Space Goings On for December

Finally, after almost 3 years we will be treated to a Total Lunar Eclipse starting at 1:32 am EST. December 21. I took the above image during the last Total Lunar Eclipse, February 20, 2008. If you live in North America and miss this one you'll be waiting awhile for the next...April 2014. If you look real close, preferably with binocs just before and right after totality you'll see a beautiful turquoise color, like the above image.

During a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, you see the reddish brown on the Moon as the result of the Sunlight going through the Earth's stratosphere which absorbs the blues and allows the reds through to the Moon's surface, much like our lower atmosphere does during Sunrises/sets. Just before and after totality some of the Sunlight reaches into the Ozone layer which absorbs the reds and allows the blues through to the Lunar surface, just an fyi. Later that day, we have the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, now the good thing about that is after it occurs the days will be getting longer, sweet.


December 13th look to the East for the Geminids Meteor Shower, they have actually started right now but will peak in numbers around 2 am, EST. December 14. If not for my Fisheye lens I would not have been so lucky to capture the low Geminid back in 2008. I was actually out to capture an Ursid Meteor in the Big Dipper near the end of December when by a total fluke caught the latecomer Geminid. Cool thing about low meteors is the dust in the lower atmosphere tends to make them more colorful, like the green above.


On December 18th the Moon and Pleiades will be getting together. If you can score a pair of binocs do so. They are a perfect celestial couple and look awesome through them and since the Moon will be near full it will kind of wash out the Pleiades, the binocs will help make them more visible. I will give reminders here as well and weather permitting take and post the images here.

Geminids, Ursids and Quadrantids Meteor Showers

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!