This week is the peak of the Geminids meteor shower. The Geminids are not leftover comet dust; they are debris from a distant rocky object thought to be an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. This asteroid hardly sheds debris so the amount of “falling stars” cannot be explained readily and is still a bit of a mystery.
As the largest debris stream that Earth passes through on its annual orbit around the sun, it outweighs other streams “by a factor of 5 to 500,” says NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. “This makes the Geminids the 900-pound gorilla of meteor showers. Yet 3200 Phaethon is more of a 98-pound weakling.” The night of the 12th is the expected peak of this annual event, with meteors streaking across the sky seeming to come from the constellation Gemini.
The asteroid itself makes occasional return appearances in the constellation Perseus, adding to the trail of debris that causes those “falling stars” that children like to make wishes upon. Meteors are not stars at all, but debris left behind in space by passing comets and asteroids. Once a meteor enters Earth’s atmosphere it is called a meteoroid. If one reaches Earth, its name changes again and is classified as a meteorite. Talk about precision definitions.
The anniversary of the Apollo 17 Lunar landings is this week so I decided to share a video with you that will give you a great overview of the Apollo 17 mission. Liftoff was the 7th, landing the 11th at the Taurus Littrow site. Yes, we did go to the moon and come back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjWiMYr6XDA If you were watching that old grainy television broadcast you still remember the thrill, anxiety, and splendor of that era. Many of the astronauts who flew the space shuttle and who worked on the International Space Station became entranced with space flight because of those missions.
What’s up this week? Ah. Orion rises majestically out of the eastern horizon as darkness settles in. The western sky harbors the constellation Pisces which is just above Cetus, the Sea Monster. Cetus is trying to have Princess Andromeda for an after-dinner snack. Andromeda is located off the Great Square of Pegasus which is just past the meridian heading west following the delicate little constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin. Delphinus is following Aquila the Eagle into the western horizon.
Within the Milky Way path Cygnus is also diving into the western sea searching for his lost friend, Phaethon who fell out of Apollo’s chariot when the Scorpion clattered its claws at the horses and frightened them. Sounds a bit like a never-ending story, doesn’t it?
Have you been watching the moon traverse across the sky? I know it has been foggy, but it was visible occasionally this past week. Jupiter is still high in the south as full darkness sets in. Planet watching can be entertaining, and Venus will soon show off in our skies. Brightest of the planets from our Earth, it is a splendid ‘evening star” for half the year and ‘morning star’ for a similar period of time.
Until next week, do let some stars get in your eyes.
