Meteor shower due Dec 13/14

[Snatcher]

May well be worth a look out if its not cloudy See here

 

John

[Steve Walker]

We saw a spectacular one tonight, quite low and breaking into pieces.

[chevin]

We have such clear skies here and very little light pollution but unfortunately the southern hemisphere does not get the best of those showers. We miss out on the normal night skies too. Only 20% of the stars visible from earth are visible in the southern hemisphere. So while you guys can't see them because of industrial pollution and light pollution we can't see them because they aren't there. I remember being totally awestruck during my first fishing holiday in Ireland (1961) when I saw the stars that were visible there. The milky way was so brilliant I could see the white line on the road by the light from it.

[Steve Burke]

We have such clear skies here and very little light pollution but unfortunately the southern hemisphere does not get the best of those showers. We miss out on the normal night skies too. Only 20% of the stars visible from earth are visible in the southern hemisphere. So while you guys can't see them because of industrial pollution and light pollution we can't see them because they aren't there. I remember being totally awestruck during my first fishing holiday in Ireland (1961) when I saw the stars that were visible there. The milky way was so brilliant I could see the white line on the road by the light from it.

 

I know what you mean, Ian. However, whilst it may be true that the southern skies contain less naked eye stars it's more than 20% of the total visible from earth. In particular it depends on latitude. The closer you are to the equator the more stars you'll see over the course of the year. Indeed at the equator you can see them all. So you'll probably see more from Oz than we see in The UK.

 

In the high latitude of the UK amateur astronomers like me often moan about not being able to see the fantastic star clouds of the centre of the galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius, where the Milky Way is most brilliant. They only briefly peep above the horizon in summer and often get wiped out by haze or pollution. As Sagittarius is in the southern sky you get an excellent view.

 

Like you I was awestruck when I first saw the Milky Way from a clear site. For a lad brought up in London it was one of my most memorable moments. Indeed, it very nearly led to a career in astronomy.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Steve Burke

[Leon Roskilly]

Laying on a beach in N.Queensland I was often awestruck gazing up into the clear, warm, dry night air at the myriads of stars, and the passage of satellites around the equator.

 

Due to the state of the atmosphere here, moisture and air pollution, and the amount of light pollution, it's usually only on particularly frosty nights that stars can be seen, and then nothing like those balmy tropical nights in Cairns.

[Bobj]

We have such clear skies here and very little light pollution but unfortunately the southern hemisphere does not get the best of those showers. We miss out on the normal night skies too. Only 20% of the stars visible from earth are visible in the southern hemisphere. So while you guys can't see them because of industrial pollution and light pollution we can't see them because they aren't there. I remember being totally awestruck during my first fishing holiday in Ireland (1961) when I saw the stars that were visible there. The milky way was so brilliant I could see the white line on the road by the light from it.

 

 

Not so Ian, according to Wikipedia:

 

"Also the Moon appears "upside down" compared to a view from the southern hemisphere and the view of the stars is much different. The North Pole faces away from the galactic centre of the Milky Way; this results in there being far fewer and less bright visible stars in the northern hemisphere compared to the southern hemisphere, making the northern hemisphere more suitable for deep-space observation, as it is not 'blinded' by the Milky Way."

 

Anyway, Australia will be good to view the Geminids.

 

"December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower this year should occur on the night of December 13 and morning of the 14th, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. Some estimates say there could be as many as 120 meteors an hour visible from dark-sky locations. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. The Moon will set early in the evening setting the sky up for a spectacular show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight."

[corydoras]

Not so Ian, according to Wikipedia:

 

"Also the Moon appears "upside down" compared to a view from the southern hemisphere and the view of the stars is much different. The North Pole faces away from the galactic centre of the Milky Way; this results in there being far fewer and less bright visible stars in the northern hemisphere compared to the southern hemisphere, making the northern hemisphere more suitable for deep-space observation, as it is not 'blinded' by the Milky Way."

Indeed. It's no coincidence that some of the biggest terrestrial telescopes are situated fairly close to the equator or in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Alan Stubbs]

I know what you mean, Ian. However, whilst it may be true that the southern skies contain less naked eye stars it's more than 20% of the total visible from earth. In particular it depends on latitude. The closer you are to the equator the more stars you'll see over the course of the year. Indeed at the equator you can see them all. So you'll probably see more from Oz than we see in The UK.

 

In the high latitude of the UK amateur astronomers like me often moan about not being able to see the fantastic star clouds of the centre of the galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius, where the Milky Way is most brilliant. They only briefly peep above the horizon in summer and often get wiped out by haze or pollution. As Sagittarius is in the southern sky you get an excellent view.

 

Like you I was awestruck when I first saw the Milky Way from a clear site. For a lad brought up in London it was one of my most memorable moments. Indeed, it very nearly led to a career in astronomy.

 

 

Bernadette and I are members of the Liverpool Astronomical Society, and regularly help out at 'Star-Gazing evenings'. On a clear night, Wingham is blessed with the least amount of light pollution in the South East and is, from my experiences there 3 years ago, very good for observing even with a pair of binoculars.

We'll happily bring down a telescope to the fish-in next May, by then I should have my new telescope which will be able to track individual objects and transfer the image to my laptop.

[corydoras]

Bernadette and I are members of the Liverpool Astronomical Society, and regularly help out at 'Star-Gazing evenings'. On a clear night, Wingham is blessed with the least amount of light pollution in the South East and is, from my experiences there 3 years ago, very good for observing even with a pair of binoculars.

We'll happily bring down a telescope to the fish-in next May, by then I should have my new telescope which will be able to track individual objects and transfer the image to my laptop.

Hi Alan, I didn't realise that you were one of the light bucket brigade

[chevin]

I know what you mean, Ian. However, whilst it may be true that the southern skies contain less naked eye stars it's more than 20% of the total visible from earth. In particular it depends on latitude. The closer you are to the equator the more stars you'll see over the course of the year. Indeed at the equator you can see them all. So you'll probably see more from Oz than we see in The UK.

 

In the high latitude of the UK amateur astronomers like me often moan about not being able to see the fantastic star clouds of the centre of the galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius, where the Milky Way is most brilliant. They only briefly peep above the horizon in summer and often get wiped out by haze or pollution. As Sagittarius is in the southern sky you get an excellent view.

 

Like you I was awestruck when I first saw the Milky Way from a clear site. For a lad brought up in London it was one of my most memorable moments. Indeed, it very nearly led to a career in astronomy.

 

OK, I will go along with the naked eye bit, but being a bit of a naked eye astronomer I do know that I have been able to see more stars from the west of Ireland than I can see from here. One thing that is impressive here though is the clarity of the skies and on some nights, especially up in the tropics, the stars and planets do seem to be dripping from the sky - especially the planets. Something else we see here, that I have never seen in the UK is the moon lit up by earth shine. It happens during the no moon period and the light reflected from the Pacific Ocean makes the disc clearly visible. It actually looks like a very dim full moon.