Meteor Shower News

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Eric Mc

Original Poster:

122,893 posts

273 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
As meteor showers are regular events each year, I thought it would be worthwhile having a thread dedicated to the various showers as they occur.

Tonight it's the turn of The Geminid shower. It's supposed to be one of the better showers and will, as the name suggests, appear to radiate from the constellation of Gemini, just to the left of Orion.

There is no bright moon around this evening to spoil the show so, depending on cloud conditions, a reasonable number of meteors should be visible.

motco

16,238 posts

254 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Thanks Eric, but for the ignorant among us, which direction should we look if we don't have a clue about Orion? Thanks.

cliffords

1,873 posts

31 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
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For those of us that have little knowledge of this stuff, where do we look in the sky. North, South etc ?

I have seen them before on a holiday in France and it was quite impressive.

snuffy

10,550 posts

292 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
motco said:
Thanks Eric, but for the ignorant among us, which direction should we look if we don't have a clue about Orion? Thanks.
Look up!

M11rph

719 posts

29 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Very approximately Orion will be in the:

- East @ 19:00 tonight,
- South East @ 22:00
- South by Midnight

Gemini is Up and Left a bit from Orion's Belt, the three stars forming a very visible straight line.

motco

16,238 posts

254 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
snuffy said:
motco said:
Thanks Eric, but for the ignorant among us, which direction should we look if we don't have a clue about Orion? Thanks.
Look up!
You don't say! Eric, no disrespect but the media are saying look towards Orion but omit to say where that might be. banghead

motco

16,238 posts

254 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
M11rph said:
Very approximately Orion will be in the:

- East @ 19:00 tonight,
- South East @ 22:00
- South by Midnight

Gemini is Up and Left a bit from Orion's Belt, the three stars forming a very visible straight line.
Thank you! beer

magpie215

4,605 posts

197 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
M11rph said:
Very approximately Orion will be in the:

- East @ 19:00 tonight,
- South East @ 22:00
- South by Midnight

Gemini is Up and Left a bit from Orion's Belt, the three stars forming a very visible straight line.

Scabutz

8,189 posts

88 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
motco said:
M11rph said:
Very approximately Orion will be in the:

- East @ 19:00 tonight,
- South East @ 22:00
- South by Midnight

Gemini is Up and Left a bit from Orion's Belt, the three stars forming a very visible straight line.
Thank you! beer
Once you have spotted Orion and recognise it you will notice it all the time on clear winter nights, very obvious presence in the winter sky. There are plenty of apps for phones as well where you can point your phone in the sky and it will tell you what you are looking at

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

122,893 posts

273 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Orion is one of the most prominent and obvious constellations in the sky - if you know which direction to look.

Basically, look to the south anytime after the sky has got properly dark. Orion starts more or less in the south east and gradually climbs in the sky as the night progresses.

With meteor showers, you don't have to look in a precise spot in the sky. The meteors appear to emanate from a particular spot but they will streak across a large part of the sky. The basic thing as far as the Geminids is to look generally south and up and you are bound to see a few.

Here's a diagram of what Orion looks like. It really is a very obvious sight.


996Type

874 posts

160 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
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Clear skies in Northants last night, saw a good number of shooters around midnight….

Simpo Two

87,221 posts

273 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
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Radio 4 this morning amused themselves for a while with the realisation that we use the phrase 'meteoric rise' when in fact meteors go down (when they get near enough to Earth).

Scabutz

8,189 posts

88 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Radio 4 this morning amused themselves for a while with the realisation that we use the phrase 'meteoric rise' when in fact meteors go down (when they get near enough to Earth).
That's a thought that's going to fester.

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

122,893 posts

273 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
I heard that discussion as well. It's not strictly true that ALL meteors are heading "down" towards the earth's surface.

A meteor is visible when a piece of space dirt, often no bigger than a grain of sand, which is orbiting the sun enters the earth's atmosphere at high speed and is burned up by the huge amounts of aerodynamic friction and compressive forces generated with the atmosphere.

Although in most cases it is likely that the angle at which the particle enters the atmosphere is in a generally downward direction, there will be some particles which might actually be heading upwards as they graze the atmosphere - or moving more or less parallel to the earth's surface. Some meteors pass through the atmosphere and and out again and go back into an amended orbit about the sun or earth, depending on how much velocity they lost during the encounter. These meteors are known as "earth grazers".

This one was so bright it was caught on camera in broad daylight - back in 1972.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WlCfuPrszU

tuffer

8,885 posts

275 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Went out to watch them last night, good conditions and we are in a dark sky area, saw probably 6 or 7 in 10 minutes......Meh.

motco

16,238 posts

254 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
I heard that discussion as well. It's not strictly true that ALL meteors are heading "down" towards the earth's surface.

A meteor is visible when a piece of space dirt, often no bigger than a grain of sand, which is orbiting the sun enters the earth's atmosphere at high speed and is burned up by the huge amounts of aerodynamic friction and compressive forces generated with the atmosphere.

Although in most cases it is likely that the angle at which the particle enters the atmosphere is in a generally downward direction, there will be some particles which might actually be heading upwards as they graze the atmosphere - or moving more or less parallel to the earth's surface. Some meteors pass through the atmosphere and and out again and go back into an amended orbit about the sun or earth, depending on how much velocity they lost during the encounter. These meteors are known as "earth grazers".

This one was so bright it was caught on camera in broad daylight - back in 1972.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WlCfuPrszU
That's like the opening scenes of the 1953 film of 'The War of the Worlds'


cliffords

1,873 posts

31 months

Thursday 14th December 2023
quotequote all
Been out , cloudy, going to bed. Bum

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

122,893 posts

273 months

Friday 15th December 2023
quotequote all
tuffer said:
Went out to watch them last night, good conditions and we are in a dark sky area, saw probably 6 or 7 in 10 minutes......Meh.
That's not bad to be honest. I'd be happy with that.

It was completely overcast where I am in North Hampshire so saw zilch.

Mr Whippy

30,007 posts

249 months

Friday 15th December 2023
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Still going tonight?

Scabutz

8,189 posts

88 months

Friday 15th December 2023
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Mr Whippy said:
Still going tonight?
Peak was yesterday but will still be visible for a couple more days.

Unfortunately it's been cloud AF here.