Geminids

Filmy Gauze – ND #7

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Waxing Moon Wrapped in a Filmy Gauze – Photo: L. Weike

Filmy Gauze

It’s only right that I give you an update on my effort to enjoy the Geminids last night. As I mentioned, when I took the pups out to be watered and saw how the moon was wrapped in a filmy gauze, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope. Nevertheless, I persisted.

I published my post and waited until the recommended witching hour (2:00 a.m.) to give myself the best chance of seeing these vaunted meteors. The moon, hanging even lower in the western sky than earlier, remained hazy. But looking directly up? Oh my. A crisp and pure December atmosphere only enhanced the brilliance of the stars above.

(l to r) Sirius, Orion, Betelgeuse (above Orion) and Rigel (below Orion) – Photo: L. Weikel

Clarity Rewarded

I drove to the former horse farm (one of my two favorite stargazing haunts) and, surrounded by fields, turned off the car and plunged myself into darkness. The chill wasn’t too bad – it was only 30 degrees. My Sky Guide app on my phone made it clear the Geminids would be emanating from directly overhead, so I just leaned back against my car and took it all in.

In the half hour I spent there, I saw about 12 meteors. They were zipping here and there – certainly not heading in a dominant direction, nor did they seem to originate from anywhere specific. The majority were sprite-like, similar to most meteoric displays, playfully catching my attention out of the corner of my eye.

But at least three times brilliant yellow arcs blazed across the sky. I felt such a sense of joy when those ‘big ones’ occurred – as if they were heavenly gifts just for me.

Of course, I had to give my other favorite spot a chance to dazzle me. I parked in the rutted dirt of the field’s tractor entrance for about ten minutes. And yet I was rewarded here, too, with a handful of little spritzers and one magnificent beauty. Every large meteor I saw last night all was left a lemon yellow tail, while the little ones were brilliant white.

Screen shot from Sky Guide app – Photo: L. Weikel

Other Sights

The most prominent sector of the night sky that caught my attention contained Sirius and the constellation Orion, which includes Rigel and Betelgeuse. I’m always surprised by how red Betelgeuse appears and how brilliant Sirius can be, although my photos didn’t seem to catch the red hue very well.

I’m including the star map from my Sky Guide for reference.

What a treat it was to converse with the stars. Contemplating the immensity of space always takes my breath away.

(T+7)

The Geminids – ND #6

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Photo: Forbes.com

The Geminids

Oh, I’m so annoyed at myself. I meant to write to you last night about the Geminids. They’re the shooting stars (read meteor shower) – replete with the potential for “multicolored fireballs” – that are peaking tonight. Just after 2:00 a.m., there’s a great chance of witnessing 50-100 meteors streaking through the skies above per hour.

Imagine!

Technically, the Earth will continue to pass through the debris field that causes the Geminids through December 17th. So there’s still time for you to catch some oohs and aahs – although it will get progressively more difficult. First of all, with each passing night following tonight, we’re passing through less and less debris. Secondly, each night will be illuminated more by the waxing moon, which will be full on the 18th.

So tonight’s the best night for catching these chunks of space debris streaking across the sky.

History and Stuff

Last year the Geminids peaked on exactly the same dates (December 13-14). Sadly, clouds obstructed our enjoyment of the height of the spectacle last year, although I did manage to see three meteors a few days beforehand while trying to glimpse the aurora borealis.

Just a few days ago I wrote about Comet Leonard, and I reminded us all that meteors are caused by space dust or ice crystals splitting off from comets. What I didn’t know was that the Geminids are supposedly the greatest meteor showers because they streak across the sky in long, often colorful arcs. But the reason for the long arcs is because the debris soaring into our atmosphere are pieces of ‘3200 Phaethon’ – an asteroid as opposed to a comet. As a result, the little chunks are heavier and their density causes them to take longer to burn up, bringing them closer to Earth before they burn out completely. Their longer burn time increases the chances we’ll see them making their way across the heavens. Those others – the Delta Aquariids, Leonids, Orionids, Perseids, Alpha Monocerotids, to name a few – often come and go so quickly, it’s easy to miss them. (Good grief. I never realized how many of these I’ve written about and hoped to glimpse!)

Aquariids 2019 – Photo: abc7.com

Tonight’s Prospects

Judging by the heaviness of my eyelids at the moment, I may not stay up until 2:00 a.m. tonight. But I’m definitely going to try to see at least a few before I go to bed. So once I hit ‘publish’ tonight, I’m outta here.

Full disclosure: I just took the pups outside for their ‘final watering’ for the evening. Wow, the moon is bright. And I think I glimpsed some haziness obscuring the stars, at least from this vantage point. My expectations have therefore diminished slightly – but I’m still going to hop in the car and drive to my favorite celestial viewing spot a mile or so away. One of these nights maybe I’ll get lucky and actually witness ’50-100’ meteors per hour. That would be quite a thrill for this inveterate meteor chaser.

(T+6)

Streaking Weekend – Day 761

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Cloud Raptor Soaring – Photo: L. Weikel

Streaking Weekend

If you read my post from last night that tracked my failed attempt to glimpse the aurora borealis way down here at 40.4 degrees latitude, you know that the bright spot of that effort was definitely the three meteors I saw streaking through the sky instead. They were quite lovely and long-lasting (as far as shooting stars go), and really did feel like a wonderful consolation prize. The best news, though? We all need to get ready for a streaking weekend.

