meteor sighting
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- Dirttyrabbit
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Mon Nov 30, 2009 2:33 am » by Dirttyrabbit
Tips for Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower
November 25th, 2009
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/11/25 ... or-shower/
Occurring every year in mid-December, the Geminid meteor shower is commonly referred to as the most reliable meteor shower of the year. That is, it almost always puts on a great show!
The Geminid meteor shower is sure to be a stunning show this year, as the Moon will not be visible at night, so its glow will not impede your meteor viewing ability. In addition, the Geminids' radiant is favorably positioned for most viewers at this time of year. In order to see the most meteors, I suggest the following tips:
* The Geminid meteor shower has a very broad maximum peak. Because of this, the night on which you view the meteors isn't critical. You will of course, see more meteors on the peak nights. This year the Geminid meteor shower's peak is the night of December 13th-14th, 2009.
* The best time to view a meteor shower is in the late night to early morning hours. The best time to view a meteor shower typically begins around 2 AM. This is because as the Earth rotates toward dawn, the forward velocity of the planet adds to the linear velocity of the surface and atmosphere. This has the effect of "sweeping up" more meteors.
Geminids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids
The Geminids are a meteor shower caused by an object named 3200 Phaethon,[1] which is thought to be an extinct comet. The meteors from this shower can be seen in mid-December and usually peak around 12-14 of the month. The Geminid shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120-160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions. The Geminids were first observed only 150 years ago, much more recently than other showers such as the Perseids and Leonids.
November 25th, 2009
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/11/25 ... or-shower/
Occurring every year in mid-December, the Geminid meteor shower is commonly referred to as the most reliable meteor shower of the year. That is, it almost always puts on a great show!
The Geminid meteor shower is sure to be a stunning show this year, as the Moon will not be visible at night, so its glow will not impede your meteor viewing ability. In addition, the Geminids' radiant is favorably positioned for most viewers at this time of year. In order to see the most meteors, I suggest the following tips:
* The Geminid meteor shower has a very broad maximum peak. Because of this, the night on which you view the meteors isn't critical. You will of course, see more meteors on the peak nights. This year the Geminid meteor shower's peak is the night of December 13th-14th, 2009.
* The best time to view a meteor shower is in the late night to early morning hours. The best time to view a meteor shower typically begins around 2 AM. This is because as the Earth rotates toward dawn, the forward velocity of the planet adds to the linear velocity of the surface and atmosphere. This has the effect of "sweeping up" more meteors.
Geminids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids
The Geminids are a meteor shower caused by an object named 3200 Phaethon,[1] which is thought to be an extinct comet. The meteors from this shower can be seen in mid-December and usually peak around 12-14 of the month. The Geminid shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120-160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions. The Geminids were first observed only 150 years ago, much more recently than other showers such as the Perseids and Leonids.
.
- Dirttyrabbit
-
- Posts: 1643
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:31 am
Mon Nov 30, 2009 2:37 am » by Dirttyrabbit
Mercury is point of celestial triangle
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/78036347.html
December stargazers will see two full moons
Published on Sunday, Nov 29, 2009
December begins with the full moon within one degree of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, and ends with a ''blue moon,'' the term for a second full moon in the month. New Year's Eve will feature a partial lunar eclipse, but you will have to be in Africa or Asia to see it.
Look for Mercury, an evening star, on Dec. 24 at 5:55 p.m. Mercury will form the bottom point of an equilateral triangle with Jupiter (above and to the south) and Altair, the eye of the Eagle (above and to the west). By the end of December, Mercury will appear as a slim crescent in a telescope.
Venus rises 20 minutes before sunrise on the first of the month, but by midmonth, it becomes hidden in the sun's glare.
Mars appears to describe an arc on the border of Leo and Cancer in the night sky as it moves in retrograde, ''backwards,'' this month. Mars rises at 10 p.m. on the first of the month; only Jupiter and Sirius are brighter in the night sky.
Jupiter stands right in the south at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 minutes after sunset. At 7 p.m., Uranus is right in the south, about 45 degrees above the horizon at magnitude 5.8, visible to the unaided eye under dark, clear skies.
The ringed giant Saturn rises in the east at 1:51 a.m. Tuesday. The ring system will be tipped about 5 degrees by month's end, closing down to 2 degrees in May, and at the end of 2010, will be open about 10 degrees. Not until 2014 will the rings be fully open at 20.2 degrees inclination.
On Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., note Jupiter and a waxing crescent moon in the southwest. In a pair of 7x50 binoculars, you may spot Neptune only half a degree distant from Jupiter, at about the 2 o'clock position.
