Meteor Showers - an initiative of SPACE

2011-11-23T07:25:00.000+05:30

Fireballs in the Sky -

Geminids Meteor Shower on Dec 14th, 2011

Star gazers can soon witness another sky theatre spectacle in the mesmerizing night skies - the Geminids Meteor Shower, peaking on 13th/14th Dec. This is one of the best meteor showers of the year and never disappoints observers. Unfortunately the peak of the shower this year falls 3 days after the Full Moon and that will hamper the observations. Geminids peak on 14th December 2011 at 16:35 UT or 10:05 IST

The source of the Geminids shower is asteroid 3200 Phaethon. There's a cloud of dust trailing the asteroid and the Earth plows through it every year in mid-December. Bits of dust traveling at 80,000 mph hit our atmosphere and turn into glowing meteors.The Geminids got its name because its radiant position, from which it appears to originate, lies in the constellation Gemini.

Observe and Photograph the Geminids:
SPACE has the following handouts and suggestions to ensure that each one of you can go out and observe this wonderful spectacle (Though Moon will be a deterrent) .

SPACE suggests that students, amateur astronomers and the public go out on Dec 14th morning to a dark site away from lights and observe this nightsky spectacle. Details about timing and observing suggestions can be found listed below.

Meteor Showers provide a wonderful photographic opportunity. Another post in this blog provides details on techniques and suggestions by SPACE to employ for meteor photography.

Record and Report:
We would like all observers to become Citizen Scientists and record their results and report it to IMO (International Meteor Organization). Details can be found in the attachment, as well as on the IMO website, listed below. Each citizen scientist who reports their observations will have the privilege to have their names and results listed on the IMO website.

SPACE has been observing Geminids for past few years and reported successfully to IMO. This can be found on the blog listed below.

Geminids Details:
Maxima - 14th December 2011 at 16:35 UT or 10:05 IST
ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) - around 120.
The best time to watch the activity near the peak in India is on 13th December night/early morning on 14th.

Relevant Websites:
SPACE astrophotography of Geminids:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109156850798846600382/GEMINIDS2010

https://picasaweb.google.com/109156850798846600382/Geminids2009

IMO website reporting location:
http://www.imo.net/visual/major/observation

Enjoy the last meteor shower of the Year.

2011-11-22T07:46:00.000+05:30

Shoot the Geminids

Photographing meteors such as the Geminids is possible using a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. The camera must have a "T" (time) or "B" (bulb) setting for taking time exposures. You will also need a cable release, a tripod or a very stable surface to place the camera on, for best results. The camera will need a lens that is between "fisheye" and 50mm. Lenses larger than 50mm may capture too small a field of view. This article is written for the film camera but can be used as it is for digital SLRs.

Here is what you will need to do.

Set up your photography equipment in an area that is shaded from any stray lights that may interfere. This is absolutely necessary!

Set the camera on a tripod or some other surface that is very stable. Make sure the focal ratio is set to the lowest possible setting. This means that the aperture of the camera is "wide open". Make sure the camera is set to "B" or "T" for time exposure. Set the focus to infinity.

Aim the camera at the area of the sky that you intend to photograph. Once positioned properly, make sure the tripod is locked down to prevent its "head" from moving under the weight of the camera. If you do not have a tripod, use things to prop the camera up in a way so that it is stable and so that you can still look thru the view finder.

Depress the cable release button and lock it in place. Allow the camera to take a picture for anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, maybe more. Once the desired time has elapsed, release the cable release lock which will end the exposure. While taking the picture, do not move the camera at all.

The length of time that you should expose the film can be a tricky thing. Light pollution will shorten the amount of time that an exposure can be made before the file reaches it's "Sky Fog Limit" or is effectively overexposed. Experimenting with the length of time an exposure is well worth the effort!

The speed and grain size of the film is an important consideration. Generally speaking, ASA 400 film is "fast" enough for these purposes. Fine grained film such as ASA 100 will give you sharper images than ASA 400 but the pictures would be much darker. With low light levels, "fast" film is highly desired. ASA 800 will expose quicker than ASA 400 but will be grainier. Kodak Gold and Fuji Film's of ASA 400 or ASA 800 should suffice.

The "F" stop or "focal ratio" setting is very important. As mentioned above, you want the camera to be "wide open" or set to lowest focal ratio setting. The reason is that the film will be able to gather more light if the aperture is wider. Your pictures will capture more fainter meteors at a lower focal ratio than at a higher focal ratio. If your camera produces fuzzy results and it is indeed correctly focused, close the aperture down one stop.

