An Early Holiday Gift from the Sky Gods

December can be quite snowy and cold around southern New England. But I’m hoping Mother Nature will cooperate and allow stargazers to observe the most reliable and consistent meteor shower the Earth encounters on its year-long journey around our Sun. That shower of shooting stars, called the Geminids, peaks this month on the night of December 13-14 (a Sunday night to Monday morning). And all the conditions are ideal for observing them this year, provided the skies are clear.

What must one do to maximize your chances of observing perhaps 60-100 meteors per hour on peak night? First you need to select an observing location as far away from light pollution as possible. Second, you’ve got to stay warm and comfortable. Use a chaise lounge covered with a blanket. On top of that place a sleeping bag. If it’s really cold you may have to place another heavy blanket on top of that. Third, dress warmly with several layers and include woolen socks, mittens and a good warm hat. Fourth, zip yourself into the sleeping bag and point yourself in the general direction (east) of Gemini. Fifth, keep a thermos of hot chocolate or coffee handy. Sixth, don’t observe alone.

Once you and your friend(s) get settled in you can begin your observing experience. Unlike some of the other major meteor showers, the Geminids can be observed early in the evening. Why? Gemini, the constellation from where the shooting stars appear to radiate from, is about 30 degrees above the eastern horizon by 9:00 pm. Though the radiant, near this constellation’s bright stars Castor and Pollux, is visible all night, peak activity is predicted for midnight.

If you start your observing run around 9:00 pm you should notice the number of meteors increasing to the midnight hour. They may remain at peak for about an hour or so, but will then diminish as each hour passes by thereafter. Do not stare directly at Gemini. Rather, scan as much of the sky as possible, even turning your head and scanning above and behind your normal field of vision. You might get a stiff neck, but the rewards will be worth it.

You’ll know you’ve seen a Geminid if you can trace the path of the meteor trail back to the radiant point in Gemini. These meteors are fairly bright and moderate in speed, hitting our atmosphere at 21.75-miles per second. They are characterized by their multicolored display (65% being white, 26% yellow, and the remaining 9% blue, red and green). Geminids also have a reputation for producing exploding meteors called fireballs.

So if Mother Nature is kind to us on the night of December 13-14, I hope you will spend time out under the stars to look for some beautiful meteors to blaze across the sky. For stargazers of all ages it will be an early holiday gift from the sky gods.

A week later on December 21, the Sun will have reached its most southerly position in our northern hemisphere sky. It’s an event called the Winter Solstice, occurring this year at 12:47 pm EST. Despite the fact that with each passing day afterwards the amount of daylight will be increasing, it takes some time for the climate and weather systems to catch up to provide us more warmth.

And one additional astronomical tidbit to note, December has two Full Moons. The first occurs on the 2nd, while the second one occurs on the 31st, thereby making that second one a so-called “blue moon.” Please note that Seagrave Observatory in North Scituate will be closed on Saturday, December 5. Also refer to our website at http://www.theskyscrapers.org for snow/ice cancellations. The observatory remains open if snow or ice does not make the parking lot inaccessible or the grounds impassable.

Should Seagrave be closed, you might visit Ladd Observatory (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Physics/Ladd/) in Providence. Ladd is open every clear Tuesday night during the winter months from 7-9 pm, weather permitting. Since parking is available on-street, only a parking ban or icy conditions would close the facility. Check out the Ladd website for any cancellations.

Happy holidays and good observing.