observation levels reported. Which means with the good sky conditions, you're probably going to see some if you're patient.

[snowlurker]

Usually after 11pm. What's the most perplexing thing about the Geminids? They have no known solid evidence as to their existence. Meteor showers are a result of the earth passing through areas of space rock, most of them owing to comets or other areas that have formed the debris. But the Geminids come from a rather mysterious rocky object..3200 Paethon..which isn't nearly big enough in size to explain the absurd amount of meteors we see from the Geminids each year.

Does 11:00 apply to the NYC latitude or is that time equally applicable down here in Delaware? Looking forward to this as the shower two years ago produce a meteor every minute or two it seemed.

[EasternUSWX]

Also, let's not forget the total lunar eclipse December 20-21...the last of it's kind viewable in North America until 2014. It's really a tremendous period for stargazing.

http://eclipse.gsfc....H2010-Fig04.pdf

Hopefully it's not cloudy like it was for the past two.

[earthlight]

Does 11:00 apply to the NYC latitude or is that time equally applicable down here in Delaware? Looking forward to this as the shower two years ago produce a meteor every minute or two it seemed.

After 11-12 should be good on the east coast. I'm looking forward to it as well. I don't remember the conditions two years ago--was there a new moon?

[wederwarrior]

I hope the front rolls through by monday night and clears up

This baby peaks on the 13th/14th

Saw a nice one last night 7:30ish with a smoke trail

[_AR_]

My god I guess I have to mark the calendar.

[earthlight]

I hope the front rolls through by monday night and clears up

This baby peaks on the 13th/14th

Saw a nice one last night 7:30ish with a smoke trail

I'll be out there tonight posting as I see stuff.

[Radders]

Any particular direction in the sky (north or south) we should look towards or does it matter?

[wederwarrior]

Any particular direction in the sky (north or south) we should look towards or does it matter?

Gemini rises in the E/NEaround 7:30, but will be above at prime time...12-dawn

Just look up and get as much sky in your sight as you can get.

Oh yea, you probably want to bundle up on a comfy reclining seat

[BxEngine]

Gemini rises in the E/NEaround 7:30, but will be above at prime time...12-dawn

Just look up and get as much sky in your sight as you can get.

Oh yea, you probably want to bundle up on a comfy reclining seat

Sit on a roof near a woodburning stove chimney.

My wife just said she and a few others at her job saw 2 already....I was outside for 20 minutes and didnt see a thing.

[LocoAko]

I'm excited! I may head to NW NJ late Monday night to try to catch the peak of the shower in a dark location. The only problem is that it will likely be absolutely freezing out, so I'll have to make sure to really bundle up! But it should be really clear immediately behind the cold front with the high pressure settling in.

[THEREALTOR1]

Usually after 11pm. What's the most perplexing thing about the Geminids? They have no known solid evidence as to their existence. Meteor showers are a result of the earth passing through areas of space rock, most of them owing to comets or other areas that have formed the debris. But the Geminids come from a rather mysterious rocky object..3200 Paethon..which isn't nearly big enough in size to explain the absurd amount of meteors we see from the Geminids each year.

Thats some awesome knowledge there earthlight, thanks for the all the info

Does 11:00 apply to the NYC latitude or is that time equally applicable down here in Delaware? Looking forward to this as the shower two years ago produce a meteor every minute or two it seemed.

Where you at in DE snowlurker? I'm in Camden, DE. If you're nearby maybe we could put some sort of outing together in the next couple of days and get some people together to check it out.

[The Iceman]

probably going to head out after sunny and the league to see if I can see some...one good perk of going to school in the middle of no where...no light pollution.

[Absolute Humidity]

Just saw one, a small one, no tail heading wnw .

[earthlight]

Saw one just a few minutes ago, very faint. Still sitting patiently.

[Thunder Road]

actually just saw one while taking out the trash. very faint blue dot, no streak.

[Snowlover11]

Going out to take the dog for a walk, hopefully I don't trip looking up.

[earthlight]

Called it a night...only wound up seeing one meteor. A bit of a disappointment considering we're probably going to have to wait until the 14th until we can get a cloud free sky.

[green tube]

i saw an airbus A300. that's about it. i hung in there a good 3 or 4 minutes. too cold.

[Snowlover11]

Didn't see anything

[jimmosk]

Don't be disappointed about tonight's performance; we're still well before the peak (Monday night/Tuesday morning). Even if it's still cloudy that night, it should still be a good show the following night, by which point our area should be clear-skied again.

