Tag: astronomy (Page 4 of 4)

Meteor Shower Saturday Morning

If you are in the western U.S. or Canada, you might want to set your alarm clocks so you can catch the Quantrantid meteor shower. The meteor shower is predicted to be at its peak just before dawn, or 6:00 am Mountain time.

Have you ever watched a meteor shower or seen a “shooting star?” Basically the bits of rocks or dust from a comet that create a streak of light as they burn up in the atmosphere. You won’t be able to use binoculars or telescope, because they move too quickly to follow. A few years ago my family stretched out on blankets (and under blankets – it was cold) in the back of my husband’s pick up truck and watched the sky. What a neat experience.

If you want to find out more about the Quantrantid meteor shower, check SpaceWeather.com.

Check Out Planets and Moon Tonight

This evening,( Monday, Dec. 1, 2008), right after sunset, the planets Venus and Jupiter will line up with the crescent moon in what is called a conjunction.

According to the Spaceweather.com website, “the event is visible from all parts of the world, even from light-polluted cities. People in New York and Hong Kong will see it just as clearly as astronomers watching from remote mountaintops. Only cloudy weather or a midnight sun (sorry Antarctica!) can spoil the show.”

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos, webcasts and more information about the conjunction. Also, if you live in more northerly latitudes, check the website for information about expected auroras (northern lights). Beautiful!

Thanks to Karen Gibson at Leaping from the Box Blog/Website for a heads up about this conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and the moon.

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