2018 December Monocerotids Peak Sunday, Dec. 9

Summary: The 2018 December Monocerotids peak Sunday, Dec. 9, as an annual minor meteor shower radiating from Monoceros the Unicorn constellation.

December Monocerotids appear to originate in Monoceros the Unicorn constellation: Longway Planetarium @LongwayPlanetarium, via Facebook April 16, 2018

The 2018 December Monocerotids peak Sunday, Dec. 9, as an annual minor meteor shower with an apparent point of origin, known as the radiant, in Monoceros the Unicorn constellation.

American amateur astronomer Robert Lunsford, who writes the weekly Meteor Activity Outlook columns for the American Meteor Society (AMS) and for the International Meteor Organization (IMO), recommends 0100 local standard time as best viewing time for the December Monocerotids. The radiant is highest above the horizon as of that hour. Dr. Jürgen Rendtel of northeastern Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) notes the visibility of the December Monocerotids in both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. He points out that “the radiant area is available virtually all night for much of the globe, culminating at about 01h30m local time.”

Lunsford describes December Monocerotid meteors as entering Earth’s atmosphere with a medium velocity. December Monocerotid meteors have an entry velocity of around 41 kilometers per second (around 25 miles per second).

Dr. Rendtel has compiled the International Meteor Organization’s annual meteor shower calendar since 2016. He observes in the IMO’s 2018 Meteor Shower Calendar: “This very minor shower’s details need further improvement by observational data.”

Dr. Rendtel gives activity dates of Nov. 27 to Dec. 17 for the December Monocerotids. The 2018 calendar’s Working List of Visual Meteor Showers (Table 5) confines activity to Dec. 5 to Dec. 20. The 2018 calendar’s Table 5 agrees with the 2017 calendar’s Table 5 in activity dates. The 2017 calendar lists Friday, Dec. 8 as peak.

Dr. Rendtel bases the Sunday, Dec. 9, upon visual data. Video data from 2011 to 2016, however, reveal Dec. 14 as the date of maximum activity.

Lunsford offers activity dates of Nov. 28 through Dec. 27 for the 2017 Monocerotids. Peak is predicted on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Activity for the 2016 December Monocerotids runs from Nov. 27 through Dec. 17. Maximum activity in 2016 occurs Friday, Dec. 9.

American amateur astronomer Gary W. Kronke identifies activity dates of Nov. 9 to Dec. 18. He also notes that Czech and American astronomer Zdenek Sekanina’s revived Radio Meteor Project (1968-1969) indicated a duration of Nov. 16 to Dec. 14. Kronke places annual peak around Dec. 11.

The December Monocerotid meteor shower’s name connects the annual display with an apparent point of origin in Monoceros the Unicorn constellation. December Monocerotid meteors appear to radiate outward from the Unicorn.

Monoceros straddles the celestial equator, the imaginary circle projected by astronomy and navigation from Earth’s equator outward into space. The Unicorn stretches northward into the Northern Celestial Hemisphere and southward into the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Astronomy and navigation project Earth’s surface outward into space as an imaginary sphere that mirrors Earth’s hemispheres.

Monoceros claims well-known constellations as neighbors. Orion the Hunter lies to the west. Gemini the Twins constellation touches the Unicorn’s northern border. Canis Major the Greater Dog, with the night sky’s brightest star, Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris, α Canis Majoris; Alpha CMa, α CMa), borders Monoceros to the south. Hydra the Sea Serpent, largest of the 88 modern constellations, slithers along the Unicorn’s eastern boundary.

Monoceros separates Canis Major from Canis Minor the Lesser Dog constellation. Canis Minor harbors the night sky’s eighth brightest star, Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris, α Canis Minoris; Alpha CMi, α CMi).

In the week prior to peak activity, Saturday, Nov. 25, to Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, Lunsford finds the radiant in northern Orion, at 3 degrees northwest of Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis, α Orionis; Alpha Ori, α Ori). Reddish Betelgeuse is the night sky’s ninth brightest star.

