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December 12, 2005
Bright Planets and Meteors...
You have to forgive me my off topic Space News every once in a while. It's a love of mine, in addition to animals of course! This Post is a triple treat!
BRIGHT PLANETS.... When the sun goes down on Sunday, Dec. 11th, you've got to go outside and look. In the south, Venus is shining at its maximum brightness for all of 2005. (Through a telescope, Venus appears to be a tiny crescent--very pretty.) And in the east, Mars and the Moon are having a close encounter. Don't miss it!
...AND METEORS: The Geminid meteor shower peaks on Dec. 13th and 14th. Unfortunately, the glaring Moon will spoil the show, wiping out all but the brightest Geminids. There is, however, a single hour when the Geminids might be visible in full force. Visit SpaceWeather for details.
ICY BONUS: With a cold wave sweeping across the USA, filling the air with ice and snow, people are seeing some unusual things in the sky. During the week ahead we'll show you some of them, beginning with false auroras and diamond dust sundogs. Check every day for a new picture.
Posted by sue at December 12, 2005 02:11 PM