Go out on a clear night and test your setup! On a clear night prior to the Geminid meteor shower, set your camera up and take a few pictures. This will help you determine what works best for your camera and how the film reacts to the night sky in your area. Try a few exposures of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes and 4 minutes using the lowest focal ratio, and record the frame number and exposure time on a scratch pad. Repeat the process with the focal ratio backed off one stop. When you get the film developed, you'll be able to compare the results with your notes and determine what works best for your camera and sky conditions. What you will see are called "star trails". Every star in the photo will appear to be "trailed" for all photos over 20-30 seconds in duration. This is OK though as many meteor photographers do use this method. You would need an "equatorial" mount with a tracking motor to eliminate this effect. Knowing how your camera records light before the main event is essential!

Warn the film developer that your pictures may be very dim! When getting your photographs developed, it is a good idea to make sure they know your photographs are dim and to the untrained eye, may appear to be of nothing at all. If the developer uses normal processing, you should at least get some kind of results. The important thing is that they print them! It is a better idea to have them developed locally, where you can discuss what's on the film prior to processing it.

Some Geminids are exceedingly bright and may possibly overexpose or ruin a time exposure. If a very bright fireball crosses the camera's field of view, end the exposure shortly thereafter. Know where your camera is pointing! Sometimes, a bright meteor will leave a "train" or trail. These make very interesting photographs as the trails become twisted and contorted by winds high in the upper atmosphere.

Framing your picture with natural landscapes will help to make it more interesting and will provide the viewer with a better perspective of the event. Trees, cactus, rock formations and distant mountains are all good objects to try this on. A wide field photograph of meteors while looking across a very still lake or pond may make for astounding poster quality shots, especially if the water surface is very still and reflects the meteor well. If you have a lake or pond nearby, give this a try. It may actually be possible if the meteor counts are high and if they are bright. Although the moon will significantly interfere with meteor observing and photography this year, it may provide a bit of foreground illumination to the setting.

Enjoy the show and Good Luck!

2011-11-14T13:17:00.001+05:30

How to shoot the Leonids Meteor Shower

18th Nov, 2011

Photographing meteors such as the Leonids is possible using a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. The camera must have a "T" (time) or "B" (bulb) setting for taking time exposures. You will also need a cable release, a tripod or a very stable surface to place the camera on, for best results. The camera will need a lens that is between "fisheye" and 50mm. Lenses larger than 50mm may capture too small a field of view. This article is written for the film camera but can be used as it is for digital SLRs.

Here is what you will need to do.

Set up your photography equipment in an area that is shaded from any stray lights that may interfere. This is absolutely necessary!

Set the camera on a tripod or some other surface that is very stable. Make sure the focal ratio is set to the lowest possible setting. This means that the aperture of the camera is "wide open". Make sure the camera is set to "B" or "T" for time exposure. Set the focus to infinity.

Aim the camera at the area of the sky that you intend to photograph. Once positioned properly, make sure the tripod is locked down to prevent its "head" from moving under the weight of the camera. If you do not have a tripod, use things to prop the camera up in a way so that it is stable and so that you can still look thru the view finder.

Depress the cable release button and lock it in place. Allow the camera to take a picture for anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, maybe more. Once the desired time has elapsed, release the cable release lock which will end the exposure. While taking the picture, do not move the camera at all.

The length of time that you should expose the film can be a tricky thing. Light pollution will shorten the amount of time that an exposure can be made before the file reaches it's "Sky Fog Limit" or is effectively overexposed. Experimenting with the length of time an exposure is well worth the effort!

The speed and grain size of the film is an important consideration. Generally speaking, ASA 400 film is "fast" enough for these purposes. Fine grained film such as ASA 100 will give you sharper images than ASA 400 but the pictures would be much darker. With low light levels, "fast" film is highly desired. ASA 800 will expose quicker than ASA 400 but will be grainier. Kodak Gold and Fuji Film's of ASA 400 or ASA 800 should suffice.

The "F" stop or "focal ratio" setting is very important. As mentioned above, you want the camera to be "wide open" or set to lowest focal ratio setting. The reason is that the film will be able to gather more light if the aperture is wider. Your pictures will capture more fainter meteors at a lower focal ratio than at a higher focal ratio. If your camera produces fuzzy results and it is indeed correctly focused, close the aperture down one stop.

Go out on a clear night and test your setup! On a clear night prior to the Geminid meteor shower, set your camera up and take a few pictures. This will help you determine what works best for your camera and how the film reacts to the night sky in your area. Try a few exposures of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes and 4 minutes using the lowest focal ratio, and record the frame number and exposure time on a scratch pad. Repeat the process with the focal ratio backed off one stop. When you get the film developed, you'll be able to compare the results with your notes and determine what works best for your camera and sky conditions. What you will see are called "star trails". Every star in the photo will appear to be "trailed" for all photos over 20-30 seconds in duration. This is OK though as many meteor photographers do use this method. You would need an "equatorial" mount with a tracking motor to eliminate this effect. Knowing how your camera records light before the main event is essential!

