Topic: Constellation Gemini

NASA says the Geminids are the Best Meteor Shower of the Year

December 12, 2020 |

Huntsville, AL – NASA says the Geminids are widely recognized as the best annual meteor shower a stargazer can see, occurring between December 4th to December 17th, 2020 with the best nights for viewing on December 13th and 14th.

The parent of the Geminids is 3200 Phaethon, which is arguably considered to be either an asteroid or an extinct comet. When the Earth passes through trails of dust, or meteoroids, left by 3200 Phaethon, that dust burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating the Geminid meteor shower.

An info graphic based on 2019’s meteor camera data for the Geminids. (NASA)

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NASA reports Geminid Meteor Shower to peak December 13th and 14th

December 11, 2017 |

Written by Molly Porter
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Huntsville, AL – Maybe you’ve already seen a bright meteor streak across the December sky? The annual Geminid meteor shower has arrived. It’s a good time to bundle up, go outside and let the universe blow your mind!

“With August’s Perseids obscured by bright moonlight, the Geminids will be the best shower this year,” said Bill Cooke with NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “The thin, waning crescent Moon won’t spoil the show.”

A Geminid meteor. (Image credit: Jimmy Westlake)

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NASA says Wednesday best night to view Orionid Meteor Shower

October 20, 2015 |

NASA Headquarters

?Washington, D.C. – If you’re patient and you don’t mind sacrificing a few hours of sleep, you may be treated to some celestial fireworks this week.

Orionid meteors appear every year around this time, when Earth travels through an area of space littered with debris from Halley’s Comet. This year the peak will occur on the night of Wednesday, October 21st into the morning of Thursday, October 22nd.

An Orionid meteor recorded by the NASA All Sky Fireball Network station on top of Mt. Lemmon, Arizona on Oct. 13, 2015 at 4:31am EDT. (NASA)

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NASA announces 2014 Orionid Meteor Shower to begin Tuesday morning, October 21st

October 19, 2014 |

Written by Tony Phillips
Science at NASA

Washington, D.C. – Waking up before sunrise is a good way to get a head start on the day. On October 21st, waking up before sunrise could stop you in your tracks.

Blame Halley’s Comet. Every year in mid-to-late October, Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from Comet Halley, and the pre-dawn sky can light up with a pretty display of shooting stars.

“We expect to see about 20 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on Tuesday morning, October 21st,” says Bill Cooke, the head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “With no Moon to spoil the show, observing conditions should be ideal.”

Orionid meteors fly out of a radiant near the shoulder of Orion, the Hunter. In this sky map, the radiant is denoted by a red dot. Although the meteors emerge from a single point, they can appear anywhere in the sky. (Dr. Tony Phillips)

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NASA says NESSI instrument will help Astronomers analyse Atmospheres, Compositions of Exoplanets

April 20, 2014 |

Written by Whitney Clavin
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Pasadena, CA – The New Mexico Exoplanet Spectroscopic Survey Instrument (NESSI) will soon get its first “taste” of exoplanets, helping astronomers decipher their chemical composition. Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars beyond our sun.

NESSI got its first peek at the sky on April 3rd, 2014. It looked at Pollux, a star in the Gemini constellation, and Arcturus, in the Boötes constellation, confirming that all modes of the instrument are working.

The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology’s 2.4-meter (7.9-foot) Magdalena Ridge Observatory in Socorro County, NM. (New Mexico Tech)

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NASA says look to the skies Saturday night for the Geminid Meteor Shower

December 14, 2013 |

Written by Tony Phillips
Science at NASA

Washington, D.C. – As arctic air and record cold sweeps across the USA, amateur astronomers are looking at their calendars with a degree of trepidation. A date is circled: December 14th. And below it says: “Wake up at 4:00am for the Geminid meteor shower.”

“It’s going to be cold,” says Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “But that is the best time to see the 2013 Geminid meteor shower.”

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How to See the Best Meteor Showers of the Year: Tools, Tips and ‘Save the Dates’

January 4, 2012 |

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Pasadena, CA – Whether you’re watching from a downtown area or the dark countryside, here are some tips to help you enjoy these celestial shows of shooting stars. Those streaks of light are really caused by tiny specks of comet-stuff hitting Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed and disintegrating in flashes of light.

First a word about the moon – it is not the meteor watcher’s friend. Light reflecting off a bright moon can be just as detrimental to good meteor viewing as those bright lights of the big city. There is nothing you can do except howl at the moon, so you’ll have to put up with it or wait until the next favorable shower.

A Geminid meteor. (Image credit: Jimmy Westlake)

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