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Geminids Rain Down Shooting Stars
Slate ^ | 12/14/12 | Phil Plait

Posted on 12/14/2012 5:24:29 AM PST by Mozilla

As I wrote a couple of days ago, the annual Geminid meteor shower peaked last night, raining down a magnificent display of shooting stars. Did you go out and watch?

A lot of photographers did. One was John Chumack, an accomplished astrophotographer, who captured this amazing shot of three meteors:

Chumack was in Yellow Springs, Ohio on the evening of the 12th (the day before the peak!) using a simple DSLR camera and a fisheye lens. This was a 25-second exposure, enough to see Orion, Jupiter (the bright “star” above Orion), Gemini—the direction from which the eponymous meteors appear to radiate—Sirius, Capella, and a host of other stars.

Chumack says the meteor causing the brightest streak was as bright as Jupiter, and you can see from the photo that it must have flared at least once as it moved across the sky. A second bright meteor traveled down Orion’s side, and third fainter one can be seen just to the left of Betelgeuse, the orange star marking Orion’s right armpit (his right, our left, since the hunter is always depicted as facing us from the sky). I’m not 100 percent convinced that last one was a Geminid, since the direction appears to be a little off, but it’s possible.

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: astronomy; shootingstars; sky

1 posted on 12/14/2012 5:24:32 AM PST by Mozilla
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To: Mozilla

I saw one from my bed before I fell asleep qt 830p est


2 posted on 12/14/2012 5:30:53 AM PST by larryjohnson (USAF(Ret))
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To: Mozilla

Beautiful photo.


3 posted on 12/14/2012 5:45:45 AM PST by ILS21R (Everything is a conspiracy. No? You're living in one.)
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To: larryjohnson

As I was getting into bed a huge one fell in the southern sky. It was really bright and was framed by the window by my bed.


4 posted on 12/14/2012 5:53:13 AM PST by albionin (Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and)
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: Mozilla

The sky over the Eastern Shore of Va was so clear last night. I could not stop walking out and viewing the skies....Enjoyed seeing all that God has created and thanked him for allowing me to see “his glory”


6 posted on 12/14/2012 6:08:49 AM PST by blueyon (The U. S. Constitution - read it and weep)
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To: larryjohnson

I saw one last night at 10pm when I went out to take a look myself.


7 posted on 12/14/2012 6:13:13 AM PST by Mozilla
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To: Mozilla
I live about a mile from "the Point" in Pittsburgh.

Went out about 2:30 this morning.

I saw 4 Geminids in about 15 minutes - not bad for a location near city lights.

It was clear and cold.

8 posted on 12/14/2012 6:20:43 AM PST by FroggyTheGremlim (2012 elections: American Coup d'etat!)
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To: blueyon
The sky over the Eastern Shore of Va was so clear last night. I could not stop walking out and viewing the skies....

I worked for a client in Las Vegas for over two years.

The best "show" was the clear night sky over Red Rock Park on a summer's evening. Not only was the sky beautiful, it was comfortable walking.

9 posted on 12/14/2012 6:36:10 AM PST by cicero2k
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To: Mozilla

I thought it was suppose to be Thursday????


10 posted on 12/14/2012 6:46:10 AM PST by Pit1 (Nobama.)
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To: Mozilla

Saw no less than 30; 8 by 8:30pm CST, and the rest when I staggered out at 2a.m.


11 posted on 12/14/2012 6:53:54 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)
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To: Mozilla
When I lived in Utah a few years ago,I saw many very similar things. Now that I'm back in southwest Colorado, I still see the same.

FMCDH(BITS)

12 posted on 12/14/2012 7:23:09 AM PST by nothingnew (I fear for my Republic due to marxist influence in our government. Open eyes/see)
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To: Mozilla

Went out and sat in the hot tub at 9:30pm EST here in West Michigan. Saw at least 10 in about 45 minutes. Almost all of them traveling east to west.


13 posted on 12/14/2012 11:20:34 AM PST by laker_dad
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