Warn the film developer that your pictures may be very dim! When getting your photographs developed, it is a good idea to make sure they know your photographs are dim and to the untrained eye, may appear to be of nothing at all. If the developer uses normal processing, you should at least get some kind of results. The important thing is that they print them! It is a better idea to have them developed locally, where you can discuss what's on the film prior to processing it.

Some Leonids are exceedingly bright and may possibly overexpose or ruin a time exposure. If a very bright fireball crosses the camera's field of view, end the exposure shortly thereafter. Know where your camera is pointing! Sometimes, a bright meteor will leave a "train" or trail. These make very interesting photographs as the trails become twisted and contorted by winds high in the upper atmosphere.

Framing your picture with natural landscapes will help to make it more interesting and will provide the viewer with a better perspective of the event. Trees, cactus, rock formations and distant mountains are all good objects to try this on. A wide field photograph of meteors while looking across a very still lake or pond may make for astounding poster quality shots, especially if the water surface is very still and reflects the meteor well. If you have a lake or pond nearby, give this a try. It may actually be possible if the meteor counts are high and if they are bright. Although the moon will significantly interfere with meteor observing and photography this year, it may provide a bit of foreground illumination to the setting.

Enjoy the show and Good Luck!

Fire from the skies - Leonids Meteor Shower

2011-11-14T13:02:00.001+05:30

Fire from the skies

Leonids Meteor Shower

18th Nov, 2011

Come November and all amateur astronomers around the world startlooking up to the skies for an event which we call the “leonids meteor shower”.One can see trains of shooting stars coming from a particular area in the skyat an amazing rate. Only Geminids shower can rival this event. You all musthave seen a shooting star whizzing past in the skies. This phenomenon can beseen almost any day of the year but a shower of shooting star is something thathappens only few times. Leonids is one of these and the most prominent one.

Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the cometTempel-Tuttle. The meteor shower is visible every year around November 17 whenthe Earth moves through the Leonid meteor stream. The stream comprises solidparticles, known as meteoroids, ejected by the comet as it passes by the Sun.It’s like truck carrying garbage littering the road with it while it moves. Atypical particle is no bigger than fine dust, and rapidly vaporizes emitting astreak of light as it hits Earth's atmosphere at tremendous speed (71km/s). As the entire meteor streaks areparallel, because of effect of perspective they appear to originate from asingle point in the sky (just like railway tracks appear to meet at somedistance) and as a result Leonids get their name from the location of theirradiant in the constellation Leo. The Leonids are famous because their meteor showers,or storms, can be among the most spectacular. In most years the rate at whichmeteors are likely to be seen is not great; however, years of highly elevatedrates tend to follow a 33 year cycle, associated with the 33 year orbit ofComet Tempel-Tuttle. Storms in peak years featured thousands of meteors perhour; notable events were observed in 1698, 1799, 1832, 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999,2001 and 2002. During a strong storm in dark viewing conditions the sky canappear to be "raining stars".

More information about the Leonids:

Just before they enter the Earth's atmosphere, Leonid meteoroidstravel at 71 kilometers per second, or 213 times as fast as speed of sound.

Source of light - When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere, theycollide with air molecules. Those collisions sputter away the outer layers ofthe particle, creating a vapor of sodium, iron and magnesium atoms. Electronsare knocked into larger orbits from the nucleus of the atoms. When theelectrons fall back to their rest positions, light is emitted. This is the sameprocess as in gas discharge lamps.

Sounds - Meteors do not normally cause audible sounds. Hence, theywill pass by unnoticed if not seen. A sonic boom is sometimes heard for verybright Leonid meteors, called fireballs

Leonid meteor shower date and timings:

It can be seen from Nov 14 till Nov 21. The peak usually occurs around17 November This time its spread over 2 days. This year Moon will mar theobservations but still its worth observing. Details are given below:

In 2011 usual Leonid return is expected with overallmaximum ZHR up to 15. However, there is a possibility of three local peaks, twoof which will be caused by interaction with trails and the third is thebackground one.

19:58 UT on 16 November (01:28 IST 17th November)

The first local peak will be caused by 1800 trail. Itsown ZHR is 4-5, and adding to the background activity this should give ZHR ~10around 19:58 UT on 16 November (01:28 IST 17th November).

The encountering parts of 1800 trail have low meteorbrightness around this submaximum time and possibility of higher activity on radio.Then some decrease in activity is expected with local minimum of ZHR=7 around3:24 UT on 17 November.

3:34 UT on 18 November 2011 (09:04 IST on 18th November)

The next maximum will be the background one. By IMO'sdata, it occurs at 3:34 UT on 18 November 2011 (09:04 IST on 18th November). Weexpect that its intensity will be not high, with ZHR of ~10.Then some minordecrease in activity to ZHR=9 is possible around 17:56 UT 18 November (23:26IST November 18th). Though such weak variations in activity could hardly bedetected by visual observations, so between second and third peaks activitywill likely sustain at ZHR=9-10.

