Discussion
Not sure how spectacular they will be tonight but the moon is waxing crescent ( ooh matron) and the weather forecast looks good for the South East of England at least
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/foreca...
so we can all see that lovely light pollution not reflecting off clouds. So if you want to watch come down to Kent where you can also partake in Bishops Finger, Spitfire and 1698 ( which is also the year Edmond Halley went on a sailing trip). A few of those and it is scientifically proven to increase the number of meteors per hour by a factor of 2. +++see bottom
The reason for this shower is
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon
Not to be confused with a VW that failed to compete against the Mercedes S class of course.
Some frequently asked questions
1. Where do I look in the night sky?
Well they "shoot out" from the region of constellation Gemini, named after a NASA space series, which is to the East around dusk and then wanders magnificently over the night sky to the west, peaking around early hours more overhead where you can see ones travelling west to east more easily. The moon disappears later as well over the horizon.
2. How many will I see per hour?
The going rate is 80-140 per hour, so one or 2 per minute. But this depends on the amount of cloud coverage, the light pollution and the number of Shepherd Neame drinks you have been drinking.
3. Will this cause a posting frenzy on PH and supplant all those rocket threads by men who are perpetually boys and who snigger whenever they see the Blue Origin rocket?
No.
Also Big Al ( a binary mod who is is rotating around companion Little Al) will not only close the thread but will give off gravitational waves in the process. And steam)
4. If it looks a bit nippy out there could I send a chimpanzee instead dressed up in a shiny Bacofoil spacesuit as I bought too much foil for the Christmas dinner and don't want it to go to waste?
Tricky one. The RSPCA is getting ever more rampant, even in 1957 they were complaining about space kennels
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/n...
Also, it might run up a tree and start throwing dung at the neighbours.
5. What should I take outside to make my 4 hours the best experience possible?
The great thing about meteor watching is how cheap it is. You do not have to buy a Tasco telescope that has 600x magnification and costs £49.99 from Argos. This is what I will be taking out with me tonight-->
1. Relaxing sun lounger.
2. Enough warm clothing for me to mis-identified as a sasquatch when I go for a piss
3. A hot curry soup I made yesterday. I will put it in a tartan flask of course which is like the NASA developments of non stick frying pans and the memory foam mattress, non of which they ever used on the Apollo mission, Sadly.
Note that some of those tiles behind are the original tiles off STS-1, I got them cheap off ebay and are signed by Robert Crippen on the back. Unfortunately the ones signed by John Young were too expensive.
4. Wifi connection so you can download images of heavenly bodies.
Hope that has given you some Viz ( Viewing into Zenith) style top tips for tonight watching. I will be out there and I just hope in 6 months time it will declared a hoax.
All the best fellow deckchaironauts
+++ Note Bishops finger is slightly hypogolic when coming into contact with organic material such as a human liver.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/foreca...
so we can all see that lovely light pollution not reflecting off clouds. So if you want to watch come down to Kent where you can also partake in Bishops Finger, Spitfire and 1698 ( which is also the year Edmond Halley went on a sailing trip). A few of those and it is scientifically proven to increase the number of meteors per hour by a factor of 2. +++see bottom
The reason for this shower is
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon
Not to be confused with a VW that failed to compete against the Mercedes S class of course.
Some frequently asked questions
1. Where do I look in the night sky?
Well they "shoot out" from the region of constellation Gemini, named after a NASA space series, which is to the East around dusk and then wanders magnificently over the night sky to the west, peaking around early hours more overhead where you can see ones travelling west to east more easily. The moon disappears later as well over the horizon.
2. How many will I see per hour?
The going rate is 80-140 per hour, so one or 2 per minute. But this depends on the amount of cloud coverage, the light pollution and the number of Shepherd Neame drinks you have been drinking.
3. Will this cause a posting frenzy on PH and supplant all those rocket threads by men who are perpetually boys and who snigger whenever they see the Blue Origin rocket?
No.
Also Big Al ( a binary mod who is is rotating around companion Little Al) will not only close the thread but will give off gravitational waves in the process. And steam)
4. If it looks a bit nippy out there could I send a chimpanzee instead dressed up in a shiny Bacofoil spacesuit as I bought too much foil for the Christmas dinner and don't want it to go to waste?
Tricky one. The RSPCA is getting ever more rampant, even in 1957 they were complaining about space kennels
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/n...
Also, it might run up a tree and start throwing dung at the neighbours.
