Geminid Meteor Shower

I wish I had some good news about the final meteor shower of 2005, but the Geminids, which peak on the night of December 13-14, will unfortunately be quite diminished by an almost Full Moon (on the 15th). All but the brightest of this usually very productive meteor shower will be overshadowed by bright moonlight. Still, if the weather cooperates, I would recommend spending a half hour or so around midnight trying to catch a glimpse of a shooting star or two.

I make this suggestion because the Geminids have a peak rate of 60-75 meteors per hour. Despite the interfering moonlight you should have an opportunity to observe a handful of the brighter meteors streaking across the sky.

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.

Good luck with the December Geminids.

And finally, the Winter Solstice occurs at 1:35 pm on December 21. Notice how far south the Sun arcs across the sky. Some forecasters are predicting another cold and snowy Winter for us in New England. Wouldn't it be nice if we could hibernate like bears?

Please note that Seagrave Observatory will be open to the public on only two Saturday nights in December due to holiday celebrations and other scheduled festivities. If the weather cooperates and snow cover doesn't close our parking lot, we will be open on the 10th and 17th. Check our web site at http://www.theskyscrapers.org for snow cancellations. The observatory will be closed on December 3rd, 24th and 31st.

Happy holidays and clear skies to you all.