I've heard of them, read about them but up and until now I've never seen one let alone imaged one. No I'm not talking about UFOs, I'm talking about colorful horizon hugging meteors, image above.
I was trying to image an Ursid meteor when I saw a green flash to my right, in the vicinity of Gemini and thanks to my wide angle fisheye I was able to capture it, my new fav meteor image
Went back out the next morning and got my Ursid meteor. Three thousand images taken and almost one hundred hours later, I have imaged meteors from all the major showers.
Quadrantids, January 4 2008.
Lyrids, April 22 2008.
Aquarids, May 5 2008.
Bobaids, May 31 2008.
That's right, the best shower of the year, most meteors per hour, mind you only lasted a few hours, was the one I discovered and named after moi. NASA is looking into discovering more meteor showers as well, and they are finding them, so mock me if you will but I'll be out next year looking for my shower to return.
Perseids, August 10 2008.
Orionids, October 22 2008.
Taurids, November 8 2008.
Leonids, November 17 2008.
What can I say, I LOVE meteor showers. There hasn't been a meteor go by where I don't yell out, even by myself, wow, or that was cool, love em. Next stop, the return of the Quadrantids, peaking between 2-6 am Saturday January 3rd. They are predicting great things this year for this shower. Between 60-120 meteors per hour. The radiant of the shower used to be the constellation Quadrans which no longer exists, became part of Bootes, just look to the NE under the handle of the Dig Dipper around 11:00 pm January 2.
Also a couple of conjunctions going on, December 29, look to the SW just after Sunset for the grouping of the thin crescent Moon, Jupiter and Mercury. Then on December 31, the last day of the year, look again in the SW for the Moon and Venus grouping over top the grouping of Jupiter and Mercury.
One final thing, Lucy sent me a cool atmospheric image of the Perigee Moon, the biggest of the year, thanks for the image Lucy, a pair of 3D glasses are on their way to you.
I'll leave you now with an animation of my new favorite meteor. All the best to you and yours in 2009!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Geminids, Ursids and Quadrantids Meteor Showers
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68 comments:
I feel like I've just walked through some amazing museum where Van Goghs and Rembrandts are on display. I could only shake my head in wonder. Bob, you've outdone yourself yet again. And I would never mock the Bobaids! In fact, the Bobaids, May 31 2008, is my favorite photo of the bunch despite your amazing "green flash" meteor!
Quadrantids, January 4 2008 is another favorite photo, I love the light in that one.
I eagerly await the sunset tomorrow night and plan to drive north and climb a hilltop just to view (and hopefully photograph) the conjunction. And, who knows, maybe I'll see a meteor while I'm up there.
Bob, you're the best!
The picture, "Leonids, November 17 2008" is a very interesting photo. Smoke trails from fireballs/meteors are somewhat rare.
Nice photos. I too love meteors!
This is an other outstanding post, Bob! I liked the "Bobaid" :)
To you too HAPPY NEW YEAR and a lot of bright shiny stars in the sky!
Sue's Daily Photography
I love meteoroid pictures. It's amazing to me how little I knew about them growing up, but, when we were worried about Leonid storms during Shuttle flights, I became "an expert" overnight.
I've now seen jillions of pictures (none I've taken any myself), and these are excellent.
Fascinating post and great photos, Bob.
"Bobaids..." You are too funny!
I admire your continued dedication and hope you have taken stock in some very warm clothing for your winter shooting! :)
You are braver than I!
Thanks so much Genie, I had a lot of fun and gained a lot of wild and wonderful stories gathering these images.
Good luck with the conjunctions tomorrow and Wednesday, they have the making of being very cool.\m/\m/
Thanks Meteor Showers, they are very rare, I believe you get to see one every 200 hrs of observing time, just a few days after that pic we had the famous Saskatchewan meteor, I missed that one.\m/\m/
Thanks Susanne, all the best to you and yours in 2009 as well.
Thanks Stephanie, thanks for the interesting info you always bring to the comments, makes sense about the Leonids during their storm years and the Shuttle, are there things you can do to mitigate any kind of damage caused by hit, or possible avoidance of a hit? , like knowing where the dust trails tend to be thickest, ect, I would imagine you can't track them, being space dust and all.\m/\m/
Lol, thanks Lynda, yes I have invested in some warmer clothes, and another camera battery,lol.\m/\m/
Bob, when Leonid storms hit (and the precision with which they could be predicted improved 1000X in the 1996 time frame), they precluded Shuttle launches within a particular window. Which means, ironically, that for two years in a row they launched on my birthday (November 19) because it was at the end of the Leonid window. Since I brought it up, I wasn't allowed to complain.
For Mir, the crew would hide out in the Soyuz crew lifeboat in case of catastrophic impact. Many unmanned satellites, like HST, would move their most resilient faces into the Leonid vector
Bob:
Those near horizon meteors are really something. Green? I have never heard of them let alone seen one. Great capture.
Looking at all of your meteor images from last year reminded me of all of your posts. I saw every one of them on your site. Who needs a camera?
Happy stargazing, and stay warm.
