The Geminids

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

 

You heard that the Geminds, considered the best meteor shower of the year, peak Dec. 14 but that is early in the morning. They are worth staying up for or getting up early because you see about 100 meteors per hour.

 The moon is not a factor and the mostly clear skies across the US should help.

But if you miss the time slot you can also watch on a free, livesteam hosted by Slooh Telescope and the Virtual Telescope project in Italy.

The Slooh robotic telescope network is hosting a free livestream of the Geminid meteor shower beginning at 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT) on Thursday (Dec. 14). 

Slooh operates a network of telescopes in Chile and the Canary islands. The organization hosts livestream webcasts.

November brings the Taurids and Leonids plus an extra hour of sleep

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

It’s “fall back” time. Change clocks back an hour before you go to bed Nov. 4, 2023 or wait until morning Nov. 5, We say goodbye to Daylight Saving Time. at two a.m. on Sunday. Just remember: “Spring Ahead, Fall Back.”

Named for Taurus, the meteors shooting above now seem to emanate from that constellation. However, there is the Southern Taurids that started in September, go until Nov. 20 but peak Nov. 2-4 with a radiant at the southern part of the constellation. And, there are the Northern Taurids that peak Nov. 12-14 but have a radiant at the northern part. 

The Taurids are from the comet Encke (pronounced “EN-key”), mentioned by  18th-century German astronomer Johann Franz Encke., Visit the Farmer’s Almanac and Taurid Meteor Showers for more information.

Next, are the Leonids whose parent is 55PTempel-Tuttle. They are among the fastest meteors traveling about 44 miles per second.  They peak Nov. 17-18. They sometimes show up as impressive fireballs with colorful tails.

For more information visit Time and Date and EarthSky.

To see what’s up there in your sky, download “Sky Guide” and point phone to the sky.

 

 

 

October meteor showers

 

T

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

here are always meteors flying overhead. A good overview is at NASA.Gov So don’t worry if you miss one group in the news. You can watch for others that peak a short time later.

In October the Draconids peak Oct. 8-9 with best chance to catch theses somewhat sparce meteors shortly after nightfall. They are the dust particles from the Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Visit SPACE for a detailed graph of the radiation point.

But if you miss them, the more prolific Orionid meteor shower which can produce between 30 to 80 meteors pers hour, will peak about ten days later Oct. 20-21.  They come from the debris of Comet 1P/Halley, (Halley’s Comet). For more information visit Time and Date.

Catch best meteor shower of this year

 

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

If you have clear skies and can watch after midnight, chances are good that you can catch way more than one “falling ” star this weekend.

The bright, prolific Perseids, will be shooting debris from the 109P/ Swift- Tuttle comet at 90 or more meteors per hour late at night, Aug. 11-13 and peaking Aug. the 13th. The moon is a waning crescent so shouldn’t be a light factor.

They already started in mid-July and continue until Sept 1 but this weekend is expected to be their biggest display.

They are fun to watch as they are fast (37 miles per second) and are streaks of light with long trains or “wakes.” Plus, they are usually colorful.

Best time to look is very, very early in the morning before the sun rises. They shoot all over the sky but the radiant (where they seem to come from) is the northern section of constellation Perseus which is higher in the sky shortly before dawn.

For more information and charts visit NASA and EarthSky

 

July and August meteor showers overlap

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

 

 Sky watchers might catch a glimpse of the Capricornids. They are not abundant but if you see a bright slash across the sky it’s likely to be a Capricornid meteor. They peaked July 26 but are continuing through mid-August.

Look for the triangular Capricornus (Sea Goat) constellation for the Capricornid radiant.

Then be rewarded for looking up the beginning of August when the Delta Aquarids fly across the sky at about 10 per hour.

They peaked July 29 but continue through Aug. 19. However, you might miss some because they are not bright and don’t have a noticeable tail.

For their radiant look for Aquarius the Water Bearer (see a triangle of stars with a fourth star in the middle) between Capricornus and Pegasis’ Great Square.

Next, watch for the Perseids in mid-August. They are already shooting across the sky but will peak about Aug. 13-15 and continue through Aug. 24.

They come from the Swift-Tuttle also are abundant but more easily seen than the Delta Aquarids.  

For more July-Aug. meteor shower info visit Space and the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

 

 

Early May sky show

 

Spring full moon (J Jacobs photo)
Spring full moon (J Jacobs photo)

May 5 is celebrated as a victorious battle day by Mexican communities in the United States. So if in Chicago find a couple of Cinco de Mayo restaurant deals at Dining Out Eating In.

But if wondering why there are “falling stars” overhead or why it’s so bright outside that night, check out the following information.  

The Flower Moon

If the sky isn’t particularly cloudy where you live than the evening will seem brighter than usual May 4-6, 2023. May’s full Moon has total illumination in the afternoon of May 5 at 1:36 p.m. EDT but will appear full in the evening of May 4-6. The clue to the name of the May full Moon surrounds us almost everywhere there is a plot of earth. 

 The Old Farmer’s Almanac has the time the moon will be rising above the horizon and setting where you live. 

As followers of Travel Smart know by now, the name of a month’s Moon (and yes, it often is referred to the whole month by the same name), often comes from Native American tribes, long ago European farmers and also religions and cultures that base some festivals on lunar events. 

