Email this article

Another Chance for Meteor Showers

By Lewis McCool �2009

MOON PHASES

Full: Dec. 2, 12:30 a.m. (Cold Moon)

Last quarter: Dec. 8, 5:13 p.m.

New: Dec. 16, 5:02 a.m.

First quarter: Dec. 24, 10:36 a.m.

Full: Dec. 31, 12:13 p.m. (Long Night Moon)

IN HISTORY

Dec. 4, 1959 – Fifty years ago, a Rhesus monkey named Sam flew 55 miles into space in a Project Mercury test capsule atop the Little Joe 2 rocket launched from Wallops Island, Va. Sam survived the 11 minute flight intact. The capsule can be seen at the Air Power Park and Museum in Hampton, Va.

Dec. 7, 1905 – Birth date of planetary scientist Gerard Kuiper.

Dec. 16, 1917 – Birth date of author and futurist Arthur C. Clarke.

Dec. 20, 1939 – Seventy years ago the Ames Research Center became operational as an aircraft research center. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, it is now a vital research and support facility for NASA.

Dec. 20, 1904 – Mount Wilson Observatory opens.

Dec. 24, 1968 – The three Apollo 8 astronauts adjust the trajectory of their craft to become the first humans to orbit the moon.

Dec. 25, 1642 – Birth date of British mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton

Dec. 31, 1864 – Birth date of American astronomer Robert Aitken. His catalog of double stars, published in 1932, lists more than 17,000 doubles.

If you haven't had (or taken) the opportunity to observe a meteor shower this year, December provides another good shot.

The Geminid shower peaks on the night of Dec. 13/14, and the waning moon, nearly new, won't interfere at all. Viewers at a clear, dark-sky site braving the night's chill could see dozens of "shooting stars" an hour around the peak (about 2 a.m. on the 14th).

The radiant point is near the bright star Castor, one of the Gemini twins. It's practically overhead at peak time, so meteors can be seen shooting in all directions from that part of the sky.

The Ursid shower also occurs in December, peaking on the night of 22/23. The moon won't mess with this show either. The shower typically generates far fewer meteors than the Geminid. A dozen or two per hour is common. The radiant point is in the northern sky in the Little Dipper near the magnitude 2 star Kochab.

Astrotrivia: It was 37 years ago on Dec. 14 when a human last walked on the moon. Veteran astronaut Gene Cernan had the honor. His famous parting words while standing on the lunar surface were, in part, "... we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind." But, moments before liftoff of the lunar lander's ascent stage, he said to his fellow moonwalker, Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, "Jack, let's get this mother out of here," the last words spoken on the moon.

December has two full moons. Faulty folklore decrees that the second full moon in a month is call a "blue moon." Visit skyandtelescope.com and search for "what's a blue moon."

Although it's been around unofficially for quite awhile in these parts, winter begins with the solstice at 10:48 a.m. on the 21st. Stargazing can help ease the angst of cabin fever.

Jupiter (magnitude minus 2.1) has been the highlight of the early evening sky for months, but it's soon to depart. Still in Capricornus, it sets a little after 10 p.m. early in December and two hours earlier by month's end. Look for the waxing crescent moon nearby on the evenings of the 20th and 21st.

On the 19th, distant Neptune will be about half a degree north of Jupiter, making it easier to locate in telescope.

While Jupiter is moving away from Earth, Mars (magnitude minus 0.5) is moving closer and will reach opposition in January. It rises about the time Jupiter sets and brightens gradually throughout the month as it moves in Leo near the boundary with Cancer. By month's end, it will grow large enough to make a nice telescopic object. You might be able to detect some faint surface markings.

Beautiful Saturn (magnitude 1) is in Virgo, rising about 1:30 a.m. early in the month and before midnight by month's end. During the second half of December, it's well positioned for telescopic viewing. The waning crescent moon will be nearby on the morning of the 10th.

Mercury (magnitude minus 0.5) will be relatively easy to spot near the western horizon after sunset during the second half of the month. It reaches greatest eastern elongation on the 18th, setting nearly an hour and a half after the sun. See if you can spot the 2-day-old moon about 7 degrees above (east) of Mercury that evening.

Venus is too close to the sun for viewing this month. It reaches superior conjunction on Jan. 11 and will return to the evening sky in March.

Asteroid Williemccool makes its closest approach to Earth this year on Dec. 26. It will be a little more than 125 million miles away. NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Tracking Program discovered the asteroid July 21, 2001. It was one of seven named for the crew members of the space shuttle Columbia who died during re-entry Feb. 1, 2003.