iradiophilly | News - Geminid Meteor Shower peaking in Philadelphia Skies Tonight and Tomorrow; Live Video Dec 13th

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Geminid Meteor Shower peaking in Philadelphia Skies Tonight and Tomorrow; Live Video Dec 13th

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 12/12/13 10:18 pm | updated: 12/12/13 10:19 pm

The Philadelphia skies are poised for yet another one of nature's light shows tonight. The annual Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak in the early morning hours of December 13th and 14th. The forecast for the entire Philadelphia region is for very clear skies making for great viewing, although it's a very chilly 22 degrees. So get your blankets and hot drinks ready. The moon is in a bright waxing gibbous phase and could hamper viewing, though it's forecast to set at 3:30 a.m leaving a few dark hours before sunrise.

The best place to view the meteor show around Philadelphia would be any place away from the Center City lights and out in an open field to see the entire sky, but especially towards the east. see sky map below

UPDATE: The forecast for Friday night will be increasingly cloudy as the snow storm approaches. You may try and watch the LIVE video below instead.

The Geminids are an annual meteor shower that occur as the Earth passes through the debris of asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Most of the other annual meteor showers are created as we pass through the icy debris tails of comets. Phaethon is a so called "rock comet" that leaves a dusty trail as it gets heated on its trip around the sun.

The Geminids are so named because the appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini but you can see them fly anywhere in the sky. Look to the east northeast at Midnight to find Gemini next to Orion. This year Jupiter will be bright in the sky in front of Gemini making it easy to find. (see sky map below)

Viewers can expect to see up to 160 meteors per hour at the peak between 2 and 3 a.m., but head out anytime between midnight and sunrise to try and catch a view of a 'shooting star.'

As you watch, you may want to listen to one of iradiophilly's 21 stations such as:

Symphony for Classical and Contemporary Favorites!

or Mistletoe for Continuous Christmas Favorites!

In case you don't want to venture outside, you can watch the NASA LIVE Feed. Join the chat room at 11 pm Friday at http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/geminids_2013.html

LIVE Friday, December 13th 5:30 pm

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by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA | responded: 12/12 10:19 pm

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