Gemini is located above Orion, which is one of the easiest constellations to spot. But meteors aren't all confined to one patch of sky -- Geminids can streak across the sky significantly far from Gemini. The name just means they appear to be emanating from that direction, like a firework emanates from a central point.

Here's a good article with more info on the shower (it's from a decade ago... but the sky hasn't changed!).

[earthlight]

I've seen three tonight...four on the event. Absolutely awesome surprise tonight to see such clear skies w/ great viewing.

[wederwarrior]

Forecast not looking to good for Monday/Tuesday

[A-L-E-X]

and dont forget the Total Lunar Eclipse!

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2010/12/-cosmos-alert-spectacular-meteor-shower-and-total-lunar-eclipse-to-dazzle-december-sky-.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

Cosmos Alert: Spectacular Meteor Shower and Total Lunar Eclipse to Dazzle December Sky

On the evening of 13 and the morning of 14 December, skywatchers across the northern hemisphere will be looking up as the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak, in one of the best night sky events of the year. And unlike many astronomical phenomena, meteors are best seen without a telescope (and are perfectly safe to watch).

At its peak and in a clear, dark sky up to 100 'shooting stars' or meteors may be visible each hour. Meteors are the result of small particles entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, burning up and super-heating the air around them, which shines as a characteristic short-lived streak of light. In this case the debris is associated with the asteroidal object 3200 Phaethon, which many astronomers believe to be an extinct comet.

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The meteors appear to originate from a 'radiant' in the constellation of Gemini, hence the name Geminid. By 02:00 GMT on 14 December the radiant will be almost overhead in the U.K., making it ideally placed for British observers. By that time the first quarter Moon will have set, so the prospects for a good view of the shower are excellent.

Meteors in the Geminid shower are less well known, probably because the weather in December is less reliable. But those who brave the cold can be rewarded with a fine view. In comparison with other showers, Geminid meteors travel fairly slowly, at around 35 km (22 miles) per second, are bright and have a yellowish hue, making them distinct and easy to spot.

This year the peak of the Geminid meteor shower occurs at around 11:00 GMT on 14 December, but the highest level activity is spread over a period lasting a day or more. This means that if conditions are clear it is worthwhile observing at any time between Sunday night and Wednesday morning.

As with most astronomical events, the best place to see meteors is at dark sites away from the light pollution of towns and cities. In good weather, rural sites such as Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park in Scotland (where a planned meteor watch will take place on 13-14 December) are potentially excellent locations to see the Geminid shower.

The Geminids will also feature in a Twitter event, Meteorwatch, supported by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), where observers under clear skies can post their text, images and videos to share them with those in less favorable locations. Anyone with Internet access can join in by following @virtualastro and the #meteorwatch hashtag on Twitter.

The last total lunar eclipse occurred on Feb. 20, 2008. While there are two total lunar eclipses in 2011, North American skywatchers will have to wait until April 2014 for one as potentially spectacular as the eclipse occurring this month.

For the Western Hemisphere, the eclipse will begin on Dec. 21 at 12:29 a.m. EST (9:29 p.m. PST on Dec. 20) as the moon begins to enter Earth's outer, or penumbral, shadow. This total lunar eclipse lasts only 72 minutes from start to finish.

Skywatchers will not notice any changes in the moon's appearance until about 45 minutes into the event, when a slight "smudge," or shading, begins to become evident on the upper left portion of the moon's disk.

The entire total lunar eclipse will be visible from all of North and South America, the northern and western parts of Europe, and a small part of northeast Asia, including Korea and much of Japan.

Totality will also be visible in its entirety from the North Island of New Zealand and Hawaii. In all, an estimated 1.5 billion people will have an opportunity to enjoy the best part of this lunar show.

In other parts of the world, only the partial stages of the eclipse will be visible or the eclipse will occur when it's daytime and the moon is not above their local horizon.

Portions of western Africa and central Europe can catch the opening stages of the eclipse before the moon sets below the horizon during the morning hours of Dec. 21, while the eastern third of Asia and central and eastern Australia can catch the closing stages just after moonrise on the evening of Dec. 21.

December's total lunar eclipse and Geminid meteor shower promise to ring the year 2010 out with a dazzling show, weather permitting, this holiday season.

Casey Kazan via Royal Astronomical Society and space.com

[wederwarrior]

its clearing up a little bit now

Spotters count up to 40/hour