In the week of peak activity, Saturday, Dec. 9, to Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, Lunsford identifies the radiant position as lying in northwestern Monoceros, at 4 degrees southwest of Xi Geminorum (ξ Geminorum; Ksi Gem, ξ Gem) in Gemini the Twins constellation. Lunsford cautions that the radiant’s location lies only 7 degrees south of the November Orionid meteor shower’s radiant.

In the week of peak activity Saturday, Dec. 3, to Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, Lunsford finds the December Monocerotid radiant in northwestern Monoceros, at 7 degrees east of Betelgeuse. He notes the radiant’s position lies only 6 degrees south of the November Orionid meteor shower’s radiant. He cautions care in distinguishing the two showers’ radiants as observers trace back meteor paths.

In the week succeeding peak activity, Saturday, Dec. 10, to Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, Lunsford places the radiant in northern Monoceros. Its position is 5 degrees south of Xi Geminorum.

The takeaway for the 2018 December Monocerotids’ peak Sunday, Dec. 9, is that the minor shower’s meteors compete with November Orionid meteors of similar velocity radiating from the same area of the sky.

December Monocerotids’ radiant constellation, Monoceros the Unicorn, claims distinctive neighbors: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Twitter Jan. 25, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

December Monocerotids appear to originate in Monoceros the Unicorn constellation: Longway Planetarium @LongwayPlanetarium, via Facebook April 16, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/LongwayPlanetarium/posts/1880684941976037

December Monocerotids’ radiant constellation, Monoceros the Unicorn, claims distinctive neighbors: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Twitter Jan. 25, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/Learntoskywatch/status/691697483261415424

For further information:

“00019 MON December Monocerotids.” IAU (International Astronomical Union) Meteor Data Center > List of All Meteor Showers.
Available @ https://www.ta3.sk/IAUC22DB/MDC2007/Roje/pojedynczy_obiekt.php?kodstrumienia=00019&colecimy=0&kodmin=00001&kodmax=01032&sortowanie=0

“Constellations by Month.” Constellation Guide.
Available @ http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellations-by-month/

Espenak, Fred. “Phases of the Moon: 2001 to 2100.” Astro Pixels > Ephemeris > Moon.
Available @ http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/phasescat/phases2001.html

Helen Bird ‏@BirdHelen. “On Dec. 13, 2017, the network reported 178 fireballs. (107 Geminids, 59 sporadics, 4 sigma Hydrids, 3 December Monocerotids, 2 December Leonis Minorids, 1 , 1 Comae Berenicid, 1) more.” Twitter. Dec. 13, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/BirdHelen/status/940999561643950080

Jenniskens, Peter. Meteor Showers and Their Parent Comets. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Kresáková, M. (Margita). “Meteors of Periodic Comet Mellish and the Geminids.” Bulletin of the Astronomical Institute of Czechoslovakia, vol. 25, no. 1 (1974): 20-33.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1974BAICz..25...20K.pdf

Kronk, Gary W. Meteor Showers: An Annotated Catalogue. The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series. Second edition. New York NY: Springer Science+Business Media, 2014.

Kronk, Gary W. “Observing December Monocerotids.” Meteor Showers Online > Meteor Shower Calendar > December.
Available @ http://meteorshowersonline.com/showers/december_monocerotids.html

Learn to Skywatch ‏@Learntoskywatch. “Tonight's Target: Can you find "Monoceros" the Unicorn? Look for it in the Winter Triangle next to Orion in the S.” Twitter. Jan. 25, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/Learntoskywatch/status/691697483261415424

Lindblad, B.A. (Bertil Anders); and D. (Duncan) Olsson-Steel. “The Monocerotid Meteor Stream and Comet Mellish.” Bulletin of the Astronomical Institute of Czechoslovakia, vol. 41, no. 3 (1990): 193-2000.
Available via Harvard ADSABS @ http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1990BAICz..41..193L.pdf