Thus the May Moon is called the Planting Moon, Budding Moon, Milk Moon and Egg Laying Moon. For more name info visit  The Old Farmer’s Almanac and (timeanddate.com).

 

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

Meteors

May 5-6 is also when to watch for the Eta Aquarids, a meteor shower that typically sends about 50 meteors an hour across the sky. Their parent is 1pHalley which produces two meteor showers during the year.

The May shower is named for a bright star in constellation Eta Aquarli and is the first meteor shower from Comet Halley debris.

Earth passes through Halley’s path around the Sun again in October when its debris is known as the Orionid meteor shower that peaks around October 20.

 

 

The Lyrids are here

 

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

 

The prolific Lyrid Meteor Shower fills the skies with “falling stars” April 15 through April 29, 2023. But to really see them in action check the late night sky after the moon has set during their peak activity April 22-23.

However, the moon should not be a factor because it is between its new moon (dark) phase April 20 and First Quarter Moon (sliver) April 27.

The Lyrids typically produce about 18 meteors per hour traveling about 29 miles per second. On rare occasions they have produced a storm of meteorites shooting across the sky.

Lyrids’ arrival in Earth’s atmosphere is an annual sky event discovered by A.E. Thatcher in April, 1861. Thus, they are formally attributed as debris from Comet Thatcher (comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher).

To get a good idea of where they seem to originate visit Time and Date for its live-action photo centered on an area between the constellation Lyra (The Harp) with its bright Vega star, and its neighbor, constellation Hercules.

Best is to go out after midnight through pre-dawn when the star, Vega, is overhead. Be patient and allow your eyes to acclimate to the dark sky. You don’t have to look for the Lyrids’ radiant (origination point) because their trail appears longer further away.

If you have ever seen a sky show in a planetarium such as the Adler in Chicago, you know that stars and constellations rise and move from one direction in the sky to another.  So, you may look northeast early in the evening for Vega, then overhead as the night progresses and then more southwest at dawn. 

For more information visit Space and Earth Sky.

Sky watch meteors and full moon

 

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

New Year’s Eve fireworks kept sky watchers engrossed as TV stations moved across the world to different time zones and countries Dec. 31, 2022.

Then nature followed with the Quadrantids meteors. Begun Dec. 28, it peaks pre-dawn Jan. 3 to Jan 4 in 2023. Their “parent” is the Asteroid 2003 EH from the defunct constellation Quadrans Mualis.

They seem to radiate from a point east of Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper) but can be seen anywhere in a clear sky. The problem will be the moon which will be waxing gibbous on its way to full illumination Jan. 6.

For best time to watch and where in your region check TimeandDate Quadrantids

Next looking up, is a Mircromoon. Called the Wolf Moon, January’s full moon is considered a Micromoon because it appears smaller due to its orbit which takes it far from Earth (as opposed to a Supermoon which appears large because it is close to Earth).

The January 2023 full moon reaches full illumination at 5 p.m. CST Jan. 6,  but will appear full the day before and day after. Some Native Tribes have called it the Wolf Moon because wolves tend to howl more in January.

Read more about the January moon’s names in The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

 

Look between the snowflakes for the Ursid meteors

 

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

By now you probably heard that the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice of Dec. 21, 2022, will be making itself known Wednesday followed on Dec. 22-23 by very cold temps, blowing winds and more snow than folks need for a white Christmas.

So, it might be challenging to see the Urid meteors flying across the sky when they peak in the very early hours Thursday and Friday. The good news is that the moon is in its darkest waning crescent phase with very little illumination and becomes a new moon with no illumination Dec. 23.

The Urids are so named because they seem to radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper). Their parent is the 8P/Tuttle comet. They started Dec. 13 and continue through Dec. 24.

Producing only five to 10 meteors an hour, the Urids are a comparatively minor meteor shower but it’s always fun to “catch” a meteor.

For more info visit EarthSky and TimeandDate.

 

Bright and fast Geminids hurtle across the sky

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

 

The Geminids, among the best meteor sky shows of the year, peak Dec. 13-14 in 2022.

Named for the constellation Gemini because the meteors seem to radiate from near its star, Castor, a twin to Pollux, this meteor shower historically hurtles between 100 and 150 fireballs across the sky per hour at its peak. They are traveling at 22 miles per second.

With clear weather and a moon phase that doesn’t make the sky too bright, 120 meteors per hour may be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to the constellation’s position, fewer than half that number are spotted in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 2022, the moon will be wanning gibbous during the Geminids peak. The moon was full Dec. 7-9. But these meteors are bright so chances are you will “catch” at least a few “falling stars.”  Find more info at TimeandDate.

The Geminids are different from typical meteor showers. They don’t radiate from a comet but from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.  You can pick up more information on asteroids and comets at Astronomical terms and definitions.

NASA experts say just look at the sky instead of trying to find the constellation Gemini because meteors have shorter trails near their radiant so are harder to spot.

When to watch.

Where warm clothing because you may be outside awhile until your eyes adjust to the sky and atmosphere. Choose to go out when Gemini is above the horizon but before the moon rises or later around 2 a.m. even though moonlight might make them harder to find. Find a spot away from lights or away from moonlight such as the shade of a tree.

The Geminids continue through Dec. 24, 2022.  For more information visit NASA/Explore and EarthSky.