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APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:06 am
by APOD Robot
Geminid Meteors over Xinglong Observatory
Explanation: Where do Geminid meteors come from? In terms of location on the sky, as the
featured image composite beautifully demonstrates, the sand-sized bits of rock that create the streaks of the
Geminids meteor shower appear to
flow out from the
constellation of Gemini. In terms of parent body,
Solar System trajectories point to the asteroid
3200 Phaethon -- but this results in a
bit of a mystery since that unusual object appears
mostly dormant. Perhaps,
3200 Phaethon undergoes greater
dust-liberating events than
we know. Over 50 meteors including a
bright fireball were captured during the peak of the 2015 Geminids Meteor Shower streaking above
Xinglong Observatory in
China. The
Geminids of
December are one of the most predictable and
active meteor showers. This year's
Geminids peak tonight and should be particularly good because, in part, the nearly
new Moon will only
rise toward dawn and so not brighten the sky.
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:21 pm
by orin stepanek
New moon; like no moon, well almost! Should be a good night to
watch; 'cept it's so cold!
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:05 pm
by Ann
Lovely APOD! Unfortunately, the night skies over Sweden look like this 🢂
Ann
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:13 pm
by Chris Peterson
Ann wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:05 pm
Lovely APOD! Unfortunately, the night skies over Sweden look like this 🢂
:(
Ann
Geminids can produce very bright fireballs. Bright enough to light up clouds through their thickness. You could always sit on your terrace and stare at the sky, hoping for an occasional flash. Doesn't that sound like a fun way to spend a December evening?
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:53 pm
by johnnydeep
I note with some sadness that the Wikipedia link to 3200 Phaethon shows an animated gif of the object with the caption "Radar image of 3200 Phaethon taken by
Arecibo, December 17, 2017". RIP, Arecibo
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:05 pm
by neufer
johnnydeep wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:53 pm
I note with some sadness that the Wikipedia link to 3200 Phaethon shows an animated gif of the object with the caption "Radar image of 3200 Phaethon taken by
Arecibo, December 17, 2017". RIP, Arecibo
Plato wrote:
"There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes. There is a story that even you [Greeks] have preserved, that once upon a time, Phaethon, the son of Helios, having yoked the steeds in his father's chariot, because he was not able to drive them in the path of his father, burnt up all that was upon the earth, and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt. Now, this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals."
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 8:31 pm
by orin stepanek
Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:13 pm
Ann wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:05 pm
Lovely APOD! Unfortunately, the night skies over Sweden look like this 🢂
Ann
Geminids can produce very bright fireballs. Bright enough to light up clouds through their thickness. You could always sit on your terrace and stare at the sky, hoping for an occasional flash. Doesn't that sound like a fun way to spend a December evening?
🥶
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 2:31 am
by WWW
Just caught a few streaks early tonight. Radient point seemed to be a bit higher then as shown in the 2015 picture. One streak went right through middle of Orion from head to toe, (between Betelguese and Bellatrix). Plan on taking another look just after local midnight.
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:47 pm
by neufer
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Excellent SN cover article
Re: APOD: Geminid Meteors over Xinglong... (2020 Dec 13)
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:08 pm
by Chris Peterson
244 meteors on my allsky camera last night. Most are Geminids, but I haven't filtered out those belonging to other active showers yet.
_
