S&T: Geminid Meteors Will Dazzle on December 13th and 14th

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bystander
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S&T: Geminid Meteors Will Dazzle on December 13th and 14th

Post by bystander » Thu Dec 10, 2015 6:00 pm

Geminid Meteors Will Dazzle on December 13th and 14th
Sky & Telescope | 2015 Dec 09
[img3="Geminid meteors can flash into view anywhere in the late-night sky. But if you follow their paths back far enough, they all appear to diverge from a point in the constellation Gemini. The meteors' perspective point of origin is called the shower's radiant. Don't expect to see several meteors at once! This diagram is meant only to show their divergence from the radiant point. Click on the image for a larger version. Credit: Sky & Telescope / Gregg Dinderman"]http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-conte ... 014-HD.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr]
If it’s clear late on Sunday and Monday nights (December 13 and 14, 2015), keep a lookout overhead for the “shooting stars” of the Geminid meteor shower. “The Geminids are usually one of the two best meteor showers of the year,” says Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. “Sometimes they’re more impressive than the better-known Perseids of August.”

Sky & Telescope predicts that, if viewing under a clear, dark sky, you might see a shooting star every minute or two, on average, from 10 p.m. local time until dawn on the two peak nights.

Lower counts of Geminid meteors should be visible for a few nights before and after December 13th and 14th. If you live under the artificial skyglow of light pollution, you'll see fewer meteors, but the brightest ones will shine through. Scattered light from a thin waxing crescent Moon will not interfere. ...

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Leicester: Astronomers Recall Discovery of Source of Geminid Meteors

Post by bystander » Sat Dec 12, 2015 4:01 am

Astronomers Recall Discovery of Source of Geminid Meteors
University of Leicester, UK | 2015 Dec 11

The beautiful Geminids meteor shower is due to light up the heavens this weekend, but the source of the enigmatic cosmic display had eluded stargazers for more than 120 years.

Although the popular astronomical event has been observed since the 1800s, its origins had long remained a mystery.

It was only discovered relatively recently, compared to other showers such as the Perseids, which were first documented in 36 AD and Leonids, which date back to 902 AD.

Then, in 1983, two University of Leicester astronomers -- Dr. Simon Green and Dr. John Davies -- were studying data from the infrared sensitive telescope on the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, IRAS, and discovered an asteroid with a very unusual orbit.

Originally designated 1983 TB, the comet was renamed 3200 Phaethon after the son of Greek Sun god Helios -- an appropriate moniker as it orbits closer to the Sun than any other asteroid then known.

Shortly after the find, Harvard astronomer Fred Whipple was able to link the newly discovered rocky object, which is about three miles wide, with the Geminid meteors, and the mystifying source of the showers was revealed. ...
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

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Re: S&T: Geminid Meteors Will Dazzle on December 13th and 14th

Post by neufer » Sat Dec 12, 2015 1:41 pm

Art Neuendorffer

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