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December
Geminid Meteor Shower-Years Best?
If
meteor showers are your thing, get set for what may be the years best shower.
The Geminid meteor shower will peak on the nights of December 13-14,2004. The
Moon will not be a major factor as it will be at new, on the 12th. To
see the Geminids, look to the NE sky after 10PM local time. Observers in
“dark” locations, may get to see well over 50 meteors per hour. Geminids can
leave some bright “trains” and are also know for some fireballs. This will
be a great year for the Geminids.
To
learn more, please visit these Dr..Sky favorite links:
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/geminids.html
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast07dec_1.htm
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast04dec98_1.htm
http://www.skyscan.ca/geminids_2003.htm
Listen
To Meteors:
http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/meteors/audio/geminidecho.mp3
Don’t
Miss The Venus Jupiter Conjunction - November 4th,
2004
Viewers
will have a unique opportunity to see a very close conjunction of the planets
Venus and Jupiter, on the morning hours of November 4th and 5th
2004!
Observers
in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, will have a good chance to see
these two bright planets, very close together.
Venus
and Jupiter will be only 2/3 of a degree apart and this makes them look
spectacular in the pre-dawn sky!
The
two planets will “fit” into the same field of view in a telescope and appear
to almost collide with each other.
To
learn more about conjunctions and the meaning of such events, please visit these
links:
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1364_1.asp
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/Curtis/astro5.html
http://www.philharrington.net/planets.pdf
http://www.photoastronomique.net/galerie_us.php?id=16
http://www.bethlehemstar.net/
Total
Lunar Eclipse – October 27th 2004
Photo
Credit: Francois Du Toit
North
America will have another opportunity to see what has been a series of Total
Lunar Eclipses. This
is the last major total eclipse of the Moon that we will see, until the year
2007. During the 21st century, there will be some 230 Lunar eclipses,
of the partial and total types. This year’s eclipse, will be best seen by
observers in the Eastern and Central USA.
During
totality, the Moon will be in the umbral shadow for some 82 minutes. Don’t
miss this important event! To learn more about this event and how best to
observe it, please look into these exciting links:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE2001-2100.html
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/eclipses/article_1340_1.asp
http://www.hermit.org/Eclipse/2004-10-28/
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/041001_lunar_eclipse.html
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/eclipses/article_89_1.asp
http://www.mreclipse.com/LEphoto/LEgallery1.html
More Planets Discovered (Outside) of our Solar System
At latest count, there are well over 135 “planets” known to exist around stars other than our Sun.
This is a most amazing fact and one that seems to be growing, each week. Recently, a team led
By the University of California, Berkeley; discovered two large planet like objects around the star
55 Cancri. These planets, are moving around a star that has a similar composition to our star, the
Sun. To get all the latest information on this discovery and the story of the first, extra solar “planets”, Please visit these links:
http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1341_1.asp http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html http://exoplanets.org/
Get Set For The "Perseids 2004"
The Perseid meteor show is one of the most memorable and dependable of the "regular" showers
of debris that hit the Earth! This year, 2004, we are set for some ideal circumstances to view this event.
Observers in the northern hemisphere, should begin the "Perseid Watch" as early as the nights
of August 7th. The best way to view this event, is simply with the naked eye!
Begin looking to the NE sky, starting after local midnight as observers of the this years shower, may
get to see well over 50 meteors per hour. The peak of this shower, will occur on the night of August 11th.
The Moon will not be a major factor this year, as the Moon will be a thin waning crescent, rising in the
E, just before dawn. The Perseids have a very rich history and are one of the best showers to view.
To learn more about the history of the Perseids, please visit this link and then return to learn the rest
of the Perseid story and how best to view it!
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/perseids.html
Meteor showers can be very unpredictable in their arrival times and what to expect, is not always certain. Here is some basic information on how best to view this shower and how to get the best results! http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/meteors/article_1289_1.asp
Another unique way to get involved with the science of meteor Astronomy, would be to tune into the meteors via radio. Below, you will see a few very unique ways to take part in this exciting part of meteor Astronomy.
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast13aug99_1.htm
While the Perseids are a great shower, did you know that the Earth also experiences some great "daylight" meteor showers? One of the best is the June Arietids, a shower so strong, that if it were to occur during the nighttime hours for us, it would dwarf most of the meteor showers of the entire year. To learn more, please visit this link: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast06jun_1m.htm Finally, here is a gallery of recent photos of the Perseids to enjoy! http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast06jun_1m.htm
I you have a photo of a Perseid or any other type of sky event or phenomenon, please e-mail your photo to drsky@cox.net and give us your permission to post your photo's. Good Luck and Enjoy!
Survey Mars From Your Computer
With all the recent activity with the twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, fans of the
planet Mars have one thing in common. Lot's of images of Mars, so many in fact, that
NASA has opened up a public website to ask for the public's help in looking at future
landing sites. For the first time in history, you can view the planet Mars in ways that were only dreamed
of in the past. You might even find something that no one has seen before!
To view the archive of photos, please visit this website:
http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/index.html
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