The "Magic Hour" for Geminid Meteors   
       
   Dec. 13, 2013:  As arctic air and record cold sweeps across the USA, amateur   
   astronomers are looking at their calendars with a degree of trepidation. A   
   date is circled: Dec. 14th. And below it says: "Wake up at 4 AM for the   
   Geminid meteor shower."   
       
   "It's going to be cold," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment   
   Office. "But that is the best time to see the 2013 Geminid meteor shower."   
       
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kvpe1Qg7Ak   
       
   A new ScienceCast video previews the 2013 Geminid meteor shower.  Play it   
       
   Geminids appear every year in mid-December when Earth passed through a stream   
   of debris from "rock comet" 3200 Phaethon.  Typically more than 100 meteors   
   per hour stream out of the radiant in the constellation Gemini.when the shower   
   peaks on Dec. 13th and 14th.   
       
   There is a problem, however. This year a nearly full Moon will reduce the   
   number of visible meteors 2 to 3 fold.  Most of the shower's peak will suffer   
   from lunar glare. Most, but not all.   
       
   "There is a 'magic hour' of good visibility just before dawn on Saturday the   
   14th," says Cooke. "The moon sets around 4 AM. The dark time between 4 AM and   
   sunrise is a great time for meteor watching."   
       
   On Friday the 13th, Cooke will host a live web chat about the Geminids. He and   
   colleagues Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw from the Meteoroid Environment   
   Office will be on hand to answer questions from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. EST.    
   They will also be broadcasting live images of the sky over the Marshall Space   
   Flight Center.  Cooke expects to see dozens of Geminids during the broadcast.   
       
   "The Geminid meteor shower is the most intense meteor shower of the year,"   
   notes Cooke. "It is rich in fireballs and can be seen from almost any point on   
   Earth. Even a bright moon won't completely spoil the show."   
       
   Moreover, the debris stream from rock comet 3200 Phaethon is broad, so the   
   shower is fairly active all the way from Dec. 12th through 16th.  "If you miss   
   the magic hour on Saturday morning, try looking on one of the adjacent   
   nights," Cooke urges.   
       
   Whichever night you chose, the Geminids are going to be cold.  Bundle up and   
   enjoy the show.   
       
   Credits:   
   Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit:   
   Science@NASA   
       
   More information:   
       
   Rock Comet Sprouts a Tail -- Science@NASA   
       
   NASA Geminids Web Chat -- nasa.gov   
   http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/geminids_2013.html   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.96   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)