Thursday, January 3, 2013
The first meteor shower of 2013 peaks early Thursday.
Don't blink, you might miss the first meteor shower of the year. The high-powered Quadrantids meteor shower should peak just before dawn Thursday with a maximum number of meteors per hour of about 80. The meteor shower is expected to "last only a few hours," according to NASA.com. The meteors are believed to be a piece comet that broke apart centuries ago. The fragments will enter the Earth's atmosphere at 90,000 mph, burning up 50 miles above Earth's surface, according to NASA. But Mother Nature is working against would-be Quadrantids viewers in the Chicago area. Cloudy skies are expected along with a 30 percent chance of snow, according to the National Weather Service. If clouds don't obscure the meteor shower, the glowing moon may …
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The first meteor shower of 2013 is expected to peak .
The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show will begin overnight Jan. 1, into Jan. 2. 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. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in the wee morning hours of Jan. 4: "[T]he Quadrantids have a maximum rate of about 100 per hour, varying between 60-200. The waxing gibbous moon will set around 3 a.m. local time, leaving about two …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Intended as a video to be aired on Dec. 22, NASA reassures the public that life will continue on after the so-called Mayan apocalypse.
In another attempt to debunk widespread belief that the world is coming to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, NASA has released a video intended to be aired on Dec. 22 -- confirming that life on Earth continues on. The four-minute video titled "Why the World Didn't End Yesterday," labels the Dec. 21 Mayan apocalypse as a hoax and explains how the rumors began. Earlier this month, the U.S. Government responded to apocalyptic fears by posting a blog on the USA.gov website to help dispel the rumors. The post touches on how many have been left frightened, especially children, some of whom have contemplated committing suicide because of the doomsday predictions. NASA has also published a section on its site that provides answers for commonly asked …
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. “…
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Geminid meteor shower, reportedly the most intense meteor shower of the year, is expected to peak around 2 a.m. Dec. 13
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Skies should cooperate this week as the Geminid meteor shower peaks Dec. 13. The week of Dec. 10-16 is the window for Geminid-watching, but from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 13 and Friday, Dec. 14 is the time it is expected to peak, according to NASA. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids peak might be around 2 a.m. on Dec. 13 and 14, when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky as seen around the world. "With no moon to ruin the show, 2012 presents a most favorable year for watching the grand finale of the meteor showers," Earthsky reports. "Best viewing of the Geminids will probably be from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. on December 14." The Geminid Meteor Shower is the last shooting star cluster before New Year's, expected to peak in…
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Mayans may or may not have predicted the apocalypse will occur on Dec. 21—just less than two weeks from now. Do you buy it?
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Do you expect the world to end on Dec. 21, 2012? As the day draws near, NASA is getting in on the action. The agency created a page on its website devoted to debunking the Mayan apocalypse idea—not least because the Mayans never predicted any such thing. The date is simply the end of one time period that simply starts over. “Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” NASA wrote. But maybe they're just fun-haters: there are a number of parties planned for Dec. 20 or 21 this year, just in case the Earth explodes, or zombies run amok. With the "long count" calendar of the Ancient Mayans coming to an end that day, some people are a little…
kirti
11:16 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012
which part of earth???? more ›