Saturday, November 28, 2015

Geminid Meteor Shower

Meteor showers are caused by small fragments of cosmic fragments left out by the orbits of comets. These small fragments are encountered when the Earth´s orbit passes through that orbit, producing intense streams of light which very quickly disintegrate when they enter the Earth´s atmosphere. Intense meteor showers are commonly known as, meteor outbursts or meteor storms. Meteor showers are usually named after the constellations from which they appear to radiate; for example, the Geminid Meteor Shower, which seems to radiate froom the constellation of Gemini.

The brightest meteors can be observed even from light polluted cities, at night; however, it is preferable to find a place that is as far away from city lights, especially those dark places where you can stare better the night sky without being interrupted by the glow of any light.

An observing spot, behind a building or mountain  can block any glow and allow you to observe the meteors better. If observing from your house, it is recomendable to turn off any lights and also to close curtains and use blankets to prevent any infiltration of light.

Observing from outside the house, such as in a city park can be a great idea, only you must try to find a spot that has many trees and place your sky viewing devices in between them. Once you´ve found the right spot to oberve a meteor shower, you may sit comfortable with your gaze straight to where the point of radiation is. If the sky is clear and nothing perturbes the observation, you might be able to observe many meteors.

The Geminid meteor shower occurs in the month of December on the 13-15. The meteors radiate from the constellation of Gemini near Castor and Pollux. On this days, the waxing crescent moon will be setting just after sunset, and the sky usually remains clear, so you might be able to observe from 50-100 meteors per hour.

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