Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The Quadrantid meteor shower is the first meteor shower of 2013.
The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of 2013, will peak Thursday in the early hours. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's anything less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. A stubborn moon will wash out many Quadrantids, cutting down on the number of meteors seen by skywatchers, but with an average of about 80 per hour, clear skies should mean many of the shooting stars will still be visible. From NASA: Like the Geminids, the Quadrantids originate from an asteroid, called 2003 EH1. Dynamical studies suggest that this body could very well be a piece of a comet which broke apart several …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
NASA scientist says two debris streams may cross after sunset Thursday.
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
There are plenty of meteor showers in the late fall – we’ve seen the Orionids in October, and the Taurids and Leonids in November. If you got outside at the right time, and the weather was nice, maybe you saw a few “shooting stars.” Tonight, however, may be different. That’s because we may be treated to not one, but two meteor showers at the same time, according to NASA. In addition to the peak of the Geminid shower, there may be a brand new meteor shower debuting after sunset tonight, Dec. 13. The new, as-yet-to-be-named shower is courtesy of Comet Wirtanen, discovered in 1948, according to Bill Cooke, from NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. As for the source of the Geminids, it’s somewhat of a mystery, Cooke said on NASA’s website. “…
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The peak of the Geminid shower will be at about 2 a.m. Dec. 13 and 14, Earthsky.org reports.
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 and 14, and you may be able to see a great show on either side of those dates. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sightings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at this video of the Geminid meteor shower. You can also look at some amazing photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids peak might be …