23:25 UT on 18 November (04:55 IST 19th November)

Finally, the third and most intensive amongnon-prominent Leonids 2011 peaks will be an enhancement from 1567 trail. It isexpected to occur around 23:25 UT on 18 November (04:55 IST 19th November), andZHR for a short period should reach 15. This peak will be notably sharper thatprevious two, significant changes in meteor brightness are not expected.

2011-11-13T13:44:00.000+05:30

Observing Meteors Visually

Taken from BAA blog

Naked eye observation of meteors is one of the easiest and most pleasant forms of work open to the amateur astronomer. Even a beginner can make useful observations, and it is a good way to learn the constellations. Meteor work is excellent for clubs and societies with little or no equipment; essentially only the human eye is needed.

A meteor during the peak of the 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower. The photograph shows the meteor, afterglow, and wake as distinct components

The notes below assume that a single observer is on watch, though most of what is said is relevant to group observation. Organisation of a meteor watch by a group of observers is more complex, though potentially productive of much more useful data (see Group Gbserving below)

The first requirement for the observer is to find a good dark site. Rural residents are favoured here. Urban lights, smog and haze have a major, adverse, impact on meteor rates. Hence, even if you have to drive some miles to get to a good site, it will be well worth the trouble to have darker skies.

What equipment should I use?

1. Norton’s 2000.0 Star Atlas or similar star maps.

2. Report sheets (will be made available to you during the meteor observation).

3. Timepiece – accurate to better than 30 seconds.

4. Dim red torch – to enable you to note down data, but retain the dark adaptation of your eyes.

5. Several pens or pencils. These have a habit of breaking or getting mislaid in the dark, so have plenty of back-ups!

6. Clothing. Bring plenty of this; even on a summer night it can get chilly, and it is better to have too much clothing than too little. One advantage of a house back-garden site is that one can retreat indoors to warm up if necessary. A hat reduces loss of body heat from the head.

7. Food and drink. Refreshments should be available to be taken during breaks. Alcoholic beverages should, of course, be avoided!

Observer requirements

are rather more stringent

1. Patience. This is the prime requirement. The observer may face long intervals between meteors, or waiting for clouds to pass. Eagerly-awaited shower maxima often appear to turn out cloudy, and observations may have to wait for another year. Remember, however, that observations are required on all possible nights during a shower – so don’t just restrict watches to maximum night. One advantage of group watches is that the company helps to pass cloudy intervals.

2. Alertness. You must always be alert, otherwise the fainter meteors, which generally make the bulk of the bag, will be missed. If you are tired, or cold, or find your attention wandering, you should stop observing, at least for a while, since your results will not be reliable.

3. Honesty. All observers have different eyesight, and perception for meteors. An observer must not be disappointed to see fewer meteors than a colleague. Meteor work is not a competition, and conscious or unconscious ‘doctoring’ of observations is worse than useless, and indeed misleading.

Observing

Having covered the instrumental and personal requirements, we can get down to what is required from the observations. Before going outside to observe, find the radiant co-ordinates for the shower(s) active on the night in question, in this case it would be in perseus.

It is important to note that the radiant position the night of peak activity only. In accordance with theory, radiants generally move among the stars at a rate of about 1 degree per day. So, for a night other than maximum, the radiant will have RA and Dec different from the values mentioned.

Plot this position in Norton’s, and draw a circle of 8 degrees diameter centred on this position. The enclosed area is taken as the radiant for the night in question. Examine this area carefully indoors, until you are confident that you will recognise the area in the sky when you actually begin to observe.

Once outdoors, use the time that you spend getting dark adapted to record your name, address, and observing site (including latitude and longitude), and date on the report sheet. Note the sky conditions, mentioning whether any cloud, moonlight, fog or mist is present. Once you are fully dark-adapted, estimate the magnitude, to the nearest 0.25 mag, of the faintest star you can see in the area of sky being watched (not the zenith). Some observers prefer to estimate this limiting magnitude using the North Polar Sequence.

Now you are ready to begin the watch. Write down the start time of the watch in UT to the nearest minute. All times used in this type of work are required in Universal Time, which is 5.5 hours + IST.

Of course, because astronomers work exclusively at night, the date changes at midnight, halfway through the observing period. To prevent confusion and ambiguity as to exactly which night the observations are carried out, one must record the Double-Date on the report form – for example, 30-31 October.

Some observers, once they get past midnight, use the 24-hour clock beyond the figure 24 so that, for example, 2 am becomes 2600 UT. This is quite acceptable. So long as your record of date and time is unambiguous, do what you find most convenient.

