Strong Meteor Shower Peaks Monday Night [Geminids, new moon today, peak 2220 GMT, 5:20 p.m. EST]

Yahoo ^ | Dec 10, 2004 | Joe Rao

[kayak]

Sky and Telescope has some pretty good viewing aids if you look around on the site. I think they have a page where you can put in the longitude and latitude and see 'your' sky at a particular time. Let me see if I can locate it. But, in the meantime, here's the S & T site.

Sky and Telescope

[kayak]

Go to the S&T site I linked in #61. Over on the left, click on Sky at a Glance and then on that page click on Sky Chart (again, it's on a menu on the left). Then follow directions.

[southernnorthcarolina]

They're always so much faster than I think they'll be.

I guess I'm used to looking at comets a squadrillion miles away, which appear immobile (either to the naked eye or through a telescope). But these meteors are only a few thousand miles away, pieces of gravel burning up as they hit our atmosphere, visible for a half second or so.

[Howlin]

Now THAT is cool!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Cool here in Southern California, east and south of the long Beach harbor, about 52 degrees, saw one to the South and East, was quite bright . Stars ( only a few) are more visible than usual tonight.

Wish I were up in high desert above the Cajon summit so that there would be less light pollution.

Guess I will stay up a while and see what I can see.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Too much light pollution, but I did see one earlier.

[CarolAnn]

Just got back from the lake where I was watching the Geminids. I had very little light pollution to deal with, but it was COLD! But that makes for the clearest sky. I never saw a single cloud. It was so cold (about 20 deg.) that I had to observe mostly from my truck. I could see about 70% of the sky, and it was the most active part.

On average, I saw 90.4 meteors per hour. I saw one fireball, and three Geminids were brilliantly colored. One of those I swore was going to land in the lake. You could see it break apart. And I love how slow they move.

What fun! My husband thinks I'm nuts. I go out in freezing weather, in the middle of the night to look at meteors. I think that once you see a good meteor shower, you get hooked.

[CarolAnn]

BTW, For you night owls, you can still catch the meteors tonight. Go outside, face southeast and look about 70-80 deg. up. That's just a little lower than straight overhead. Don't focus on anything. Your peripheral vision works better that way. Right now, they are going in all directions, but most have been shooting E., SE, and South.

You won't have to wait long!

[oceanperch]

WoW you saw quite a show.

I saw 1.
But it was just a lil chunck of clear sky here on the Oregon Coast.

I stood out in my nighgown for as long as I could take the chill.

I am happy with the big 1 I saw.

I use to cart the son out when he was young recline his wheelchair and drag he lazy boy out on the deck. But after so many non happening events and he grew up I stopped.

When we come home this time a night from being on the road I always take the time to look up and gaze regardless, just to look at those beautiful stars.

[oceanperch]

Me too.

[oceanperch]

Speed is of here.
If I did a search on Gemini what word would I use to describe it, can't think of the termanology.

Must be the massage and accupuncture I had earlier, brain is still zoned in a good way.

[Alia]

Thank you for the ping, Howlin! I love meteor showers!

[mhking]

Meteor showers tonight!

[Right Wing Professor]

Saw a couple of Geminids last night when I was out tracking Comet Machholz. Very slow, very bright. There were quite a few meteors late last week too, but they seemed to be from one of the Orion radiants.

[LibWrangler]

Was Monday the only night to watch or is this a shower that will last for a few days or weeks?

[Ciexyz]

Was overcast, cloudy and snowy in Pittsburgh PA last nite.

[Mike Fieschko]

Was Monday the only night to watch or is this a shower that will last for a few days or weeks?

Last night / this morning was the peak. You should be able to see some, oh, for the next few days.

I googled "Geminids", but a quick look didn't turn up any hints for tonight.

Are you near an observatory, amateur group or school with an astronomy department? Give them a call.

[bonfire]

It's you....:)