Since the AT is about to get a good dose of winter weather (ice/snow per the latest forecasts), perhaps watching meteors blaze a trail across the sky would be a beautiful alternative to hiking for a few days. The Geminid Meteor Shower starts in early December and the peak this year should be December 14. From this link:
Beginning in early December, the Geminid meteor shower grows in intensity to finally reach its zenith on the night of December 13 and continue overnight into the early morning hours. The predicted peak is just after midnight on December 14.
In North America, Canada and US East Coast residents will have the best viewing that night into the wee hours on the 14th, but as Geminids are a "long tail" event, expect additional views growing less spectacular several days or nights before and after the peak.
While the Geminids have been comparatively a non-event in the last century, they have grown more spectacular in the recent past and this year is predicted to be no exception.
Watching the night sky from some dark spot (no city lights to interfere) is a wonderful thing to do, whether on the trail or from a spot closer to where you live. If you can't watch the Geminid Meteor Shower this year, enjoy the video above, with some meteors blazing across the sky from the 2012 shower .... the music is serene and peaceful as well, a break from the hustle & bustle of the holiday season.
If you find astronomy interesting and would like to see some gorgeous photos (every day!), here is a link you might enjoy: Astronomy Picture of the Day described as "Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer." I have added the 'feed' to this site to my blog reader so the pictures automatically show up!
Enjoy Sky Watching!
Video link: Geminid Meteor Shower 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment