If you can drag yourself out of bed early tomorrow morning (and if you’re like us, that’ll be difficult to manage with a post-Work Holiday Party Hangover), those of you in Virginia could be in for a nice treat: It’s time for the Geminid Meteor Shower.
Astronomer Ken Wilson at the Science Museum of Virginia said as many as 120 meteors falling per hour are expected to be visible over Virginia at about 6 a.m. Friday if the sky is clear.
Wilson said the glare of a full moon spoils the view of the Geminids, but the moon will be a waning crescent Friday — limiting the interference.
Luckily Capital Weather is predicting clear skies for tomorrow (though hopefully there won’t be a repeat performance of this morning’s fog). So get yourself as far away from city lights as possible, and enjoy the show. The best way to view the shower is by setting out a reclining chair or blanket, and just lay back and make your wishes on the ‘shooting stars.’
The Geminids were first seen around the mid-1800s and, unlike most meteor showers, have actually increased in intensity almost every year. Their origin was long debated, since no comet shares an orbit with these broken bits. It was only in 1983 that an astronomer finally noticed a curious object in this path, but it seemed to be an asteroid, which is unusual because they’re typically made of rock and, thus, don’t break-up when they pass near the sun like comets do. The prevailing theory is that this object — 3200 Phaethon — is actually an ancient comet, covered over in thick layers of planetary dust.
You should be able to see the Geminids at almost anywhere in the sky, but keep your eye about 45 degrees above the horizon and towards the east for the best view. If you’d like to break out a star map and do a little exploring, find Gemini and locate its two major stars (the “twins”), Castor and Pollux. The meteor paths often seem to originate from these points. And for the love of winter, don’t forget to wear about six layers of clothes.
Heather Goss contributed to this post. Photo by RG Photo, used under a Creative Commons license.