Longway Planetarium @LongwayPlanetarium. “Following Orion in the night sky, Monoceros the Unicorn is a tougher constellation to find. Unicorns are elusive creatures.” Facebook. April 16, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/LongwayPlanetarium/posts/1880684941976037

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for 10-16 December 2016.” MeteorNews. Dec. 8, 2016.
Available @ https://www.meteornews.net/2016/12/08/meteor-activity-outlook-10-16-december-2016/

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for December 2-8, 2017.” American Meteor Society. Nov. 30, 2017.
Available @ https://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/11/meteor-activity-outlook-for-december-2-8-2017/

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for December 3-9, 2016.” International Meteor Organization. Dec. 4, 2016.
Available @ https://www.imo.net/meteor-activity-outlook-for-december-3-9-2016/

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for December 9-15, 2017.” American Meteor Society. Dec. 8, 2017.
Available @ https://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/12/meteor-activity-outlook-for-december-9-15-2017/

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for November 25-December 1, 2017.” American Meteor Society. Nov. 23, 2017.
Available @ https://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/11/meteor-activity-outlook-for-november-25-december-1-2017/

Lunsford, Robert. Meteors and How to Observe Them. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. New York NY: Springer Science+Business Media, 2009.

Mackenzie, Robert A. Solar System Debris. Monographs in Solar System Astronomy, vol. 1. Dover, England: British Meteor Society, 1980.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Winter Triangle Is Asterism Within Winter Hexagon Asterism.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/winter-triangle-is-asterism-within.html

McBeath, Alistair. “Monocerotids (019 MON).” International Meteor Organization 2016 Meteor Shower Calendar > 6. October to December: 19.
Available @ https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2015.pdf

“Moon Phases December 2018.” Calendar-12.com > Moon Calendar > 2018.
Available @ https://www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2018/december

Rendtel, Jürgen. International Meteor Organization 2017 Meteor Shower Calendar > 6. October to December: 14.
Available @ https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2017.pdf

Rendtel, Jürgen. “Monocerotids (019 MON).” 2018 Meteor Shower Calendar > 6. October to December: 19-20.
Available @ https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2018.pdf

Whipple, Fred L. “Photographic Meteor Orbits and Their Distribution in Space.” The Astronomical Journal, vol. 59, no. 6 (July 1954, no. 1218): 201-217.
Available via Harvard ADSABS @ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1954AJ.....59..201W

2018 December Phi Cassiopeiids Peak in First Full Week of December

Summary: The 2018 December Phi Cassiopeiids peak in the first full week of December as a minor meteor shower maximizing annually around Dec. 5.

Northern Hemisphere observers of the December Phi Cassiopeiids easily located Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation’s w-shaped asterism via the Big Dipper’s handle and the Little Dipper’s Polaris: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Facebook Jan. 19, 2017

The 2018 December Phi Cassiopeiids peak in the first full week of December as a minor meteor shower that occurs annually at the end of November and maximizes annually between Dec. 1 and Dec. 5.

Danish and American meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens, who associates with NASA’s Ames Research Center and the Seti Institute as senior research scientist, is credited with discovering the December Phi Cassiopeiids via the NASA-funded CAMS (Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance) project in 2012. He discovered the shower in the course of reducing and analyzing observations made during the first 2.5 years of the CAMS project’s operation. The observations stemmed from a 60-camera three-station video surveillance of the night sky in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.

Jenniskens describes the newly discovered shower as composed of “very slow meteors” in his article, “Mapping Meteoroid Orbits: New Meteor Showers Discovered,” published in Sky & Telescope’s September 2012 issue. He places the shower members’ entry velocity as 16.7 kilometers per second (37,400 miles per hour). Jenniskens identifies Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation as the new shower’s apparent point of origin, known as the radiant.

An incomplete profile still remains for the newly discovered December Phi Cassiopeiids. The shower’s parent body is unknown. Jenniskens suspects a Jupiter Family Comet (JFC) as the parent body for the December Phi Cassiopeiids. Jupiter Family Comets are characterized as having orbital periods of less than 20 years. The cometary group’s name acknowledges the influence of Jupiter’s gravity upon group members.

