The problem with annual showers is, no one can be sure that there will be much of a show. Before radio, the discovery of annual showers was achieved optically, by astronomers. The only media was the newspaper and books, and so going out to watch for meteors was big big fun.
Some of the annual showers were much more impressive, apparently hitting a peak during a few consecutive years, and thereafter apparently dying out.
On any clear night, one will probably notice perhaps four or five per hour, but in my experience, 99 percent of the time (at least) it will be in the peripheral vision, and gone by the time one turns one’s head. I’ve only seen one daylight meteor, and it was amazing stuff, lasting a good ten seconds before dropping below the sightline. Never heard anything further, probably was far off and finished disintegrating, arriving at the surface as grains of, well, sand.
The existence of these streams is verified by radioastronomy, or rather, it has been and can be, because they make a signal as they burn through or largely burn up in the atmosphere.
Thanks Robert A. Cook, PE, extra to APoD.
FORECAST: Staying cool with mainly cloudy skies
Meteorologist Jason Nicholas says to expect mainly cloudy skies Sunday with highs in the low 40s.
FORECAST: Staying cool with mainly cloudy skies We will battle the clouds to see the Geminid Meteor Shower this weekend
By: Mark Johnson
Posted: 10:32 PM, Dec 12, 2014
CLEVELAND - We will battle the clouds to see the Geminid Meteor Shower this weekend.
It’s the last meteor shower of the year and it should be one of the best. The Geminid Meteor Shower peaks Saturday night and Sunday night this weekend across Ohio and the United States.
The shooting stars are so named because they appear to originate from the constellation Gemini. Gemini will rise up into the eastern sky after 9 p.m. each night. That’s when your best viewing will begin. By 2 a.m., Gemini will be high overhead, and this should be when the number of shooting stars peak both nights.
The Geminid Meteor Shower is one of the best because it tends to produce some the brightest fireballs and slower moving streaks than any other shower during the year.
Jupiter will also be visible as the bright object close to the moon this weekend.
Temperatures will in the 30s Saturday night and Sunday. Unfortunately, clouds are expected to travel in and out of the area both nights. Still, there should be a few hours of partly cloudy skies. If you want to see the meteor shower in the warmth of your home, you can watch the webcasts of the Geminids live on Space.com, starting at 8 p.m., courtesy of NASA & SLOOH. Happy viewing!