Geminids December 14 Morning crescent
What are meteor showers?
An increase in the number of meteors at a particular time of year is called a
meteor shower.
Comets shed the debris that becomes most meteor showers.
As comets orbit the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty debris stream along the comet's
orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor shower.
Depending on where Earth and the stream meet, meteors appear to fall from a
particular place in the sky, maybe within the neighborhood of a
constellation.
Meteor showers are named by the constellation from which
meteors appear to fall, a spot in the sky astronomers call the radiant. For
instance, the radiant for the Leonid meteor shower is located in the
constellation Leo. The Perseid meteor shower is so named because meteors appear
to fall from a point in the constellation Perseus.
What are shooting stars?
"Shooting stars" and "falling stars" are both names that people have used for
many hundreds of years to describe meteors -- intense streaks of light across
the night sky caused by small bits of interplanetary rock and debris called
meteoroids crashing and burning high in Earth's upper atmosphere. Traveling at
thousands of miles an hour, meteoroids quickly ignite in searing friction of the
atmosphere, 30 to 80 miles above the ground. Almost all are destroyed in this
process; the rare few that survive and hit the ground are known as
meteorites.
When a meteor appears, it seems to "shoot" quickly across the
sky, and its small size and intense brightness might make you think it is a
star. If you're lucky enough to spot a meteorite (a meteor that makes it all the
way to the ground), and see where it hits, it's easy to think you just saw a
star "fall."
How can I best view a meteor shower?
If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate.
For example, drive north to view the Leonids. Driving south may lead you to darker skies, but the glow will dominate the northern horizon, where Leo rises. Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast around 11 p.m. in mid-August.
After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites.
Once you have settled at your observing spot, lay back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with the stars and sky filling your field of view. Meteors will instantly grab your attention as they streak by.
How do I know the sky is dark enough to see meteors?
If you can see each star of the Little Dipper, your eyes have "dark adapted," and your chosen site is probably dark enough. Under these conditions, you will see plenty of meteors.
What should I pack for meteor watching?
Treat meteor watching like you would the 4th of July fireworks. Pack comfortable chairs, bug spray, food and drinks, blankets, plus a red-filtered flashlight for reading maps and charts without ruining your night vision. Binoculars are not necessary. Your eyes will do just fine.
Mercury stages a big event on November 8: a transit. It will cross directly across the disk of the Sun, forming a tiny black dot against the bright background. It's dangerous to look at directly, though, so it's best observed through web sites that provide live broadcasts. Other than that, this little planet -- named for the Roman messenger god, who flew from Olympus on winged heels -- flits back and forth from morning sky to evening sky several times a year. It never strays far from the Sun in our sky, so it's tough to find in the glare. From the northern hemisphere, it's visible in the morning sky this year in early January, mid-March through mid-May, early August, and late November through late December. The late-year appearance is the best, because the planet will stand highest above the horizon. In the evening, Mercury is best seen in February (its best appearance of the year), early June through early July, and late September through October.
VENUS
Venus, the dazzling morning or evening star,
outshines all the other stars and planets in the night sky. It begins the year
in the evening sky, low in the west shortly after sunset. It then passes between
Earth and the Sun, and will disappear in the Sun's glare for a few days. It will
return to view late in the month as the brilliant “morning star” quite low in
the southeast. Venus will spend most of the year in the morning sky, climbing
higher during the spring and summer before dropping back toward the Sun. It will
pass behind the Sun in late October, so it will be lost in the Sun's glare from
early September through early December. It will reemerge in the evening sky by
year's end.
MARS
Mars begins the year as a moderately bright
orange star in the constellation Aries. It will grow fainter through the end of
summer, when it will disappear in the Sun's glare. Mars will reemerge in the
morning sky in late December. In March, it will pass quite close to Aldebaran,
the star that marks the “eye” of Taurus, the bull. Mars and Aldebaran will look
like twins, with near-identical color and brightness.
Jupiter
The largest planet in our solar system is
a commanding presence in the night sky for much of the year. It looks like an
intensely bright cream-colored star, shining brighter than anything else in the
night sky except the Moon and Venus. It's at "opposition" in early May, when it
appears brightest for the year, and remains visible all night. It will disappear
behind the Sun in early November, then return to view before dawn by early
December, when it will appear quite close to Mars.
Saturn looks like a bright golden star. It spends
much the year in Cancer, much of that time closely aligned with the
constellation's most promiment feature, the Beehive Cluster. It disappears
behind the Sun in late July, then reemerges in the morning sky in late August.
It's brightest at the beginning of the year, when it's closest to us.
Uranus
Although it's the third-largest planet in
the solar system, Uranus is so far from the Sun that you need binoculars to see
it. It spends the year in the constellation Aquarius. It stages its best
appearance in late August and early September.
Neptune
The fourth-largest planet in the solar
system is so far away that you need a telescope to find it. Neptune appears in
the constellation Capricornus, and stages its best appearance in late summer.
from ASK.COM
9 comments on 12-14-06~ Watch for Geminid Meteor Shower
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Jenn
Anyway, good post. AS to what to take to view a meteor shower? Bugspray? LOL It's been in the single digits here - any bug that cannot survive that will be bigger than I am! [LOL][LOL][LOL]