As the name implies, a meteor watch involves concentrating on the sky and noting details of any meteors seen. Solo observers should watch the sky 50 degrees above the horizon, and 30-40 degrees to one side of the shower radiant expected to be active on the night in question; most meteors should be seen here.

As each meteor appears, not whether it was a shower member or a random sporadic, estimate how bright it was, and give its time of appearance to the nearest minute in UT.

To ascertain whether a meteor belonged to a given shower, or was a sporadic, mentally project its path in the sky backwards. If the projected path intersects the 8-degree radiant circle, the meteor is a shower member. Otherwise it is a sporadic. Those with paths tangential to the radiant should be considered as possible shower members. If a stick, or piece of string is held up against the meteor path when the event is seen, this will give you time to collect your thoughts after the meteor has vanished. Estimation of the magnitudes of shower and sporadic meteors may be omitted by those observers wishing only to carry out counts. The others should estimate meteor magnitudes by comparison with nearby stars. It will be adequate to estimate to the nearest whole magnitude. Do not forget that there is a mag. 0 between -1 and +1. Estimation of meteor magnitude is largely subjective, since the meteor is rarely present long enough to enable very accurate visual photometry; it is a remembered impression that is compared with the stars. For bright meteors, errors in magnitude estimation are much larger, due to the lack of suitable comparison standards. Useful tips for bright meteor estimation: Full Moon is mag. -12.5; Venus is -4.4 at its brightest; Jupiter about -2.2. Large scatter in the magnitude estimates of fireballs can hardly be avoided. The list here offers some further suitable comparisons for fainter meteors:

Magnitude Object(s)

-4 Venus

-2 Jupiter

-1 Sirius

0 Capella, Rigel, Arcturus

+1 Regulus, Spica, Pollux

+2 Belt stars of Orion, Beta Aurigae, Gamma Geminorum,
Pointers of Plough, Polaris, Denebola, Alphard

+3 Delta Ursae Majoris, Gamma and Delta Leonis, Epsilon Geminorum

+4 Eta Persei, Delta Aurigae, Rho Leonis

+5 Faintest meteors generally visible to naked eye

Note the time of appearance of the meteor, having made due allowance for the time spent thinking about magnitude and type, and writing these down, perhaps 15-30 seconds.

Then, and only then, you may make any notes about the meteor itself. For example, did it explode? Did it have an intense colour? Did it have a long-duration persistent train?

As this is the first time we have mentioned meteor trains, a few words about them would not go amiss. Many observers, especially beginners, are confused by the difference between meteor trails and persistent trains. A night-time meteor train appears as a faint nebulous streak of light left behind, along the track of a meteor, but AFTER the meteor itself has extinguished. Do not mistake it for the actual moving streak of a fast meteor – this is the trail. Momentary meteor trains are generally likened in appearance to the vapour wake of a jet aircraft, and are only left by about a quarter of all meteors. Meteor trains lasting more than a few seconds are quite rare. Statistically, one must observe about 600 meteors to observe a train of 10 seconds’ duration or more!

Each meteor seen during the watch should be treated similarly; practice makes perfect, and you should soon be able to get down the data quickly and efficiently. Abbreviations such as “S” for sporadic, or “P” for Perseid, and writing the minutes instead of minutes and hour, will help you to cope with the sudden rushes of meteors that sometimes occur. As long as you get all the data down, and you can understand your symbols at a later date, you can use any symbols you like. Many experienced observers, to reduce “dead time” spent looking away from the sky, note meteor details in such a shorthand, for later, neat transcription to the Section’s report forms.

At the end of the watch, note the time to the nearest minute. Then you can stop, or have a break and start another watch later. Ideally, watches should last for an hour, or multiples of an hour, at a time. Monitor the sky conditions during each watch, as these may change.

Draconids Meteor Shower on 8 October 2011

2011-09-30T08:52:00.000+05:30

Draconids Meteor Shower on 8 October 2011

What will happen?

Several studies predict that on 8 October 2011, Earth will encounter several trails of dust produced by comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner in the late 19th and early 20th century. This is expected to cause a moderate enhancement in the meteor activity. The precise number of meteors is highly uncertain, but estimates suggest a peak level of up to 1 to 10 shooting stars per minute. Unfortunately, only 5 to 20% of these meteors will be visible because of the disturbing light from a nearly full moon, so observers are likely to see only 1 meteor per minute or less. However, the event is of great interest to scientists because it will help them understand how meteor showers form and evolve.

When will this be visible?

The meteor activity of the Draconids (DRA) is expected to be enhanced on 8 October 2011 between 16h00m and 21h00m Universal Time (UTC). Predictions suggest apeak of faint meteors around 20h00m (±30m) UTC, caused by dust produced by the comet in 1900 and 1907 AD. Earth previously encountered these dust trails in 1933 and 1946, producing strong meteor storms on those occasions. Such exceptional meteor activity is not expected this year, because the trails are now older and more dispersed. There could be additional peaks earlier in the evening, between 16h00m and 19h00m UTC, if the comet also produced dust before its discovery in 1900 AD. These meteors are likely to be brighter.