On the evening of Dec. 13 into the morning of the 14th, the Geminid meteor shower peaks. This shower is fairly reliable, producing up to 100 meteors an hour. The moon will not interfere with viewing this multi-colored display — more than half usually white, a quarter yellow, and the remaining meteors blue, red and green. Only about 25 years ago did NASA discover an object in the same orbit as the Geminid meteoroid stream, a rocky asteroid or extinct comet named 3200 Phaethon. This is most probably the parent body of the Geminid meteor shower.
On Dec. 22, the Ursid shower peaks. Only about 10 faint meteors an hour may be seen, and fortunately the moon will not be visible this evening, either.
The shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, will be Monday, Dec. 21.
Q&A
Q: Have any Earth-type planets been found yet? R.K., Canton.
A: Not quite. The first planet outside our own solar system was discovered in 1992. In the ensuing 17 years, 403 planets have been found orbiting 340 stars.
Last April, a planet having only 1.9 times the mass of Earth was found, making it the smallest so far. It orbits the star Gleise 581, in the constellation Libra, about 20 light-years distant. The planet appears to be too close to its parent star to be in the ''habitable'' zone, that Goldilocks-like area where we believe life might have a chance of evolving.
The rate at which astronomers are discovering planets does seem to suggest that these ''exoplanets'' may be quite common in our galaxy. Given a little more time, we may indeed find an Earth-size planet; whether it is habitable is another question, and may prove to be very difficult to answer.
Program
The Hoover-Price Planetarium is presenting Celestial Light at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The program looks at how different cultures around the globe have envisioned the night sky. The planetarium is included with admission to the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Call 330-455-7043 for information.
David L. Richards is director of the Hoover-Price Planetarium at the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton, 44708, http://www.mckinleymuseum.org. He can be reached at 330-455-7043 or hooverpriceplanetarium@hotmail.com.
December begins with the full moon within one degree of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, and ends with a ''blue moon,'' the term for a second full moon in the month. New Year's Eve will feature a partial lunar eclipse, but you will have to be in Africa or Asia to see it.
Look for Mercury, an evening star, on Dec. 24 at 5:55 p.m. Mercury will form the bottom point of an equilateral triangle with Jupiter (above and to the south) and Altair, the eye of the Eagle (above and to the west). By the end of December, Mercury will appear as a slim crescent in a telescope.
Venus rises 20 minutes before sunrise on the first of the month, but by midmonth, it becomes hidden in the sun's glare.
Mars appears to describe an arc on the border of Leo and Cancer in the night sky as it moves in retrograde, ''backwards,'' this month. Mars rises at 10 p.m. on the first of the month; only Jupiter and Sirius are brighter in the night sky.
Jupiter stands right in the south at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 minutes after sunset. At 7 p.m., Uranus is right in the south, about 45 degrees above the horizon at magnitude 5.8, visible to the unaided eye under dark, clear skies.
The ringed giant Saturn rises in the east at 1:51 a.m. Tuesday. The ring system will be tipped about 5 degrees by month's end, closing down to 2 degrees in May, and at the end of 2010, will be open about 10 degrees. Not until 2014 will the rings be fully open at 20.2 degrees inclination.
On Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., note Jupiter and a waxing crescent moon in the southwest. In a pair of 7x50 binoculars, you may spot Neptune only half a degree distant from Jupiter, at about the 2 o'clock position.
On the evening of Dec. 13 into the morning of the 14th, the Geminid meteor shower peaks. This shower is fairly reliable, producing up to 100 meteors an hour. The moon will not interfere with viewing this multi-colored display — more than half usually white, a quarter yellow, and the remaining meteors blue, red and green. Only about 25 years ago did NASA discover an object in the same orbit as the Geminid meteoroid stream, a rocky asteroid or extinct comet named 3200 Phaethon. This is most probably the parent body of the Geminid meteor shower.
On Dec. 22, the Ursid shower peaks. Only about 10 faint meteors an hour may be seen, and fortunately the moon will not be visible this evening, either.
The shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, will be Monday, Dec. 21.
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/78036347.html
December stargazers will see two full moons
Published on Sunday, Nov 29, 2009
December begins with the full moon within one degree of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, and ends with a ''blue moon,'' the term for a second full moon in the month. New Year's Eve will feature a partial lunar eclipse, but you will have to be in Africa or Asia to see it.
Look for Mercury, an evening star, on Dec. 24 at 5:55 p.m. Mercury will form the bottom point of an equilateral triangle with Jupiter (above and to the south) and Altair, the eye of the Eagle (above and to the west). By the end of December, Mercury will appear as a slim crescent in a telescope.
Venus rises 20 minutes before sunrise on the first of the month, but by midmonth, it becomes hidden in the sun's glare.
Mars appears to describe an arc on the border of Leo and Cancer in the night sky as it moves in retrograde, ''backwards,'' this month. Mars rises at 10 p.m. on the first of the month; only Jupiter and Sirius are brighter in the night sky.
