December Meteor Shower 2008 - The Geminids
I wish I could give you better news for the peak of the Geminids Meteor Shower, but the moon will be causing some real big problems for us this year. The moon falls right in the radiant of the shower on its peak date of December 13th (from midnight until dawn).
I would suggest for this shower finding the darkest spot that you can find and look toward the darkest part of the sky. Once you observe a meteor you can then trace its backward path to the Constellation Gemini.
I do believe that this shower is still worth viewing, as the shower has been known to produce great results. Scientists claim that the Geminids is getting stronger each year.
Bookmark our site because I may have some good news for you regarding other Meteor Showers of December 2008 and in the meantime, keep your head up.
Your comments and questions are always welcome.
Mark Davis of NAMN provides the following information:
“The Geminids are material from Phaethon 3200, which appears to be an asteroid, but is most likely a degassed comet nucleus. Were it not for the Geminids, it would be known only as an asteroid. It has a very short orbital period of only 1.59 year, and is about 5 km in diameter, and approaches the sun at a perihelion distance of only 0.14 AU, closer than any other numbered asteroid. As a result, the surface gets hot enough to melt rock, with temperatures possibly as high as 1025K (760 C, 1400 F)! For comparison, Mercury’s perihelion is 0.31 AU, twice as far away, and its surface “only” reaches 700K (425 C, 800F). It is currently visible in large scopes as a magnitude +17.7 object in Triangulum.”
Thank you for visiting our site. Meteor Showers by MeteorBlog.com
- Meteor Mark
on Dec 14th, 2008 at 3:48 am
I am staying up late to watch the sky tonite. I have seen several “streaks” but saw one that looked like a little fireball – it was spactacular! I had to come in and get warm but will head back out in a few minutes. I am in North Central Alabam and it’s a little chilly here tonite.
on Dec 14th, 2008 at 3:54 am
Beverly,
Haha chilly! It is 18 degrees here! I was out there in the cold, I am frozen I can’t type anymore.
Thanks for the comment.
- Meteor Mark
on Dec 14th, 2008 at 3:57 am
oh yeah, you’ve got it much colder. I shouldn’t gripe. Are you seeing a lot?
bev
on Dec 14th, 2008 at 4:04 am
Bev,
The moon as you know is pretty fierce. I am seeing about 1 every 3 to 5 minutes. To be honest I am not much of a trooper when it comes to the cold weather. An interesting fact is the moon is actually at it’s closest to earth during it’s orbit right now and the moon is the “fullest” it will be all year.
Under perfect new moon conditions you would be seeing about 1 to 3 meteors a minute!
Keep your head up and bookmark the site. December 22nd could be better!
- Meteor Mark
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
That’s about what I saw, one every 3 to 5 minutes. I did bookmark the site, never been to a site like this before but on the news I heard about the meteor shower and was up late anyway so decided to stay up even later and check it out. I googled metor showers and that’s how I came upon your site.
So Dec 22 there will be another meteor shower?
Bev
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Beverly,
Yes the Ursids starts December 17th and peaks December 22nd. I will be posting some more detailed information about it on Wednesday Morning. I am hoping the phase of the moon will help make this a worthwhile viewing experience.
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark