Meteor shower tonight...
December 13th, 2012 at 11:00:45 AM
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The Geminids are peaking at the reasonable hours of between midnight and 2AM (reasonable for meteor showers, anyhow). There is also the possibility that they will coincide with another, rare, meteor shower, from Comet Wirtanen. The combined comets could produce over 100 meteors per hour. There will also be prime viewing conditions: a new moon, and clear skies will prevail for most of the country.
If it works out, this could be a once in a lifetime event for people who have never seen an intense meteor shower. If you have seen one, you will never, ever forget it. I was fortunate enough to see the Leonid shower of about 10 years ago, where there were dozens of starbursts and meteor rains. There is really nothing like it. Find somewhere away from the city, allow 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and look at the sky.
If it works out, this could be a once in a lifetime event for people who have never seen an intense meteor shower. If you have seen one, you will never, ever forget it. I was fortunate enough to see the Leonid shower of about 10 years ago, where there were dozens of starbursts and meteor rains. There is really nothing like it. Find somewhere away from the city, allow 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and look at the sky.
A falling knife has no handle.
December 13th, 2012 at 12:17:35 PM
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With the rain in Vegas tonight this show will be dark . As a amateur meteorite hunter, most if not all of these meteorites will never make it to earth. They will burn up as they are coming through the atmosphere!
If it wasn’t raining in Vegas it would have been a great show to see, anywhere out in the desert!
If it wasn’t raining in Vegas it would have been a great show to see, anywhere out in the desert!
Note, all my post start with this is just my opinion...!
You do good brada ..!
superrick
Winning comes from knowledge and skill when your betting and not reading fiction
http://procraps4u2.myfanforum.org/index.php
...
December 13th, 2012 at 3:08:02 PM
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I'm envious of my sister and her husband, they are going to be at the Mauna Loa observatory.
A falling knife has no handle.
December 13th, 2012 at 3:15:01 PM
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All meteorites make it to the earth's surface. Why is that?
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You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!
December 13th, 2012 at 3:27:31 PM
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Quote: boymimboAll meteorites make it to the earth's surface. Why is that?
Do not. Some strike the other surfaces!
December 13th, 2012 at 3:58:52 PM
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Quote: MoscaThe Geminids are peaking at the reasonable hours of between midnight and 2AM (reasonable for meteor showers, anyhow). There is also the possibility that they will coincide with another, rare, meteor shower, from Comet Wirtanen. The combined comets could produce over 100 meteors per hour. There will also be prime viewing conditions: a new moon, and clear skies will prevail for most of the country.
If it works out, this could be a once in a lifetime event for people who have never seen an intense meteor shower. If you have seen one, you will never, ever forget it. I was fortunate enough to see the Leonid shower of about 10 years ago, where there were dozens of starbursts and meteor rains. There is really nothing like it. Find somewhere away from the city, allow 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and look at the sky.
I've always wondered about the mechanics behind this.
Are the meteors always "floating" in this area of space, and the Earth passes through them, like a car driving under an oak tree getting hit by some nuts?
Or, are the meteors spread out around the Sun in a "ring" (like Saturn's), that the Earth passes through annually?
Or, is a "flock" of meteors orbiting the Sun that happen to intersect the Earth from time to time, like migrating pelicans crapping on Louisiana on their way to South America?
Or, is it something else entirely?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
December 13th, 2012 at 4:21:41 PM
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Comets leave trails of dust, ice, and debris. As the earth revolves around the sun, it passes through some of these trails, and gravity pulls some of the debris to earth. Anything that actually makes it to the ground becomes a meteorite.
A falling knife has no handle.
December 13th, 2012 at 4:25:04 PM
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Quote: boymimboAll meteorites make it to the earth's surface. Why is that?
Because of the definition of meteorite.
December 13th, 2012 at 4:27:35 PM
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Looks like you could take blue diamond west up the mountain and get a good view according to the radar right now.
http://www.fox5vegas.com/weather
http://www.fox5vegas.com/weather
aahigh.com
December 13th, 2012 at 4:54:56 PM
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Quote: boymimboAll meteorites make it to the earth's surface. Why is that?
the -ite suffix makes it a rock, formed from a meteor.
A falling knife has no handle.
December 13th, 2012 at 5:28:43 PM
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Ding!
Meteoroids (the actual objects in space) -> Meteors (what you see) -> Meteorites (if they hit the ground and survive).
Meteoroids are assoicated with remnants of comet paths. As the earth passes through the path of the (hopefully extinct) comet, it experiences the meteor shower.
I'll be watching.
Meteoroids (the actual objects in space) -> Meteors (what you see) -> Meteorites (if they hit the ground and survive).