Lucky for me, a friend and faithful reader of my 1111 Devotion project, Paula, commented on one of my Facebook pages* about the shooting stars I mentioned. She alerted me to the fact that they’re the Geminids.

Shocked

I was shocked. What?! Me, little Miss Celestial Event Broadcaster missed an opportunity to view and recommend a cavalcade of shooting stars? I knew the name Geminids sounded familiar. Surely I must have written about them before?

A quick search of my posts revealed that yes, I had indeed written about the Geminids only seven short weeks ago. Of course, I had to laugh – the post itself was about my foiled effort to view the Orionids back on the evening of October 20th. I may not have seen any meteors that evening, but my research indicated the Geminids should be the best in show of 2020.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I literally recommended we all mark our calendars for December 13th and 14th, which would be the peek evenings to catch sight of these frequent and flashy sky streaks. And then I promptly forgot to do so.

So, hurray for Paula, for identifying the origin of my three gifts last night – and thereby reminding us all of the even more spectacular opportunity to witness the Geminids this weekend.

A Great Show

If I saw three shootings stars three nights before the event’s peek, just imagine how great they’ll be on Saturday, Sunday, and even Monday evening. I see from this article that they could even streak in different colors!

The particular attribute that I noticed most last night was that they weren’t just quick blips that left me wondering if I’d actually seen them or not. No, they were good, solid arcs across the sky. Brilliant and decently sized as well.

Barring any dreaded cloud cover, the conditions to enjoy the Geminids will be approaching perfection, with the moon being new and thus dark, as opposed to the brilliance of a full moon drowning out the light of the stars. But of course, it’s the potential for cloud cover that so often ruins these otherwise deliciously ripe moments.

Fair Warning

As soon as I post this tonight, I’m going to take a little zip out to see if I can catch a few more streaks before bed this evening. I’m doing this mostly because I just checked The Weather Channel app and it looks like both tomorrow and Sunday night may be hampered somewhat by clouds. But hey, maybe we’ll get lucky. Monday night, however, looks like it could end up being the best night of all.

Finally

Jupiter is continuing to do its best to catch up to Saturn, which again, will culminate on December 21st. Compare their location this evening to that of a few days ago and you can really see the difference.

Saturn (left) and Jupiter, nearing conjunction – Photo: L. Weikel

*I share my blog posts on both of my Facebook pages – Owl Medicine and Owl Medicine Shamanic Healing – as well as on my personal page. If you ever notice a morning when my post hasn’t been delivered to your inbox, check on FB. You can always find it there – and often with even more photos than the email version.

(T-350)

Orionid Bummer – Day 709

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Waxing Crescent Moon – 10/20/2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Orionid Bummer

I admit it; I dropped the ball this year. Tonight, starting right about now (just before midnight – or perhaps closer to 1:00 a.m) and extending into the wee hours of the morning, the Earth will be traveling through the dirtiest part of the tail of Halley’s Comet. That means that the greatest display of meteors created thusly will be visible at that rather inconvenient time  – and if I’d been thinking ahead, I would’ve mentioned them last night. As it is, I’m stuck with writing about my Orionid Bummer.

I’ve written about these beauties before. The reason why they’re called ‘Orionids’ is because they appear to be originating in the night sky from the constellation Orion. But, of course, that’s just an illusion, as they are actually teeny tiny little bits of debris – some as small as a grain of sand – impacting our atmosphere at such great speed that they burn up in a dramatic flair that actually lingers a bit due to their distinctive composition. Indeed, it’s the lingering flourescent effects that make the Orionids distinctive from the usually more numerous Perseids, in August, and Geminids in December.

Early Heads Up

Indeed, just so I don’t drop the ball again two months from now, I want to urge you all to mark your calendars for December 13-14, 2020. This is when the Geminids will be at their peak this year. And because the peak of the Geminids, like tonight’s Orionids, will be cascading through the atmosphere very close to a new moon, then our view of them should be spectacular. Assuming there’s no cloud cover, of course.

But all is not lost. Technically, we’ll be traveling through Halley’s Comet’s detritus until November 7th. So while we may not be privy to 20 per hour, which is the upper end of the number of meteors usually spotted at the height of the Orionids, we may very well spot a couple good ones fairly easily over the next few nights. If we’re patient. And if the weather holds.

And I have to say, even the temperature outside is conducive to hanging out and staring at the cosmos for an hour or two. OK. I’ll admit it; there’s no way I’ll be spread out on the ground looking up for that long, even though that’s what’s recommended by the articles I’ve read.

The only way I would lay outside tonight after 1:00 a.m. and watch the sky for a couple of hours is if I were in a sleeping bag and intending to permit myself to fall asleep in the process.

Honestly, as I sit here writing about it, I feel sad that I’m not choosing to grab a sleeping bag and do just that. The simplicity and connection to the Earth that it promises seems like a great thing opportunity, especially in the midst of all the human-generated chaos swirling around us.

Pre-Orionid Sunset, 10/20/2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Two Weeks From Tonight

Which reminds me. Two weeks from tonight, I doubt any of us will be thinking about laying outside and watching ‘shooting stars.’ I wonder what we’ll be experiencing.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been finding myself saturated with all of it. (Of course, I’m referring to politics and the crisis we’re facing as a country.) At this stage of the game, it’s essential for us to just stay the course and refrain from burning out. Do what we can in each moment and then consciously make an effort to slow ourselves down. After all, we don’t want to be like a piece of dust from Halley’s Comet, hitting the atmosphere at 148,000 miles an hour and flaring out.

We need to survive.

(T-402)