Dang! I didn't know about Wednesday night.
Thanks for the heads up!
Really cool pictures, you do some amazing photography. I think you have real talent for this and you love it. I think you missed your calling here. Thanks for sharing this.
Love and blessings,
AngelBaby
Bob wow you are real meteor catcher, these are great capture photos I must say. Your portfolio is amazing. Are you sure it wasn't the UFO you were photographing, lol? Great post as always! Anna :)
Lol, to cool Stephanie thanks for the info, interesting about the MIR cosmonauts and Hubble, makes sense though, I'd be hiding up there as well.lol.\m/\m/
Thanks swubird, I remember you commenting on all of them. The green meteor was a surprise to me, usually the atmosphere allows the reds and blocks the shorter wavelength higher frequency blues and greens, very happy about it being green.\m/\m/
Lol Genie, everyone is going to be celebrating New Year's Eve, we will be out looking at conjunctions,lol.\m/\m/
Hi and thanks AngelBaby, I love sharing this stuff thanks for your visits and comments, all the best for 2009.\m/\m/
Thanks Anna,lol,hey the fireball I was wondering about it being a UFO, especially after the head separated almost like an alien craft leaving the mother ship to invade Earth,lol.\m/\m/
Impressive shots, great work!
Bob, what an AMAZING meteor post!!! Your images are AWESOME!!! I was just thinking how great it is that you can aim your camera past the snow and have good winter shots. :D I promise a warmer post next time.
Thanks for the tips. :D
Lucy's moon photo rocks too.
Hugs, JJ
Hey Bob!
Wow...that is one great flash!! Are you sure it wasn't Flash Gordon? LOL LOL...just kidding!
This is one great image...let me click on it to enlarge it! So, the flash is called Gemini Meteor...right?
I am curious about one thing: how can we learn the name of the stars? Do we learn it from books and then look at the sky hoping to identifying them one by one...or is there a different method?
You live in a great place, Bob! To be able to capture all these showers...amazing!
LOL no, I won't mock you...I wish you do find your "shower to return" :D!
This was a great image retrospective, thanks :D!
Ah, heavy rains here, today...so I won't be able to even try to check the conjunctions :(.....but I will try on December 31!
Lucy's photo is gorgeous!! Congrats, Lucy!
Lord of the Astropics, thank you so much for a great blogging year!
I wish you a fantastic New Year :D!
Cheers
Thanks Anne, and thanks for dropping by.\m/\m/
Thanks JJ, the camera makes the winter go by a little bit faster,lol.\m/\m/
Lol, thanks max, Flash Gordon, I like it,lol.
Yes that is a Geminid meteor. How I learned about the stars, first I learned about the constellations and where they are in the night sky, then I got to know the stars after I recognized the constellations.
I used books, a couple good ones for me were, Nightwatch,link below
http://www.amazon.com/NightWatch-Practical-Guide-Viewing-Universe/dp/1552093026
and,The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, link below.
http://www.amazon.ca/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/155209507X
and to find all the stuff I use Sky View Cafe, link below.
http://www.skyviewcafe.com
Just takes practice under the night sky and you get familiar with where everything should be, becomes like old friends after awhile. All the best to you and yours too for 2009 max.\m/\m/
Your rocking that camera Bob!:D
Shot the Moon/Mercury/Jupiter grouping tonight. Woot, so fun. Venus was SO BRIGHT! Can't wait to see what you got! See you out there Wednesday night! Well, in spirit anyway. It was only 57 degrees Fahrenheit here after sunset. That's balmy compared to what you put up with to shoot this time of year! I don't know how you do it.
Wow, so many pictures and so many hours you spend for your passion... incredible!
Happy 2009 sky watching Bob, and hope you had a nice Christmas too.
Hey thanks Roger.\m/\m/
Genie, send me your pic, I will post it, clouds, and we are expecting 5-10cm of snow the 31st.:(
Thanks Priyank, had a great Christmas hope you did too!! All the best to you and yours for 2009.\m/\m/
Whoa that must have been a great experience! The closest ive gotten to a meteor shower is in the movies (lol)
Hi Bob!
Thank you so much for the advices and links: you are an absolute angel :)!
Thanks for your wishes, Lord of the Astropics...and here's to another fantastic blogging year!
Cheers
Sent you several, I over do everything--use what you like.
Sucks you'll get cheated out of the conjunction tomorrow night--unless your cat alerts you of a break in the clouds at just the right time again! Fortunately you shoot so many other amazing things that we can all count on many wonders to come on your blog.
Every meteor shower is a great experience Technorino, you really have to see one to really appreciate them, thanks for dropping by.\m/\m/
No problem max, glad to help.\m/\m/
Thanks for sending the pics Genie, great job. I am hoping for a break in the clouds, who knows, weather forecast very grim.\m/\m/
Hi Bob!
Oh my! Look at all that horizon hugging going on! Is this still a G blog!
A green flasher! Bob what is going on here? Vulcans have no shame….
