Moon's darkness tonight, Dec. 13, brings Shower power
Good afternoon to all,
We welcome Jo Cruz as our newest columnist at CCCNews. Jo, a local resident in The Dalles has been studying the night sky since he was 15. He loves the beauty of our area which includes low light pollution and amazing views of our celestial bodies. Cruz will bring updates to CCCNews about the latest events set to occur in our skies. He also holds star parties and is happy to inform us of our ever-expanding universe of knowledge. Thank you Jo and welcome aboard - Tom Peterson
Jo Cruz- CCCNews’ Star Man
Geminid Meteor Shower
With no moon to brighten the night, this year’s Geminid meteor shower should be one of the best. Pick a spot away from city lights, bundle up, and don’t forget a warm drink.
On the night of December 13–14, the annual Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak. The richest shower of the year, the "Gems" bring intensity to the meteor experience with up to 120 meteors visible per hour under optimal conditions. Most of us have to put up with varying amounts of light pollution, so let's be more realistic and call it 50–60 per hour. That's still more than enough for a memorable night. And with the new Moon at play, this will be the best Geminid display until 2023.
It's also the best kids' shower of the year because you can start watching as early as 9 or 10 p.m. instead of the usual "2 a.m. till dawn."
The Gemini constellation rises in the evening around 7 p.m. local standard time and already stands 30° high, or a third of the way up the northeastern sky, by 9 p.m. If you like, you can start even earlier at 7 or 8 p.m. and face northeast to watch for earth grazers, meteoroids that gracefully skim across the upper atmosphere on long shallow trajectories like stones skipping across a pond.
The Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
December 21st, one hour after sunset, Jupiter and Saturn meet in the sky only once every 20 years. The last one was May 2000; the next is in November 2040!!!
These planets will be on the lower eastern horizon so prepare to find an elevated location that allows the view if need be.
Cruz’s current telescope is a 10" Dobsonian/reflecting telescope “The Fat Baby,” which can bring nebula and galaxies into view.
