Geminid meteor shower peaks

We are currently travelling through dust left behind by an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, which we think is an extinct comet. As the Earth travels through space at an astonishing 70,000 mph, these bits of dust hit the atmosphere causing "shooting stars" as the dust burns up.

You can see these shooting stars throughout mid-December, but the main peak is from the 12th to the 14th of December where you could see up to two a minute under ideal conditions.

It is (unfortunately!) best to see shooting stars in the early morning, a few hours before sunrise, since that is when we are stood on the "front" of the Earth as it orbits around the Sun. It's a bit like driving through snow - it looks best looking forward where you see all the snow rushing towards you, and it's not so exciting when you look out of the back window.

Leonids meteor shower

On Tuesday, the Leonid meteor shower peaks, so go outside and enjoy the darkness over the next few days, as the Earth drives through the debris left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle!

The Leonid meteor shower is more unpredictable than most. On some years, intense storms of meteors have been seen. In 1833, it is predicted that over 100,000 meteors were seen per hour! While we don't expect anywhere near that number this year, and we expect the shower to be best seen from Australia, meteor showers are notoriously unpredictable, so they are always worth a look.

More details can be seen on the Wikipedia.

Perseids Meteor Shower: More tonight?

Some amazing photographs are appearing on the internet of last night's Perseid meteor shower, such as this photograph below taken by local astronomer Pete Lawrence in West Sussex.

Perseid Meteor Shower

It is the time of year again when the Earth passes through the debris left behind by Comet Swift Tuttle.

For the last 10 days, the number of meteors (shooting stars) have been greater that usual, and I myself saw a bright meteor through partial cloud a few nights ago. But over the next few nights and mornings (the 11th and 12th), the Earth will be going through the heart of the debris stream. The plot below, from British amateur radio astronomer Dave Swan (see the radio meteor observers website for other contributors), shows the number of meteors, tiny bits of rock less than a millimeter in size, currently burning up over the UK.

As you can see from Dave's data, we see more meteors after midnight than before. But why is this?

Our Earth is orbiting around the Sun at 70,000 mph. In the evening, we are looking backwards, at where the Earth has been. But in the morning, we are looking forward in the direction of Earth's travel around the Sun. If you've ever driven through falling snow in a car, you will realise that it is more exciting looking forwards than looking backwards, and so you see more meteors burning up in the Earth's atmosphere looking into space after midnight than before.

It is also best to go somewhere dark, well away from the light pollution of the cities. The darker your location, the more meteors you will see - and you may see a sight that you will always remember!