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Posted 12/13/2017 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
The annual Geminid meteor shower, which peaks Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Dec. 13-14, is typically one of the best meteor showers of the year, sometimes producing as many as 120 shooting stars an hour, or nearly one to two per minute. But this year, skygazers could be in for a special treat because the parent object, the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, is nearby.

The best time to see meteors is around 2 a.m. local time on Dec. 14. The Geminids emanate from the constellation Gemini — just look in the northeastern sky near the constellation Orion, easily spotted by the three stars in the hunter's "belt." Gemini is just to the right, high in the sky. The meteors should be visible anywhere in the sky.
/patch.com/us/across-america/geminid-meteor-shower-2017-could-be-gem-peak-dates-week

While the best time is 2am....We should be able to see many before then smhair
Posted 12/13/2017 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for posting this. I walk my dog before sunrise every morning, and am usually on the lookout for satellites in the western sky. I saw 4 meteors this morning, and wondered why.
Posted 12/13/2017 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, thanks for the heads up. I get up at 2:00 to go to work tonight so I'll be sure and watch for the show. As you know it should be clear night around DFW. My wife told me about an article that said everyday we should be thankful for something. I'm an old star gazer from way back.
Posted 12/13/2017 10:06 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks!
Posted 12/13/2017 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
As a long time amateur astronomer (had my own 6-inch reflector telescope in college, avid member of the local astronomy club at that time), let me thank you, Steve, for bringing the Geminid shower to the attention of our fellow forum members.

Below is a Youtube video of some people in Australia watching in the sky a Geminid meteor show a few years ago.

But a video of it seems totally tame, and doesn't even come close to the effect of actually being outside, looking up at the stars on a cool, clear night, and watching firsthand this fascinating event of nature.

It's similar to a solar eclipse. For those of you who have had the extraordinary experience of watching a real one, you know that a video of it is utterly inadequate in comparison to seeing the real thing.

Same thing for a meteor shower.

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2PkiuYLc0c
Posted 12/14/2017 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for posting this. Skies are expected to be clear in our city tonight, so hope to catch this spectacular event. The recent eclipse was a non-event even though we had a 90% eclipse
Posted 12/14/2017 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
I just returned to NY, from Florida, tonight. It's 25 degrees outside. Thanks for calling this to my attention. Maybe I'll have a nice technicolor dream of beautiful meteor showers, at 2AM, as I snore under the covers with the heat blasting. 😩🔫
Posted 12/14/2017 11:38 AM (GMT 0)
I didn't see a darn thing even though we had wonderfully clear skies.

Course I missed the prime time by a few hours before and after.
Posted 12/14/2017 9:19 PM (GMT 0)

Steve n Dallas said...
I didn't see a darn thing even though we had wonderfully clear skies.

Course I missed the prime time by a few hours before and after.

Same here! Tried at about 830 PM and again between midnight and 0045. Lots of stars, but none of the shooting variety. I don't understand why. I gave it at least 5 or 10 minutes each time. I could see Orions belt, which was supposed to be the main area, though I also looked all over. Oh well.
Posted 12/14/2017 9:41 PM (GMT 0)
In the case of meteor showers I would stay up for in my college days (see above post ), whether the Geminids or the Leonids, or whatever, it was consistently my experience that, in any given year, they were either spectacular or flops. Not many in the "average" bracket. That's true for a bunch of reasons, most of them involving the orbit of the comet or meteor field body in relation to that of the earth, on the particular
visit the object(s) is making.

It's too bad this year's Geminid offering turned out to be such a dud for many of you.

BTW, for those of you who might remember, the prediction for the 76-year appearance of Halley's Comet in 1986 was that it was going to be spectacular. Unfortunately, it turned out to be another flop. (Darn those orbits!)

Sometimes it's a crapshoot with these celestial events.
Posted 12/14/2017 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
I was driving home from the mayo saw some stars but nothing else woke up at 2 took the dog out didn't see anything mmmmm the weather forecasters were wrong again! LOL

Larry
Posted 12/14/2017 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Clouds just like the Great American Eclipse.
Posted 12/15/2017 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
We were shocked in with clouds.

Very disappointed.
Posted 12/17/2017 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Steve n,

Here in the northeast it was clear right up until 10pm and I was able to see three good meteors in a few minutes. The clouds came in at 10:05pm and that was the last I saw of anything.

Well, there's always the Quadrantids (Jan 2nd) ... but cannot say I have ever see much from those (usually I just forget to look for those ...). Unfortunately a full moon on that night -- just can't catch a break on these ...

We will see ...

J

Also I find Sky Guide to be a really nice app for looking up when anything is coming by - and the price is right -- they don't nickel and dollar you like most other viewers.

Post Edited (Jstars) : 12/16/2017 7:54:22 PM (GMT-7)

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