Geminid Meteor Shower and other Interesting Astronomical Events for December

This past year we have been fortunate to have observed quite a few meteor showers. I think we've seen more meteors in 2007 than we have during the past several years combined. I know I did. And as I write this column, the favorable Leonids meteor shower is still more than a week away.

But perhaps the best display of shooting stars during 2007 will occur on the night of December 13-14 for us here in New England. That is the time for the peak activity of the Geminid meteor shower. Though you will have to be prepared for the cold weather, this meteor display always produces a good show, and the best thing is that you can begin observing before midnight.

You can begin observing the Geminids around 10:00 pm since Gemini will be rising on its side (looks like two human stick figures) and will be about halfway up off the eastern horizon by that time. The meteors will appear to radiate from a point in the constellation near Castor, a white star and the fainter of the twins (Pollux being the brighter and yellow-orange in color).

You should notice the number of meteors increasing as the night progresses and Gemini climbs higher into the sky. At around 1:00 am, the twins will be directly overhead. Between then and dawn's early light you could possibly see up to 100 meteors per hour blaze across the sky.

For once the Moon will not pose any problems with observing as many meteors as possible, for the waxing crescent sets around 7:15 pm on the 13th. You won't have to worry about its light affecting your observing conditions.

The Geminids are fairly bright and moderate in speed, hitting our atmosphere at 21.75-miles per second. The Geminids are characterized by their multicolored display (65% being white, 26% yellow, and the remaining 9% blue, red and green). They also have a reputation for producing exploding meteors called fireballs. The Geminids are the most dependable display because they are an old shower and therefore the individual meteors are evenly distributed throughout the meteor stream.

If the weather doesn't cooperate on the night of the 13th - 14th, you can still expect to see a fair amount of meteors the following night. The display declines very sharply after peak, so expect the number of meteors to be no more than about 25 per hour at best. That is still a respectable show worth watching.

Good luck with the December Geminids.

While you're scanning the sky for shooting stars, please note the bright reddish/orange object residing in Gemini near Castor's right knee. That is our neighbor Mars. On December 19, Mars will be at its closest approach to the Earth (approximately 54,797,448 miles) until 2016. Despite Mars' distance from us, we should be able to observe some surface details. And on December 30, Mars crosses constellation boundaries and moves into Taurus the Bull.

Also check out the almost Full Moon on the 21st about 35 degrees above the eastern horizon between 4:45 pm and 5:00 pm. For us here in New England the Moon will have just finished its passage in front of the brighter stars of the Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters). Check out the view with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. You may observe a few fainter stars of the cluster emerge from behind the edge of the lunar surface.

And finally, the Winter Solstice occurs at 1:08 am on December 22. Notice how far south the Sun arcs across the sky.

Please note that Seagrave Observatory will be closed on Saturday, December 1st. Don't forget to regularly check the Skyscrapers web site at http://www.theskyscrapers.org for snow/ice cancellations throughout the winter season.

Happy holidays and clear skies to you all.