Use the table below to look up the local time in your time zone.

Time zone	Enhanced activity	Main peak?
Universal Time UTC (Casablanca, Dakar)	16h - 21h	~20h
West Europe (London, Dublin)	17h - 22h	~21h
West Africa (Algiers, Tunis, Lagos)	17h - 22h	~21h
Central Europe (Berlin, Paris, Rome)	18h - 23h	~22h
East Europe (Helsinki, Kiev, Istanbul)	19h - 24h	~23h
Russia (Moscow)	20h - 01h	~24h
Russia (Novosibirsk, Tomsk)	23h - 04h	~03h
India	21h30 - 02h30	below horizon
China	24h - 05h	below horizon
Japan	01h - 06h	below horizon
Americas	daylight	daylight

Where will this be visible?

The enhanced activity will be visible from Europe, North Africa and North/West Asia. The green areas in the maps below show the regions which will be dark (Sun 6 degrees below horizon) and oriented towards the dust trail (radiant above horizon) at 17h00m and 20h00m UTC on 8 October 2011. The event will not be visible outside these areas.

Map source code: plot_visibility_map.py (Python script)

Where should I look?

The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation of Draco, which is located in the North-Western part of the sky from most locations. However, meteors may appear anywhere in the sky, so just look up!

Courtsey IMO.NET

2011-07-20T17:16:00.000+05:30

Fire from the skies (in monsoon!!!!)

Perseids Meteor Shower

Peak: August 13th, 2011 around 07:00 Universal Time (12:30 IST on Aug 13th)

Seeing a shooting star in the sky makes one feel that a star has died, but is it really so. Death of a star results in one of the biggest celestial shows in the universe and definitely a shooting star is not that. The words “shooting star” it self is a misnomer. We all know that when a small particle of space dust enters earth atmosphere, it burns up while travelling towards Earth and result is a streak of light in the skies. It has nothing to with star death. Sometimes the particle is so big that part of it burns in the atmosphere and the rest falls on earth as it happened last few years in certain parts of India.

The show

Perseids can be seen from July 15^th –August 25^th. Most of these nights one can see few meteors from the shower. August 13th is the peak of the Perseids meteor shower in 2011. When Perseus rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping the surface of a pond. Earthgrazers are long, slow and colourful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors. An hour of watching may show only a few of these--"at most"--but seeing even one makes the long night worthwhile. The thin, crescent moon will be out of the way early, setting the stage for a potentially spectacular show. For best viewing, look to the northeast after midnight. Other things which will spoil the show will be monsoon clouds.

Viewing in 2011:
The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour – in years when the moon is out of the sky.

Unfortunately, the full moon will spoil 2011′s Perseid display, obscuring all but the brighter meteors, during the shower’s actual peak. But you will see Perseids in the weeks leading up to the peak, too, if you have dark skies. These typically fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero. You don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower because the meteors appear in all parts of the sky. The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour – in years when the moon is out of the sky.

Peak on:
August 13th, in 2011 estimated around 07:00 Universal Time (12:30 IST on Aug 13th)

Web Link:
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

How to observe the meteor shower?

Don’t expect hundreds of meteors in the skies at one time. Perseids meteor shower usually have ZHR of around 100-120 meteors. Now what is this term ZHR? Official figures for meteor numbers are given as the ZHR or Zenithal Hourly Rate. This is the number of meteors you could expect to see given perfect conditions if the radiant (the point from where all the meteors seem to be coming) was directly overhead - i.e. at the zenith. Obviously, if the radiant is on the horizon, you can't see half the sky around the radiant, so you will only see half the number of meteors. Again, if half the sky is cloudy, you will only see half the number of meteors. Hence, for a ZHR of 110 (about what you can expect for the Perseids shower), you might only see two-thirds or half because the radiant isn't directly above your head. So expect to see around a meteor per 2 minutes !!

The first and last rule of meteor observing is look up. If you do not look up, you will not see any meteors, because by the time someone else has seen it, it will be gone before you look in that direction. Rules for meteor observing are generally the same as for all astronomy observations. The exception to that rule is that you should be looking up at all times. You can employ an easy chair for this purpose, but the best way is to get a sleeping bag and find a dry, comfortable spot to lie down on.

For observation make sure that you have the widest area of sky visible possible. Try to get away from light pollution. If you can see the Milky Way, it will be dark enough to see meteors. Typically, meteors will be about the same brightness as Venus or Jupiter down to the brightness of medium-brightness stars).

