Thursday, January 3, 2013
Check out when's the best time to watch it and where to look. Hint - it's early morning Jan. 4, when the moon sets. That is for the astronomy enthusiasts willing to go the extra-mile and stay up late for a spectacular - and natural - fireworks show.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show will begin overnight Jan. 1 into Jan. 2. Where do you plan to try watching the Quadrantids meteor shower in White Lake, Highland and the surrounding area? Tell us in the comments section below. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in the wee morning hours of Jan. 4: "[T]he Quadrantids …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, is on its way over White Lake and Highland.
The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, and you may be able to see a great show on either side of those dates. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this show. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sightings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at this video of the Geminid meteor shower. You can also look at some spectacular photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids …
Friday, October 19, 2012
Shooting stars will be flying early in the morning in White Lake and Highland. The Orionids meteor shower promises to be a show worth watching.
The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on quite a show in the skies of White Lake and Highland. Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Oct. 15, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower—though you probably won't see much until a bit later. In White Lake and Highland, you can watch the show from either your backyards or one of the local parks. The shower should be at its peak the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at approximately midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour. What makes this shower so cool? First of all, c'mon—…
Brooke Tajer
1:46 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Let me know if you get any cool photos, I'd love to have them on the site :) more ›