5. What should I take outside to make my 4 hours the best experience possible?
The great thing about meteor watching is how cheap it is. You do not have to buy a Tasco telescope that has 600x magnification and costs £49.99 from Argos. This is what I will be taking out with me tonight-->
1. Relaxing sun lounger.
2. Enough warm clothing for me to mis-identified as a sasquatch when I go for a piss
3. A hot curry soup I made yesterday. I will put it in a tartan flask of course which is like the NASA developments of non stick frying pans and the memory foam mattress, non of which they ever used on the Apollo mission, Sadly.
Note that some of those tiles behind are the original tiles off STS-1, I got them cheap off ebay and are signed by Robert Crippen on the back. Unfortunately the ones signed by John Young were too expensive.
4. Wifi connection so you can download images of heavenly bodies.
Hope that has given you some Viz ( Viewing into Zenith) style top tips for tonight watching. I will be out there and I just hope in 6 months time it will declared a hoax.
All the best fellow deckchaironauts
+++ Note Bishops finger is slightly hypogolic when coming into contact with organic material such as a human liver.
Great post.
I'll be out tonight taking a look. Need to invest in a decent chair as I have to stand and look up. It annoys my neck.
I heard talk of 200 per hour. Like you say though, it depends where you are.
Dragged my £30 Aldi telescope out earlier to look at the moon. Was ok. The tried Mars. It looked like a smudged spec of poop on the lens. It's a bit rubbish. It was my first telescope though and it does make out Saturn's rings, just.
I'm in South Lincolnshire. The sky is a mix of clear and cloudy tonight.
I have a pair of Celestron binoculars so I'll take them out too.
Well so far I have seen 4 (four)
I have had to feed the dog a mixture of kibble and meaty loaf at 19 20 hours GMT for his tea.
Bloody cold out there, I need a hot beefy bovril.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQ3fEifVbE
I have had to feed the dog a mixture of kibble and meaty loaf at 19 20 hours GMT for his tea.
Bloody cold out there, I need a hot beefy bovril.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQ3fEifVbE
First law of star watching ..
Don't post a youtube videograph of Bovril or the next suggested video will be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUG3O5imCGU
Is this for real? I knew I would miss some meteors due to this new boy mistake.
Don't post a youtube videograph of Bovril or the next suggested video will be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUG3O5imCGU
Is this for real? I knew I would miss some meteors due to this new boy mistake.
funkyrobot said:
Great post.
I'll be out tonight taking a look. Need to invest in a decent chair as I have to stand and look up. It annoys my neck.
I heard talk of 200 per hour. Like you say though, it depends where you are.
Dragged my £30 Aldi telescope out earlier to look at the moon. Was ok. The tried Mars. It looked like a smudged spec of poop on the lens. It's a bit rubbish. It was my first telescope though and it does make out Saturn's rings, just.
I'm in South Lincolnshire. The sky is a mix of clear and cloudy tonight.
I have a pair of Celestron binoculars so I'll take them out too.
https://www.space.com/42701-geminids-2018-comet-46...
Here is a good spotting guide for the comet in relation to Mars, moon and orion.
Let us know if you see it.
Venus this morning, moon and Mars this evening
Yes, it's a good night for observing, as long as the weather plays ball.
We have a street light outside the front of our house and it's still broken. The council taking an age to fix it is helping with my sky watching.
Just watching Poltergeist. I'll be out after that taking a look. I will be scared of dark corners and TV's with bad reception now though.
Looking forward to seeing the comet.
We have a street light outside the front of our house and it's still broken. The council taking an age to fix it is helping with my sky watching.
Just watching Poltergeist. I'll be out after that taking a look. I will be scared of dark corners and TV's with bad reception now though.
Looking forward to seeing the comet.
Gandahar said:
First law of star watching ..
Don't post a youtube videograph of Bovril or the next suggested video will be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUG3O5imCGU
Is this for real? I knew I would miss some meteors due to this new boy mistake.
Don't post a youtube videograph of Bovril or the next suggested video will be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUG3O5imCGU
Is this for real? I knew I would miss some meteors due to this new boy mistake.
Beati Dogu said:
Cheers. I'll check it out after midnight when they turn the street lights out.
Hopefully by then all the exterior christmas lights will be off too. Bah humbug!
Our neighbour has a crazy setup including inflatables and lights all over the front of their house. Someone nicked the head off one of his reindeer a few years ago, so he puts them nearer the house now.Hopefully by then all the exterior christmas lights will be off too. Bah humbug!
It's like living next door to Blackpool.
Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff