Science Geeks: Mark Your Calendar!

virgo10 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-09-2009, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Dec. 8, 2009: Make hot cocoa. Bundle up. Tell your friends. The best meteor shower of 2009 is about to fall over North America on a long, cold December night.

"It's the Geminid meteor shower," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "and it will peak on Dec. 13th and 14th under ideal viewing conditions."

A new Moon will keep skies dark for a display that Cooke and others say could top 140 meteors per hour. According to the International Meteor Organization, maximum activity should occur around 12:10 a.m. EST (0510 UT) on Dec. 14th. The peak is broad, however, and the night sky will be rich with Geminids for many hours and perhaps even days around the maximum.

This is looking to be a good one. Up to 140 meteors an hour, the chance of seeing them in multiple colors (some burn up in reds, greens, yellows, etc.), low light polution from the moon and it's not a 3 o'clock in the morning!

Seriously though, if you've never seen a great meteor shower, it's absolutely amazing!

NASA -The 2009 Geminid Meteor Shower

ILOVEMYCHURCH · #2 (**permalink**) 12-09-2009, 08:38 AM

Thanks for sharing.

annadrose · #3 (**permalink**) 12-09-2009, 04:47 PM

Thanks Virgo I posted this on my FaceBook and my husband and I will try to see something.

mom2twins2 · #4 (**permalink**) 12-09-2009, 08:18 PM

My husband and I were driving back from his mother's house over Thanksgiving and we saw a GREEN meteor falling right in front of us!! I emailed our local weather guy and asked him about it and he put us in touch with his 'sky people'. They emailed me and said it was a 'once in a lifetime' event to actually see a green meteor. So I was definitely excited that we saw this. It was so beautiful and actually close to us!!

Thanks, OP, for the alert. Hope we'll be able to see more!!!

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