(meteorobs) Meteor Activity Outlook for December 8-14, 2012

[Skywayinc at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/7/2012 11:11:20 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
lunro.imo.usa at cox.net writes:
 

The  Geminids (GEM) reach maximum activity on Thursday evening/Friday 
morning  December 13/14, when approximately 75 shower members can be seen each 
hour from  rural observing sites. While the Geminids are currently the most 
active radiant  in the sky, rates this weekend will only be near five shower 
members per hour.  Rates will increase dramatically as we approach the 
maximum date and the moon  wanes. The radiant is currently located at 07:14 (109) 
+33. This position lies  in northern Gemini, four degrees west of the second 
magnitude star Castor (Alpha  Geminorum).  Although Geminid meteors can be 
seen all night long, they are  best seen near 0200 LST when the radiant lies 
highest above the horizon. Geminid  activity can be seen from the southern 
hemisphere but at much reduced rate. As  seen from south of the equator, 
Geminid activity could only be seen for a few  hours before and after 0200 LST. 
At 35 km/sec. the Geminids produce mostly  meteors of medium velocity. This 
is one of the few displays that can be well  seen prior to midnight. 
Geminid meteors seen just after dusk will be very long  with a long duration. This 
is due to the fact that the radiant will lie near the  horizon and any 
Geminid meteor seen be just be skimming the upper regions of the  atmosphere. 
Therefore they will take longer to disintegrate in the much less  dense 
portion of the atmosphere. Geminid meteors strike the atmosphere at  35km/sec, 
which will produce meteors of medium-slow velocity.

 
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To  augment what Bob has written about the Geminids, I thought you all 
might be  interested in my own dissertation on this wonderful shower . . . from 
a  blog that I wrote for the Hayden Planetarium in New York, where I've been 
 on staff for 26-years: 
_http://tinyurl.com/aaghvre_ (http://tinyurl.com/aaghvre) 
 
-- joe rao
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