Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Geminid Meteor Shower Peak May Be Blocked Out By Moon This Week

This week marks the peak of what is usually considered the most satisfying of all annual meteor displays: the Geminid meteor shower.
As was the case with last month’s Leonid meteor shower, however, prospective skywatchers should be aware that once again, observers will face a major obstacle in their attempt to see this year’s Geminid performance, namely, the moon.
Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the moon will turn full on Dec. 17, and as such, will seriously hamper viewing the peak of the Geminids, predicted to occur in the overnight hours of Dec. 13 to 14. Bright moonlight will flood the sky through much of that night, playing havoc with any serious attempts to observe the usually spectacular meteor shower.

 

The Geminids are already around, having been active only in a very weak and scattered form since about Dec. 7. Geminid activity is expected to be on an upswing in the nights to come, leading up to their peak on Friday night (Dec. 13).
Historically, this shower has a reputation for being rich both in slow, bright, meteors as well as rather faint meteors, with relatively few of medium brightness. Many Geminid meteor shower streaks appear yellowish in hue. Every once in a while, a Geminid fireball will blaze forth, bright enough to be quite spectacular and more than capable of attracting attention even in bright moonlight.
"If you have not yet seen a mighty Geminid fireball arcing gracefully across an expanse of sky, then you have not seen a meteor," astronomers David Levy and Stephen Edberg wrote in their book, "Observe Meteors," published by the Astronomical League.

http://www.weather.com/news/science/space/geminid-meteor-shower-20131210
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