Jupiter stands right in the south at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 minutes after sunset. At 7 p.m., Uranus is right in the south, about 45 degrees above the horizon at magnitude 5.8, visible to the unaided eye under dark, clear skies.
The ringed giant Saturn rises in the east at 1:51 a.m. Tuesday. The ring system will be tipped about 5 degrees by month's end, closing down to 2 degrees in May, and at the end of 2010, will be open about 10 degrees. Not until 2014 will the rings be fully open at 20.2 degrees inclination.
On Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., note Jupiter and a waxing crescent moon in the southwest. In a pair of 7x50 binoculars, you may spot Neptune only half a degree distant from Jupiter, at about the 2 o'clock position.
On the evening of Dec. 13 into the morning of the 14th, the Geminid meteor shower peaks. This shower is fairly reliable, producing up to 100 meteors an hour. The moon will not interfere with viewing this multi-colored display — more than half usually white, a quarter yellow, and the remaining meteors blue, red and green. Only about 25 years ago did NASA discover an object in the same orbit as the Geminid meteoroid stream, a rocky asteroid or extinct comet named 3200 Phaethon. This is most probably the parent body of the Geminid meteor shower.
On Dec. 22, the Ursid shower peaks. Only about 10 faint meteors an hour may be seen, and fortunately the moon will not be visible this evening, either.
The shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, will be Monday, Dec. 21.
Q&A
Q: Have any Earth-type planets been found yet? R.K., Canton.
A: Not quite. The first planet outside our own solar system was discovered in 1992. In the ensuing 17 years, 403 planets have been found orbiting 340 stars.
Last April, a planet having only 1.9 times the mass of Earth was found, making it the smallest so far. It orbits the star Gleise 581, in the constellation Libra, about 20 light-years distant. The planet appears to be too close to its parent star to be in the ''habitable'' zone, that Goldilocks-like area where we believe life might have a chance of evolving.
The rate at which astronomers are discovering planets does seem to suggest that these ''exoplanets'' may be quite common in our galaxy. Given a little more time, we may indeed find an Earth-size planet; whether it is habitable is another question, and may prove to be very difficult to answer.
Program
The Hoover-Price Planetarium is presenting Celestial Light at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The program looks at how different cultures around the globe have envisioned the night sky. The planetarium is included with admission to the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Call 330-455-7043 for information.
David L. Richards is director of the Hoover-Price Planetarium at the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton, 44708, http://www.mckinleymuseum.org. He can be reached at 330-455-7043 or hooverpriceplanetarium@hotmail.com.
December begins with the full moon within one degree of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, and ends with a ''blue moon,'' the term for a second full moon in the month. New Year's Eve will feature a partial lunar eclipse, but you will have to be in Africa or Asia to see it.
Look for Mercury, an evening star, on Dec. 24 at 5:55 p.m. Mercury will form the bottom point of an equilateral triangle with Jupiter (above and to the south) and Altair, the eye of the Eagle (above and to the west). By the end of December, Mercury will appear as a slim crescent in a telescope.
Venus rises 20 minutes before sunrise on the first of the month, but by midmonth, it becomes hidden in the sun's glare.
Mars appears to describe an arc on the border of Leo and Cancer in the night sky as it moves in retrograde, ''backwards,'' this month. Mars rises at 10 p.m. on the first of the month; only Jupiter and Sirius are brighter in the night sky.
Jupiter stands right in the south at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 minutes after sunset. At 7 p.m., Uranus is right in the south, about 45 degrees above the horizon at magnitude 5.8, visible to the unaided eye under dark, clear skies.
The ringed giant Saturn rises in the east at 1:51 a.m. Tuesday. The ring system will be tipped about 5 degrees by month's end, closing down to 2 degrees in May, and at the end of 2010, will be open about 10 degrees. Not until 2014 will the rings be fully open at 20.2 degrees inclination.
On Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., note Jupiter and a waxing crescent moon in the southwest. In a pair of 7x50 binoculars, you may spot Neptune only half a degree distant from Jupiter, at about the 2 o'clock position.
On the evening of Dec. 13 into the morning of the 14th, the Geminid meteor shower peaks. This shower is fairly reliable, producing up to 100 meteors an hour. The moon will not interfere with viewing this multi-colored display — more than half usually white, a quarter yellow, and the remaining meteors blue, red and green. Only about 25 years ago did NASA discover an object in the same orbit as the Geminid meteoroid stream, a rocky asteroid or extinct comet named 3200 Phaethon. This is most probably the parent body of the Geminid meteor shower.
On Dec. 22, the Ursid shower peaks. Only about 10 faint meteors an hour may be seen, and fortunately the moon will not be visible this evening, either.
The shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, will be Monday, Dec. 21.
.
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