“From what I can tell, nobody has ever heard of it,” Jenniskens concludes. “It has been designated the December Phi Cassiopeiids (code DPC).”

American amateur astronomer Robert Lunsford, who writes weekly Meteor Activity Outlook columns for the American Meteor Society (AMS) and for the International Meteor Organization (IMO), predicts Monday, Dec. 4, as the peak date for the 2017 December Phi Cassiopeiids. The meteor shower’s 2017 activity dates run from Tuesday, Nov. 28, to Sunday, Dec. 10.

Lunsford’s activity report for Saturday, Nov. 25, to Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, points to the radiant’s location in southern Cassiopeia, at 2 degrees south of Alpha Cassiopeiae (α Cassiopeiae; Alpha Cas, α Cas). Alpha Cassiopeiae generally is considered as the Seated Queen’s brightest star. The multiple star system marks the apex of the sharply angled vee of the Queen’s w-shaped pattern of stars, known as an asterism.

Lunsford’s activity report for the 2016 December Phi Cassiopeiids gives Saturday, Nov. 26, through Monday, Dec. 5, as the shower’s 2016 activity range. He pinpoints peak as occurring Thursday, Dec. 1, “. . . when the radiant is located at 01:33 (023) +53.” The radiant’s location in southern Cassiopeia approximates 3 degrees southeast of Theta Cassiopeiae (θ Cassiopeiae; Theta Cas, θ Cas). Theta Cassiopeiae lies between the Seated Queen’s southeastern neighbor, Perseus the Hero constellation, and the sharply angled vee of the Queen’s w-shaped asterism.

Lunsford recommends around 8 p.m. local standard time as best viewing time. Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation appears high in Northern Hemisphere skies then. Lunsford notes that the radiant’s high northern location discourages visibility for Southern Hemisphere observers at locations south of the southern tropics.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) designates the December Phi Cassiopeiids with the three-letter code of DPC. The meteor shower’s IAU unique number is 00446.

The 60-camera three station video surveillance that prompted the discovery of the December Phi Cassiopeiids detected a total of 60 newly identified meteor showers. Jennisken and nine CAMS-project participants identified the new showers in their article, CAMS Newly Detected Meteor Showers and the Sporadic Background, published in the March 1, 2016, issue of Icarus. The new showers comprise numbers 00427, 00445, 00446, 00506, 00507 and part of 00634 to 00750 in the IAU Working List of Meteor Showers.

The takeaway for the 2018 December Phi Cassiopeiids’ peak in the first full week of December is that the newly discovered meteor shower is observable in the Northern Hemisphere and also in the Southern Hemisphere at southern tropical latitudes.

Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation’s distinctive w-shaped asterism, with (bottom center) Theta Cassiopeia (θ Cassiopeiae), radiant for December Phi Cassoipeiids: Longway Planetarium @LongwayP, via Twitter Nov. 8, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Northern Hemisphere observers of the December Phi Cassiopeiids easily located Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation’s w-shaped asterism via the Big Dipper’s handle and the Little Dipper’s Polaris: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Facebook Jan. 19, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/Learntoskywatch/photos/a.223850584681982.1073741828.223634834703557/333331490400557/

Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation’s distinctive w-shaped asterism, with (bottom center) Theta Cassiopeia (θ Cassiopeiae), radiant for December Phi Cassoipeiids: Longway Planetarium @LongwayP, via Twitter Nov. 8, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/LongwayP/status/928426923797176320

For further information:

“00446 DPC December phi Cassiopeiids.” IAU (International Astronomical Union) Meteor Data Center > List of All Meteor Showers.
Available @ https://www.ta3.sk/IAUC22DB/MDC2007/Roje/pojedynczy_obiekt.php?kodstrumienia=00446&colecimy=0&kodmin=00001&kodmax=01032&sortowanie=0