Meteoroids are assoicated with remnants of comet paths. As the earth passes through the path of the (hopefully extinct) comet, it experiences the meteor shower.
I'll be watching.
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You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!
December 13th, 2012 at 5:38:44 PM
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You are looking at a meteor shower when you see them in the sky. Once a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact it is called a meteorite! Most never make it to earth.
Your chance of finding one is slim to none. We spend hours looking for them. Even if you know what you are looking for you may never find one.
Here is one of the videos I have made about looking for meteorites. Every one of those rocks could be a meteorite, while we did not find any on this day, this should give you some idea of what someone is up against when they are hunting meteorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcF8Nm1bQ18
Here is a video of a find in Gold Basin Arizona.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=HFi4E_jomTc&feature=endscreen
Your chance of finding one is slim to none. We spend hours looking for them. Even if you know what you are looking for you may never find one.
Here is one of the videos I have made about looking for meteorites. Every one of those rocks could be a meteorite, while we did not find any on this day, this should give you some idea of what someone is up against when they are hunting meteorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcF8Nm1bQ18
Here is a video of a find in Gold Basin Arizona.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=HFi4E_jomTc&feature=endscreen
Note, all my post start with this is just my opinion...!
You do good brada ..!
superrick
Winning comes from knowledge and skill when your betting and not reading fiction
http://procraps4u2.myfanforum.org/index.php
...
December 13th, 2012 at 5:41:42 PM
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Quote: boymimboDing!
Meteoroids (the actual objects in space) -> Meteors (what you see) -> Meteorites (if they hit the ground and survive).
Meteoroids are assoicated with remnants of comet paths. As the earth passes through the path of the (hopefully extinct) comet, it experiences the meteor shower.
I'll be watching.
So, if I could "see" it from a point somewhere in space, the "remnants" would look like a "tube" shaped cloud of dust and debris orbiting the sun, like the track around the infield at the Daytona Speedway, and the Earth would be like a maintenance truck cutting across the track to suck up debris?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
December 13th, 2012 at 6:30:00 PM
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The tube would be elliptical.
The Geminids (tonight's major shower) is first noted in 1862, but the source of tonight's Geminids is apparently a parent asteroid (3200 Phaethon) 5km in diameter. Tonight's source for the meteor shower is not well understood.
Read about it here.
The Geminids (tonight's major shower) is first noted in 1862, but the source of tonight's Geminids is apparently a parent asteroid (3200 Phaethon) 5km in diameter. Tonight's source for the meteor shower is not well understood.
Read about it here.
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You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!
December 13th, 2012 at 6:32:56 PM
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I just stepped outside for a moment to get something out of my car. It is INCREDIBLY clear and dark (and cold) here in The Poconos. I looked up and a meteorite brighter than any star in the sky streaked across almost a complete quadrant... FOUR HOURS before peak, estimated to be about 1AM local time. This is going to be a good one.
A falling knife has no handle.
December 14th, 2012 at 8:56:41 AM
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I saw some in Southern California at about 11:30. One was a bright red. Very cool!
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
December 14th, 2012 at 9:54:42 AM
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I've been watching the sky all week and have been getting a great show. I watched last night over the ocean and was not disappointed. I have a couple of questions for our resident astronomers. Is it common to see multiple meteors at the same time as I did or was that unique to this event? The meteors seemed to descend at different angles, some vertically, some almost horizontally and everywhere in between. Is that possible or was it an optical illusion? It was difficult to see them all especially the ones in my peripheral vision.
Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth. - Mahatma Ghandi
December 14th, 2012 at 11:26:18 AM
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Quote: 1BBI've been watching the sky all week and have been getting a great show. I watched last night over the ocean and was not disappointed. I have a couple of questions for our resident astronomers. Is it common to see multiple meteors at the same as I did or was that unique to this event? The meteors seemed to descend at different angles, some vertically, some almost horizontally and everywhere in between. Is that possible or was it an optical illusion? It was difficult to see them all especially the ones in my peripheral vision.
Excellent!
We couldn't get far enough away from light pollution, and saw 75ish in an hour and a half. We only saw one "storm" (multiple meteors) of four in parallel. Here in NE PA it was meteor, meteor, wait 5 minutes, meteormeteormeteor, wait a minute, meteor, wait a couple minutes...
The Leonids of 1998 was like what you're describing. We got way out in the country, and for about an hour it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, with multiple meteors streaking; some parallel, some at different angles, and several times we saw bursts, where a meteor is coming right at you and then breaks up.
Boyimbo, thanks for the link, that was really good to know.
A falling knife has no handle.
