GEMINID METEOR SHOWER and BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR

Antaletriangle · 12-12-2008, 12:17 PM

http://www.spaceweather.com/
December 12th.
The annual Geminid meteor shower peaks on Dec. 13th and Dec. 14th when Earth passes through a stream of debris from extinct comet 3200 Phaethon. Bright moonlight will reduce the number of visible meteors from the usual 100/hr to only 20 or 30/hr. That's still a nice show. For best results, watch the sky starting 10 pm local time on Saturday night (Dec 13th) until dawn on Sunday morning (Dec. 14th). [live updates]

Tonight's full Moon is the biggest of the year, as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons earlier in 2008. An astronomer would say this is a "perigee Moon" because it occurs at perigee, the side of the Moon's elliptical orbit closest to Earth. Go outside tonight and soak up some moonlight. There's plenty of it: full story.

Dantheman62 · 12-12-2008, 10:00 PM

Cool, clear sky here too, will check it out for sure tonight and tomorrow night!! It's only 5pm here so got a few hours to go, hmmm time to have a few cocktails I guess! HaHa

12-12-2008, 12:17 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	GEMINID METEOR SHOWER and BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR http://www.spaceweather.com/ December 12th. The annual Geminid meteor shower peaks on Dec. 13th and Dec. 14th when Earth passes through a stream of debris from extinct comet 3200 Phaethon. Bright moonlight will reduce the number of visible meteors from the usual 100/hr to only 20 or 30/hr. That's still a nice show. For best results, watch the sky starting 10 pm local time on Saturday night (Dec 13th) until dawn on Sunday morning (Dec. 14th). [live updates] Tonight's full Moon is the biggest of the year, as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons earlier in 2008. An astronomer would say this is a "perigee Moon" because it occurs at perigee, the side of the Moon's elliptical orbit closest to Earth. Go outside tonight and soak up some moonlight. There's plenty of it: full story.

12-12-2008, 10:00 PM	#2
Dantheman62 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: So. Cal. U.S. Posts: 4,205	Re: GEMINID METEOR SHOWER and BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR Cool, clear sky here too, will check it out for sure tonight and tomorrow night!! It's only 5pm here so got a few hours to go, hmmm time to have a few cocktails I guess! HaHa Last edited by Dantheman62; 12-12-2008 at 10:03 PM.

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