Geminid meteor shower 2013: up to 120 meteors an hour expected Saturday morning

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Independent

Astronomers are predicting that the annual Geminid meteor shower is set to be the most spectacular of the year, with the light show peaking tonight and early tomorrow morning.

Nasa have predicted that between 100 and 120 meteors are to be expected every hour, though it’s a bright moon (specifically, a gibbous one) may make many of these difficult to see.

The shower began on Thursday and will continue through to Monday, though the early hours of Saturday morning should be the best time to catch a glimpse of the meteors.

“Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids are by far the most massive. When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of five to 500,” said Nasa astronomer Bill Cooke.



Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/geminid-meteor-shower-up-to-120-meteors-an-hour-expected-early-saturday-morning-9002751.html

[longship]

1. Watch for fireballs tonight.

They can be pretty damned spectacular. The best ones may even be audible. I've heard some that sizzle like bacon.

Unfortunately, Decembers in MI are cold and cloudy, especially this year.

Keep looking up, DUers.

R&K

[William Seger]

6. I heard one back in the '70s

It sounded like a pop bottle being opened slowly, but then it occurred to me that the meteor was many miles away, so there's no way I should have heard it at the same time I was seeing it. So, I assumed it was just a coincidental sound and forgot about it, until I came across an interesting website a few years ago that was studying the possibility that meteors sometimes produce Very Low Frequency radio waves, and things like wire-frame glasses or dried leaves can sometimes act like a transducer by vibrating. It seems the theory is gaining some credence.

[livetohike]

2. We're expecting a snowstorm here in northern PA starting tonight

We always miss the good stuff .

[Earth_First]

11. Same in New York... nt

[William Seger]

3. I saw a HUGE fireball Wednesday evening

It was so large -- about half the apparent size of the moon -- it took me a moment to realize it was a meteor.

[closeupready]

4. Wow, that must have been something.

Stuff like that makes you feel so small and insignificant. I remember a really spectacular Northern Lights display that lit up the whole sky - the word 'awesome' is overused, but it's the only word that fits what it was like.

[RebelOne]

5. I won't see anything here in North Georgia

rain is due to move in Saturday morning, so the sky will be cloudy.

[LongTomH]

7. Same here in KC MO

We're expected to have near 100% cloud cover and snow.

[ManiacJoe]

9. 92-94% cloud cover predicted in the Seattle area...

[LongTomH]

8. If it's cloudy where you are, watch UStream from NASA

Stay "Up All Night" to Watch Geminids

The annual Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of Dec. 13-14, 2013. NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, along with Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw from his team of experts, will be on hand to answer questions via a live web chat on Dec. 13 from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. EST. A live Ustream feed of the skies over Marshall Space Flight Center will also be embedded on this page on the night of the chat.

The Geminid meteor shower is the most intense meteor shower of the year. It lasts for several days (Dec. 12-16), is rich in fireballs and can be seen from almost any point on Earth. The 2013 peak rate is between 100-120 meteors per hour. The waxing gibbous moon will reduce the rate by half, except for the brief time between moonset (4 a.m. local time) and sunrise.

[freshwest]

10. Thanks, cloud cover has ruined all of these sightings for a few years in PNW. n/t

[LeftyMom]

12. I saw several on Friday night without even looking, just in the course of going about my night.

And the light pollution here is terrible, so I bet it was quite a show uphill where the visibility is better.