Significant Sungrazing Comet + Geminid Meteor Shower
Some really cool space events are happening this week. I try to watch the Geminid meteor shower every year. This year looks like a hoops one. Don't forget to watch Tuesday night.
Space Weather News for Dec. 13, 2011
http://spaceweather.com
GEMINID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is passing through a stream of debris from near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon, source of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Forecasters expect meteor rates to reach 20-to-40 per hour when the shower peaks in bright moonlight on the night of Dec.13/14. The best time to look, no matter where you live, is between 10 pm local time on Tuesday, Dec. 13, and sunrise on Wednesday, Dec. 14th. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and live audio from a meteor radar.
BIG SUNDIVING COMET: A comet nearly as wide as two football fields (200m) is plunging toward the sun where it will most likely be destroyed in a spectacular light show on Dec. 15/16. Solar glare will hide the event from human eyes, but NASA and ESA spacecraft should have a grand view. Check http://spaceweather.com for full coverage.
Enjoy these events.
@dmgerbino