Back in a moment just have to get on my elliptical trainer to work out my “quadranids”…
My fave of a good lot is the Bobaids….the tree adds an interesting dimension to the image…
Bob as it seems you are waiting till next year for a shower it is good blogging does not have smell-o-rama…oh hang on another year is now quite close…Happy New Year to you and yours!
Bob is it intentional or have you been having to many nights without proper sleep… “Dig Dipper”? Please get Mrs.Bob to allow you some proper shut eye… ;)
Wow cool image by Lucy! Very nice….
Excellent post as usual Astro Bob thanks for your diligent blogging!
Happy New Year, Bob!!! Your images are amazing as always! I wish you lots of inspiration and new discoveries in 2009!
Lol livingsword, more like an X blog,if you get my meaning, X files and all.
Funny you should be mentioning sleep or lack there of, was up till 3 am this morning watching a last minute Aurora happening. Got a call from Dr. Tony again from NASA's spaceweather.com, clouds broke so I was out instead of sleeping, very tired right now,lol
All the best to you and CC in 2009.
Thanks LadyOmega, all the best to you and yours as well in 2009!!\m/\m/
Hi Bob, great shots as ever :)
Thanks for putting my picture up and thanks to your readers for the nice comments.
The email I used was a work account so I can only imagine the server has gone down. Again. Thanks to you and happy new year!
Hi Bob, I think I need to start on checking out the meteor showers as well, but we may not get a good view of the latest one if it is near the Big Dipper, as that is too far north for us.
Have enjoyed your pictures though.
Hope you have a really great New Year.
Bob,
Beautifully executed and presented. No wonder the more often I visit, the more I want to come back.
The images are inspiring enough to make me want to leave the most light polluted city on the planet and spend a night or two in the desert.
Have a great New Year!
All my best,
Rich
Wow, Bob that is so crazy how you capture meteors all the time. I mean one or two lucky ones I can understand, but your collection truely is impressive. Should be a nice conjunction tonight.
I had a great view of M35 last night - never seen that one before. Any other deep skys - pretty much overhead right now I should try to check out?
Jesse
I didn't realize they could be different colors. Great job capturing it, Bob!
I with you and your family a happy, healthy New Year filled with all that is good!
Take care,
Kathy
Hi and no problem Lucy, I tried to get your address to send you your pair of 3D glasses, you can email me it, have a great 2009!\m/\m/
Thanks Max-e, you have a lot of showers down there, but not that one, too bad. All the best to you and yours in 2009 and thanks for dropping by.\m/\m/
Thanks a lot Rich and thanks for dropping by, all the best in 2009 and here's hoping you get some time away from those city lights as well.\m/\m/
Thanks Jesse, I actually managed to get around 89 shots of other meteors not in showers, love meteors,lol.
It is snowing here like crazy, expect up to 15cm, so no go on the conjunction, hope you get to see it.
I love m35, Jesse one of my favorite targets the Double Cluster, NGC 869,884 in between Perseus and Cassiopeia should be over your head tonight, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula another couple great targets, M 15 globular off the end of Pegasus, m44 the Beehive cluster, m45 The Pleiades,m81/82 galaxies off the top of the Big Dipper all excellent picks, good luck with the hunt.\m/\m/
Hi Kathy , very rare, I am very lucky to have imaged it.
Thanks for dropping by Kathy all the best to you and yours in 2009!!\m/\m/
Wonderful post Bob, I wish you a very starry filled happy new year.
Carole
Thanks Carole, right back at you, all the best for 2009!!\m/\m/
LOL Bob….
XBob…is that like Xbox?
Yes the X blog! LOL…You know I tried out that web page that classifies your blog in movie categories and Life on the Blade got a Mature rating obviously not enough sex and violence LOL
Astronomy obviously has physical consequences (I will take a pass on mentioning the physiological trauma for now…oh I guess not now that I mentioned it!) Then again look at all those people staying up late for New Years….
Lol, livingsword, at least I don't get hangovers anymore
Bob…
You know I used to get drunk but never got hangovers…although in the morning I did have trouble pealing myself out of bed…
Ditto, what all of the others said.
Great job on putting together all of these fantastic photos and sharing these great experiences.
This is a great post and I know it was a lot of work and probably a labor of love. Well done.
Thanks for the visit, and Martha says thanks for the nice comment,
Troy
Lol livingsword, I had hangovers and trouble getting out of bed.\m/\m/
Thanks Troy and Martha, yep lots of time and cold, but I loved every minute of it.\m/\m/
Very good!
Thanks a lot nike dunk, thanks for dropping by.\m/\m/
Pretty pretty! I see a meteor about once every six months, usually while I'm driving at night, and it falls in front of me. I wonder how many I miss the rest of the time!
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Thanks for sharing the link, but unfortunately it seems to be down... Does anybody have a mirror or another source? Please reply to my post if you do!
I would appreciate if someone here at blackholesandastrostuff.blogspot.com could post it.
Thanks,
Thomas
Hey,
Thanks for sharing the link - but unfortunately it seems to be down? Does anybody here at blackholesandastrostuff.blogspot.com have a mirror or another source?
Cheers,
Charlie
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