Sunday, December 13, 2015

Waiting for meteors

The annual Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak tonight.I did an all night sky photo session last night and only picked up a few.Hoping that the sky stays clear tonight for another photo session.


Other things to look for this as posted on Star Date:
December 13: Breaking Down
Look for the beautiful thin crescent Moon shortly after sunset this evening. The crescent is illuminated by sunlight, while the dark portion of the lunar disk is illuminated by earthshine, which is sunlight reflected from an almost-full Earth.

December 14: Crab Nebula
A colorful crab scuttles across the sky on December nights. The Crab Nebula is a cloud of glowing gas in the constellation Taurus that spans about a dozen light-years. It's called the crab because its tendrils of gas resemble a crab.

December 15: Northern Cross
Look to the northwest after nightfall this evening for the Northern Cross, a grouping of stars in the constellation Cygnus, the swan. As it begins to set, a few hours after sunset, the cross stands upright, as though it were anchored to the horizon.

December 16: Perseus
Perseus, the hero, stands overhead by 9 or 10 p.m. Many of its stars are immersed in the glow of the Milky Way. As you look at Perseus, you are seeing stars in three of the galaxy's spiral arms, named for the constellations Orion, Perseus, and Cygnus.

December 17: Evening Constellations
December's evening skies abound with bright constellations, especially in the south and east. Look for Orion, the hunter; Gemini, the twins; and Orion's dogs, Canis Minor and Canis Major, home of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

December 18: Switching On
The constellation Pisces, the fishes, stands high in the south at nightfall, spreading out above and to the upper left of the Moon. It has few bright stars, so you may need a starchart to help you find it.

December 19: Last Visit
The planet Saturn is just climbing into view in the morning sky. It's quite low in the southeast at dawn tomorrow and looks like a moderately bright star. The giant planet will climb into much better view by year's end.



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Special weather statement in effect for: Queens County Potential storm over the Maritimes at anytime this Fall and Winter . A storm will lik...