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(meteorobs) Geminid Meteor Shower
I do not think that it is too early to remind members that one of the
four best meteor showers of the year will occur this week.
The Geminid meteor shower's predicted maximum will occur at 4h
UT on the morning of 14 of December. For those of us living more than 4
hours or 60 degrees west of Greenwich that will occur on the evening of
13 of December. However it is a broad enough shower that Geminids are
already being reported and I saw one recently from my urban light
polluted back yard, LM 3.1. This shower is favored not only by the
absence of the moon but also the radiant will be well above the horizon
by 8:20 pm at about 20 degrees elevation and on the meridian at about
2:10 am local time. It will not be back down to 20 degrees elevation
till after 8 am which is after sunrise except in the more northern
latitudes. A rule of thumb is that the radiant should be 40 degrees
above the horizon for good activity. One can expect over 90 meteors per
hour in dark locations. The radiant is near Castor in the constellation
of Gemini at 7h +30m RA and +33 degrees Dec. They will be of a medium
speed about 35 km/s. Medium speed for meteors that is 8-).
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather. Right now I am clouded
out in Southern California. If it is clear I will be observing from the
group campground parking lot at Cottonwood Springs in Joshua Tree
National Monument in California, USA on 13/14 of December..
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