Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Geminids are here



Geminid meteor activity is picking up as Earth moves deeper into the debris stream of rock comet 3200 Phaethon. Last night alone, NASA's network of all-sky cameras detected 22 Geminid fireballs over the USA. 

Geminids range in brightness from near-invisibility to shadow-casting fireballs. In recent nights, lunar glare has interfered with the visibility of fainter meteors. This will change in the nights ahead as the Moon wanes and Earth moves deeper into the Geminid debris stream. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Dec. 13-14 with as many as 120 meteors per hour. Wherever you live, the best time to look is during the hours between midnight and dawn on Saturday and Sunday.



2 comments:

  1. May be interesting to look at if Stormageddon doesn't wipe us off the planet.

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  2. I just hope the weather is clear for a change (sigh)....

    ReplyDelete