The Geminid Meteors are Coming

This month, planet Earth will barge it's way through a stream of debris left by the extinct comet now asteroid 3200 Phaethon. This happens every year around this time resulting in what we call the Geminids Meteor Shower because the meteors appear to come from the constellation Gemini.

This year's Geminid meteor shower should peak around the 13th and 14th of the month. The moon shouldn't be much of a problem as far as light pollution goes as it will be setting around midnight, which is a good time to head out to catch the meteors. We usually like to head out around that time or just a bit later. The Geminids usually produce about fifty meteors and hour on a pretty regular basis making it one of the best showers of the year.

So if you haven't got anything better to do in the wee morning hours of the 14th head outside and look up. Of course you'll need to bundle up to the point you look like a cross between Randy in "A Christmas Story" and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. It's okay though as all that padding will make you comfy for laying down as that is the best way to view a meteor shower. Otherwise, you might end up with a sore neck within minutes.

Don't be dismayed if you have to get up early the next morning and that prevents you from getting out to watch the shower. You can go out the weekend prior to the 13th/14th, that is provided the skies are clear, and watch for them because Geminids start flying through the night sky around December 1st and continue through to the 18th. It just happens that the 13th/14th is the peak and usually produces the best rate of meteors per hour.

So everyone be sure to pray for clear skies next week as we would love to get out and freeze, err I mean, watch the meteor shower.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

The Lion was a Lamb

If you remember correctly, we were wondering just the other day, what the Leonids meteor shower would be like this year, and whether or not we would get to see them. The big concerns included the moon, the weather, and school for the kiddo. As it turns out the weather was pretty decent for the occasion. The kiddo didn't want to miss school for reasons we won't discuss here. As for the moon, well let's just say that even if the Lion did roar, the moon light was far to bright to see much.

The night of the 18th we stayed up until 2am periodically going out on our back deck to see what was going on. Around 11pm there was nothing worth mentioning except that the moon was really bright. Again at midnight, nothing. Around 1:30am we were getting tired and the bed was calling our name. In a last ditch effort, Tim went out and stood for a good 15 minutes looking up at the sky. In that 15 minutes one Leonid flashed and skirted through the air in a matter of seconds. Just before 2am, Robin went out for the last time and stood for a good 15 minutes waiting to see one and was rewarded as well.

In looking at Spaceweather.com, it turns out that this year wasn't much of a show compared to past years when we actually got to go out and watch for hours. The average reported rate maxed out at about 25 meteors an hour at the peak in the wee early hours of the 18th.

Maybe next year will be a good year. All the stars will align properly and we can watch the Lion roar again. Of course a year is a long time to wait. For those that are looking for a good meteor shower, the Geminids are up next. Around December 13th, the Geminids should peak, and from early guesstimates, it should be a good show. You can check out EarthSky.com's Meteor Shower Guide for more information on the Geminids.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

Will the Lion Roar?

This seems to be the question we ask ourselves every year around this time along with wondering what the weather will be like. If it is anything like the last couple years (and looking out the window it likely is going to be), then it really won't matter if the Lion roars or not. However if we have clear night skies and the moon is not an issue, which from what we've seen of the moon phases for the month, it shouldn't be much of a problem some time after midnight. So all we need to do is to bundle up, bring blankets and chairs, and maybe something to have a small fire. Of course, let's not forget the most important thing of all...Coffee!!!

What we are talking about, in case you hadn't figured it out yet, is the Leonids meteor shower. It occurs every year around November 17 - 18, at least that's usually the peak time. This has got to be one of our most favorite meteor showers of the year. During a storm, one can expect to see hundreds  of meteors shoot across the sky every hour. During calm years, you can still catch twenty or more an hour.

As we mentioned above we haven't been very fortunate enough to catch the Leonids in the past few years due to weather or moon conditions. However, this year could be promising other than it being a Wednesday and Thursday. This could potentially be a problem considering our yougin' has school in the morning and the best time for viewing the Leonids is usually well after midnight.

That seems to be the issue with any major astronomical event. You see these events don't take your time into consideration; rather you must take their time into consideration and plan accordingly. So this year we aren’t totally sure if we will be able to catch the heavenly show. Just keep checking here over the next couple of weeks and you will know if we were able to make it out.

If you plan to go out and take in the show, here's a star chart that we retrieved from Astronomy.com that you can use to locate the viewing area for the shower:

The image source is http://www.astronomy.com/News-Observing/Sky%20this%20Week/2010/11/STW%20NOV05to14.aspx

 For more on the Leonids for 2010, check out these links below:
- http://www.astronomy.com/en/News-Observing/News/2010/11/Leonid%20meteor%20shower%202010.aspx
- http://www.chiff.com/science/leonids.htm

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

Perseids Meteor Shower and Iridium 12 Satelitte Flare

So this week we had the pleasure of heading up to the field above Aunt Betty's house to take in the spectacular view of the Heavens. As a matter of fact we went up there twice this past week. The first time was Wednesday night. We headed up there, we as in the whole family (Robin, Ashby, Mom, Dad, and Clover the trusty sidekick) around 9:30pm after we packed the jeep with blankets, chairs, pillows, snacks and the like. We got up there around 9:45pm after a nice off-road trek up the ridge to get there as always. By 10:00pm we had the blankets spread, the chairs out, our binoculars at the ready and even the HT (Handy Talkie).

So there we were, all on our backs looking up at the celestial bodies when we viewed our first meteor streak across the sky. That's correct, our purpose this time was to watch the Perseid Meteor shower. Of course we were a night late for the peak but for good reason. On Tuesday it was cloudy and rainy so there was no chance to take in the event. However, Wednesday was just as well. We stayed up there for a two and half hours and in total, we saw at least 65 total meteors between us. I have to say it was an amazing show. We also took in the sites of Jupiter and three of it's moons with Dad's monster 200x binoculars. We also got to view our magnificent moon as it rose above the horizon. It was indeed a marvelous evening to view our great evening sky.

Our next trip up to the field was Friday evening. I had noticed on Heavens-Above.com that there was going to be a -8 magnitude Iridium Flare passing overhead that night and we decided we would head up there to check it out and see if there were going to be any more Perseids to watch. The flare was to occur between 10:18pm and 10:25pm. It was about 10:20 when I offered a dollar to the first person to spot the satellite. As it turns out, the Rugrat, with her eagle eyesight, was the first to spot it. It was a good thing to because it was just about to flare when we all glimpsed it. For those of you who don't know about Iridium Flares check out http://www.satobs.org/iridium.html. After that, we sat up in the field for another good two hours just passing the time with conversation, watching the evening sky, and catching a meteor or 10. We really didn't see a whole lot of Perseids that evening as it was pretty much the end of the shower. However, we did see a few and a couple that were not Perseids.

Anyway that was our time in the field. If you hear about an astronomical event coming up, like a meteor shower, visible comet, etc. my I suggest you get out to a field or a good viewing area outside of city light pollution and spend some time looking up. You'll be glad you did, I promise. As a matter of fact the Draconids will be coming up at the end of September first of October. Also the Leonids will be in November. I know it will likely be cold, but that's nothing a good sleeping bag, a few layers of clothing, and a thermos full of coffee or hot chocolate can't take care of.

Check out cool space stuff at www.spaceweather.com

Have fun and get out doors. God provided us with a beautiful masterpiece.
Happy Trails and God Bless,
Tim and Robin