Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The first meteor shower of 2013 begins Tuesday.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show began overnight Jan. 1, into Jan. 2. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's anything less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in the wee morning hours of Jan. 4: "[T]he Quadrantids have a maximum rate of about 100 per hour, varying between 60-200. The waxing gibbous moon will set around 3 a.m. local time, leaving about two hours …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The year's most reliable meteor shower is on the way – with no moon to obscure the show.
The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, and you may be able to see a great show on either side of those dates in Waukesha. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this show. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sitings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at this video of the Geminid meteor shower. You can also look at some great photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids…
Friday, October 12, 2012
Shooting stars will be flying early in the morning in Waukesha. The Orionids meteor shower promises to be a show worth watching.
The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on quite a show in the skies of Waukesha. Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Oct. 15, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower—though you probably won't see much until a bit later. The shower should be at its peak the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at approximately midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour. What makes this shower so cool? First of all, c'mon—it's a show of shooting stars. Also, though, there's no question about where to look for this one. Meteor showers get …
Friday, August 10, 2012
Annual shower brought to you by comet debris, but is considered by many to be the best opportunity to view meteors, with peak times featuring as many as four to five per minute.
Grab your blankets and your bug spray, the annual appearance of the Perseid meteor showers is here again. What we romantically call "shooting stars" are actually pieces of debris left over from the comet Swift-Tuttle, hurtling through space at 37 miles per second or about 133,200 miles per hour, according to meteorologist David Epstein. At this speed they could cross the entire country in under two minutes. This year's peak comes the evening and late night of Saturday into the wee hours of Sunday, so that means that you and the kids can stay up late. We're in luck this year as well, as Saturday and Sunday nights the moon will be in a waning crescent phase, and won't hamper viewing. (Last year's full moon pretty much put the kibosh on that…
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Halley's Comet debris will light up the sky late Thursday and into early Friday morning; join the Milwaukee Astronomical Society to watch.
The Earth passes through the tail of Halley's Comet Thursday night, setting the stage for the annual Eta Aquarids meteor shower. To catch it, stay up late (past 11 p.m.) or set your alarm extra early (sometime before 4 a.m.). The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower happens when the earth passes through dust and debris left behind by Halley's comet, which passed the Earth in 1986. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are the best to view the shower, according to Spacedex. If the clouds hold off, the waxing moon should mean ideal viewing conditions. Look to the east to see the meteors—which should come at 15-30 meteors per hour. If you want to celebrate what you saw, or learn more about the meteor shower, head over to the Milwaukee Astronomical …
Rees Roberts
9:49 am on Friday, May 6, 2011
Those darn uncooperative spell checkers. LOL. Been there. Totally understand. Thanks for responding so quickly. more ›