Geminids meteor shower - 1999

"New England observer Lew Gramer, fresh back from his mid-November fish observing and meteor-catching expedition in South Florida, reports that December also promises to be a great month for celestial sky-sparks!"

The Geminids have an advantage over the recently departed 1999 Leonids for three reasons: First, the Geminids have a broad period of peak act- ivity, so that the whole of the Northern Hemisphere can generally get a good look at high rates. Second, they will tend to be significantly brighter than the "storm component" of the Leonids some folks saw this year. And finally, the Geminids will peak during a time when the Moon is setting by 10 or so each night, giving us many dark hours!

Other showers adding to the mix this month include several very minor showers, such as the Chi Orionids (3 Dec), Monocerotids (9 Dec) and Sigma Hydrids (12 Dec), which usually contribute no more than 2 or 3 meteors per hour during even post-midnight observing this month. (If you're in more Southerly latitudes, watch out for the Phoenecids!)

SEEING THE MOST METEORS:

For those interested in getting the most out of their Geminid-watching, here are some suggestions...

o Concentrate your energies on the nights when most activity occurs: in this case, MOST predictions call for highest rates just before dawn on Tue 14 Dec - but if there is a chance that morning will be cloudy, the pre-dawn hours of both Mon 13 Dec, and the EARLIER morning of Wed 15 Dec will likely provide worthy displays as well.

o Give yourself a good half hour or more to just meteor-watch: meteors are usually not uniformly distributed over time - they come in bursts. So if you watch for 15 minutes, even during a major peak, you just may see nothing at all! Similarly, if you're doing cameras, telescopes or any other "gizmo" while watching, you'll see only a ghost of the show.

o Keep yourself COMFORTABLE! Those who describe going out to backyards and "just looking up" also usually describe seeing "ho-hum displays". The reason: They are too distracted, too uncomfortable, and may even have too poor blood flow to their eyes and brains to note the delicate, beautiful FAINTER meteors which dominate most meteor displays. Sleeping bag and lawn chair are equipment of choice for a serious meteor jockey!

o Go to as dark a site as you can COMFORTABLY observe from: If a site is dark, but you're freezing, or have a lawnchair, or access to fluids and snacks, you will miss out on the best of the show. Still, for each magnitude fainter stars you see, you may DOUBLE the meteors you see!

o Face any direction - you do NOT need to face just the radiant! Pick the direction that's MOST COMFORTABLE, DARKEST, and LEAST OBSTRUCTED.

And remember, for every 100 folks "oohing" and "aahing" over one of these annual meteor skyshows, there may only be ONE person actually recording the event so that researchers can come to understand interplanetary dust streams better - and perhaps even learn how to predict the better shows!

So if you have any inclination toward amateur science at all, learn the simple techniques you need to know to gather analyzable scientific data about meteor showers! I guarantee you, it only ENHANCES your enjoyment.

Here are a few URLs to browse, or contact me if you're in New England!

North American Meteor Network - all internet, no dues, very friendly: http://www.namnmeteors.org

Gary Kronk's Meteor Shower Calendar - authoritative, not for beginners:

http://comets.amsmeteors.org

American Meteor Society - umbrella organization for U.S. amateurs: http://www.amsmeteors.org

International Meteor Organization - world amateur clearinghouse: http://www.imo.net

The 'meteorobs' meteor observing maillist - for folks at all levels!
http://www.meteorobs.org

Clear skies all, and many meteors! Lew Gramer, NAMN, IMO Medford MA USA