“Constellations by Month.” Constellation Guide.
Available @ http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellations-by-month/

Espenak, Fred. “Phases of the Moon: 2001 to 2100.” Astro Pixels > Ephemeris > Moon.
Available @ http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/phasescat/phases2001.html

Jenniskens, Peter. “Mapping Meteoroid Orbits: New Meteor Showers Discovered.” Sky & Telescope. Sept. 2012: 20-25.
Available @ http://cams.seti.org/CAMS-SANDT.pdf

Jenniskens, Peter. Meteor Showers and Their Parent Comets. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Jenniskens, Peter; Q. (Quentin) Nénon; P. (Peter) S. Gural; J. (Jim) Albers; B. (Bob) Haberman; B. (Beth) Johnson; R. (Rick) Morales; B. (Bryant) J. Grigsby; D. (Dave) Samuels; and C. (Carl) Johannink. “CAMS Newly Detected Meteor Showers and the Sporadic Background.” Icarus, vol. 266 (March 1, 2016): 384-409. DOI: 10.106/j.icarus.2015.11.009
Available via ScienceDirect @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103515005199?via%3Dihub#!

Kronk, Gary W. Meteor Showers: An Annotated Catalogue. The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series. Second edition. New York NY: Springer Science+Business Media, 2014.

Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch. “Observing Tip: The Big Dipper can be used as a signpost for finding other constellations.” Facebook. Jan. 19, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/Learntoskywatch/photos/a.223850584681982.1073741828.223634834703557/333331490400557/

Longway Planetarium ‏@LongwayP. “Cassiopeia is another constellation that is in the sky every night of the year. Look for a W shape high in the sky.” Twitter. Nov. 8, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LongwayP/status/928426923797176320

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for December 2-8, 2017.” American Meteor Society. Nov. 30, 2017.
Available @ https://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/11/meteor-activity-outlook-for-december-2-8-2017/

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for December 3-9, 2016.” International Meteor Organization. Dec. 4, 2016.
Available @ https://www.imo.net/meteor-activity-outlook-for-december-3-9-2016/

Lunsford, Robert. “Meteor Activity Outlook for November 25-December 1, 2017.” International Meteor Organization. Nov. 23, 2017.
Available @ https://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/11/meteor-activity-outlook-for-november-25-december-1-2017/

Lunsford, Robert. Meteors and How to Observe Them. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. New York NY: Springer Science+Business Media, 2009.

Mackenzie, Robert A. Solar System Debris. Monographs in Solar System Astronomy, vol. 1. Dover, England: British Meteor Society, 1980.

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018 Alpha Aurigid Meteor Shower Peaks Saturday, Sept. 1.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/2018-alpha-aurigid-meteor-shower-peaks.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Cassiopeia the Queen Constellation Is True Arrow to Andromeda Galaxy.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/08/cassiopeia-queen-constellation-true.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “North Star Pointer Constellation Cassiopeia Is Opposite the Big Dipper.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/09/north-star-pointer-constellation.html

“Moon Phases December 2018.” Calendar-12.com > Moon Calendar > 2018.
Available @ https://www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2018/december

Rendtel, Jürgen. “December ϕ-Cassiopeids (446 DPC).” 2018 Meteor Shower Calendar > 6. October to December: 14.
Available @ https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2018.pdf

Roggemans, Paul. “Confusion About 255P/Levy Meteors Erroneously Labelled as December Phi Cassiopeiids and Minor Shower Challenges in General.” WGN, vol. 42, no. 4 (August 2014): 128-130. Hove, Belgium: International Meteor Organization.
Available @ https://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/743703.WGN42-4.pdf
Available via IMO @ https://www.imo.net/publications/wgn/

Wiegert, Paul A.; Peter G. Brown; Robert J. Weryk; and Daniel K. Wong. “The Return of the Andromedids Meteor Shower.” Astronomical Journal, vol. 145, no. 3 (March 2013): 70-80.
Available via IOP Science @ http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-6256/145/3/70/pdf

2015 Geminids Peak Monday, Dec. 14, With After-Peak High Dec. 15

Summary: The 2015 Geminids peak Monday, Dec. 14, with an after-peak high Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Geminids Meteor Shower in northern hemisphere, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, 03:21: Asim Patel, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

The 2015 Geminids peak from evening through early morning hours Monday, Dec. 14. The shower continues with an after-peak high from evening through early morning Tuesday, Dec. 15.