Depending on your location and disposition, insect repellent like odomos gel might be advisable as well. On the whole, just use common sense and try to enjoy yourself. Meteors can provide some of the more spectacular sights in the sky, so stop reading about it and g

QUADRANTIDS METEOR SHOWER on Jan 4th, 2011

2010-12-27T16:47:00.000+05:30

QUADRANTIDS METEOR SHOWER

Peak on Jan 3^rd/4^th, 2011

The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 60-80 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on January 3 & 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 - 10. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.

Although the Quadrantids are a major shower, they are seldom observed. One reason is weather. The shower peaks in early January when northern winter is in full swing.

The source of the Quadrantid meteor shower was unknown until Dec. 2003 when Peter Jenniskens of the NASA Ames Research Center found evidence that Quadrantid meteoroids come from 2003 EH1, an "asteroid" that is probably a piece of a comet that broke apart some 500 years ago. Earth intersects the orbit of 2003 EH1 at a perpendicular angle, which means we quickly move through any debris. That's why the shower is so brief.

To Observe:

The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the year's best, producing more than 100 meteors per hour from a radiant near the North Star. This year the shower peaks on Jan. 4^th early morning. The timing favors observers in western North America and Across the Pacific Ocean.

The radiant of this shower is an area inside the constellation Boötes. The name comes from Quadrans Muralis, an obsolete constellation that is now part of Boötes. It lies between the end of the handle of the Big Dipper and the quadrilateral of stars marking the head of the constellation Draco. To find the location of the radiant, it is recommend that you find Polaris and observe near that area.

This year, a New Moon is slated to entirely strip the night sky of any moonlight close to the predicted maximum, creating perfect circumstances for observers in the northern hemisphere. On average, and under clear skies, observers should see 40 to 60 meteors per hour but every so often these rates can exceed up to 120 meteors per hour in rural locations. In the best conditions, the Quadrantids meteor shower should put on a spectacular viewing experience!

Facts File:

Maximum at: January 4, 01h10m UT (06h 40m IST)

Name origin: Appears inside the constellation Boötes.
Parent: 2003 EH1 (minor planet)
Active Period: January 1^st – 10th
ZHR/Rate on peak: 60-120 per hour

More Details here:

http://meteorshowersonline.com/quadrantids.html

http://www.imo.net/calendar/2011#qua

Geminids 2010 report from SPACE

2010-12-27T15:06:00.006+05:30

Geminids 2010 – SPACE observation report

The year ended with one of the best meteor showers of the year putting in an appearance. Two teams from SPACE headed to two separate locations- Jim Corbett National Park and Sakras observing site. Both teams successfully observed a spectacular shower. The report and images are listed below:

Report -

Geminids 2010 were predicted to yield a good ZHR of more than 100. Maxima - Dec 14th at 11h UT or 16:30 h IST ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) - around 120. The best time to watch the activity near the peak in India was on 13th December night/early morning on 14th after moonset. SPACE planned observation of Geminids 2010 from two locations:

Location 1 – Jim Corbett Park, Ramnagar, Uttrakhand (29°26'24"N 79°4'35"E)

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=29.4402516&lon=79.0764141&z=16&l=0&m=b&search=BIJrani

Location 2 – SPACE observation site, Sakras, Haryana (27°51'13"N 76°58'21"E)

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=27.8536924&lon=76.9726342&z=18&l=0&m=b&search=sakras

Location 1 Team

SPACE observation team

Sachin Bhamba, C B Devgun, Surender Solanki, Jaishree Soin

Location 2 Team

Astronomicans

Deepak Jose, Deepak Dogra, Ishant, Vikrant, Sneh, Rishabh

Location 1 Experiments/observations planned:

Naked eye observation of the meteor shower

Photography of the shower

Estimating limiting magnitude for project dark skies

Equipment
:

Canon 450D with 18mm f 3.5 lens

Canon 500D with 18mm f 3.5 lens

Nikon D80 with leica 16 mm fisheye lens

Nikon D80 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens

Images plus software to control the camera

GPS for time keeping and location

Naked eye observation team:

Sachin Bahmba (SB), C B Devgun (CB), Surender Solanki (SS) and Jaishree Soin (JS)

Time of observation:

13th Dec. 2010

20:30 IST – 23:00 UT

Observation was done in following time spans (M=Shower meteor, S= Sporadic)

Reports have been sent to International Meteor Organisation (IMO)

period Time (UT) M S

period 2030-2045 12 2

period 2045-2100 18 1

period 2100-2115 12 5

period 2115-2130 10 2

period 2130-2145 15 2

period 2145-2200 20 0

period 2200-2205 25 0

period 2205-2210 30 1

period 2210-2220 20 0

period 2220-2230 19 0

period 2230-2235 35 2

period 2235-2240 45 4

period 2240-2250 18 0

period 2250-2255 40 4

period 2255-2300 25 3

Above readings have been taken out of the report sent by Team 1 to International Meteor Organisation (IMO), which can be accessed athttp://imo.net/live/geminids2010/ and at http://imo.net/live/geminids2010/obslist.html

Skies at the Location 1 were almost perfect having a limiting magnitude of almost 6. As the nearest city “Ramnagar” was 7 kms as the crow flies from the site in the jungle, skies were quite good except for the small amount of light pollution from the city in the south east. Observers mainly looked into directions of Leo and Orion for most of the time during observations. The shower intensified in bursts during short intervals of 5 mins at 2235-2240 and 2250-2255 UT. In all 344 meteor belonging to the shower were seen and 26 sporadic ones were seen.