The moon will not distract from viewing of the 2015 Geminids. On the North American east coast, moon rise takes place after dawn and moonset occurs well before 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (15:00 Coordinated Universal Time). Also December 14’s moon appears as a waxing crescent, with the lunar sliver only displaying 11 percent visibility.

Typical of most meteor showers, the Geminids receive their name from their radiant, the apparent point in the sky from which the shower appears to radiate. Geminid meteors appear to trace back to the constellation of Gemini the Twins. Gemini’s two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, are easy identifiers for the constellation.

Meteor showers have parent bodies which generally are comets. The Geminids, however, claim an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, as their parent body. The Geminids’ asteroid parent closely hugs the Sun, completing its solar orbit every 1.4 years. The linking of the Geminid meteor stream to the Sun’s closest named asteroid on October 25, 1983, by Harvard College Observatory astronomer Fred Lawrence “F.L.” Whipple served as the first definite example of non-comet parenting of a meteor shower.

Another first concerning 3200 Phaethon is its status as the first asteroid discovered by images from a spacecraft.  The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) identified 3200 Phaethon during its 10-month mission, from Jan. 25 to Nov. 21, 1983, as the first-ever, infrared wavelength survey of the entire sky by a space-based observatory.

The Geminids are a recently discovered meteor shower. Their appearance was first noted in 1862 through independent observations in England and, across the Atlantic, in the United States.

Viewable in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the Geminid meteor shower appears every year around Dec. 6 and lasts until Dec. 18. Geminids favor the Northern Hemisphere, where they are viewable generally from mid-evening, beginning at around 9:00 to 10:00 p.m., through the early morning hours. In the Southern Hemisphere, Geminids are less visible because their radiant does not climb high above the horizon. Geminids appear to originate in the eastern skies in the Northern Hemisphere and in the lower northeastern skies in the Southern Hemisphere.

Despite their apparent radiant, the Geminids do not limit their shows to Gemini’s segment of the sky. As with all meteor showers, the Geminids may be seen shooting across the entire nighttime skies.

The Geminids first appeared as a weak meteor shower, with peaks at only 10 to 20 meteors per hour. They have increased their showings, with peaks reaching up to 120 meteors per hour, to become one of the year’s major meteor showers. Their velocity of 22 miles per second (35 kilometers per second) and their noticeable yellowness make them easily spottable.

The 2015 Geminids are expected to live up to the shower’s reputation as an enjoyable close to the year’s meteor shower shows.

Baikonut Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan; Dec. 13, 2015, photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky: NASA @NASA, via Twitter Dec. 14, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Geminids Meteor Shower in northern hemisphere, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, 03:21: Asim Patel, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Geminids.jpg

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan; Dec. 13, 2015, photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky: NASA @NASA, via Twitter Dec. 14, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/NASA/status/676449344682401793

For further information:

Kronk, Gary. "Observing the Geminids." Meteor Showers Online.
Available @ http://meteorshowersonline.com/geminids.html

“Meteors and Meteorites: Geminids.” NASA Solar System Exploration > Planets.
Available via NASA Solar System Exploration @ http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/geminids.cfm

Loff, Sarah. "Expedition 46 Soyuz Rollout." NASA > Image Features > Expedition 46. Dec. 14, 2015.
Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/expedition-46-soyuz-rollout

NASA @NASA. "A Geminid meteor streaks the skies of Tuesday's launch site of three crew to @Space_Station." Twitter. Dec. 14, 2015.
Available @ https://twitter.com/NASA/status/676449344682401793