Photography of the shower:

The shower was photographed for the same duration as that of the shower and around 10 frames got the Geminids meteors.

Images will be uploaded in SPACE blog at http://organisationspace.blogspot.com

Picasa gallery at http://picasaweb.google.com/organisationspace/GEMINIDS2010#

and the repository of SPACE soon.

Report sent to IMO by SPACE team at Location 1:

// Header section

night 2010-12-13/14

begin 2010-12-13 2030

end 2010-12-13 2300

observer "chander, sachin, " "devgun, bahmba"

location 79 04 35 E, 29 26 24 N

site "Jim corbett Tiger reserve" "India"

reporter "chander.devgun@gmail.com"

// Shower section

shower GEM 112 +33

shower SPO

// Number section

// Interval RA Dec Teff F Lm GEM SPO

period 2030-2045 090 +00 0.200 1.00 5.50 C 12 C 2

period 2045-2100 090 +00 0.200 1.00 5.50 C 18 C 1

period 2100-2115 150 +10 0.250 1.00 5.50 C 12 C 5

period 2115-2130 150 +10 0.200 1.00 5.50 C 10 C 2

period 2130-2145 090 +00 0.200 1.00 5.00 C 15 C 2

period 2145-2200 090 +00 0.200 1.00 5.00 C 20 C 0

period 2200-2205 090 +00 0.080 1.00 5.00 C 25 C 0

period 2205-2210 090 +00 0.080 1.00 5.00 C 30 C 1

period 2210-2220 150 +10 0.150 1.00 5.50 C 20 C 0

period 2220-2230 090 +00 0.150 1.00 5.00 C 19 C 0

period 2230-2235 090 +00 0.080 1.00 5.00 C 35 C 2

period 2235-2240 090 +00 0.080 1.00 5.00 C 45 C 4

period 2240-2250 090 +00 0.150 1.00 5.00 C 18 C 0

period 2250-2255 090 +00 0.080 1.00 5.00 C 40 C 4

period 2255-2300 090 +00 0.080 1.00 5.00 C 25 C 3

// Magnitude section

// Show Interval -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 Tot

distribution GEM 2030-2100 1.0 1.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 6.0 14.0 1.0 - - - - - - 30.0

distribution GEM 2100-2130 2.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 - - - - 29.0

distribution GEM 2130-2145 - 2.0 - - - - 10.0 - 2.0 1.0 - - - - 15.0

distribution GEM 2145-2200 6.0 - - 3.0 - - 5.0 - 4.0 2.0 - - - - 20.0

distribution GEM 2200-2205 2.0 - 5.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 7.0 5.0 3.0 - 1.0 - - - 28.0

distribution GEM 2210-2220 - 2.0 3.0 - 4.0 - 6.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 - - - - 20.0

distribution GEM 2220-2230 - - 2.0 4.0 2.0 - 6.0 3.0 - - - - - - 17.0

distribution GEM 2230-2235 5.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 - - 15.0 - 1.0 1.0 - - - - 27.0

distribution GEM 2235-2240 7.0 1.0 3.0 - 2.0 - 12.0 - - - - - - - 25.0

distribution GEM 2240-2250 4.0 - - 1.0 - - 8.0 3.0 1.0 - - - - - 17.0

distribution GEM 2250-2255 - 1.0 2.0 3.0 5.0 2.0 10.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 - - - 30.0

distribution GEM 2255-2300 8.0 - - 2.0 2.0 - 7.0 - - 1.0 1.0 - - - 21.0

// Personal comments

SPACE (Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators) team observed the geminids from Jim Corbett Tiger reserve, a dark sky site 270 kms away from New Delhi, india. Sachin Bahmba, Surender Solanki and Jaishree soin were other observers from the SPACE Observers

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location 2 Experiments/observations planned:

Following is reported by Vikrant Narang

4 Astronomicans - Deepak Jose, Deepak Dogra, Ishant and Vikrant had gone to Sakars for Geminids observation. Rishabh and Sneh also kept joining the observers team during their session breaks.

Experiments and Photography:

Visual observation: Vikrant, Ishant - Logged 214 meteors (Geminids + Sporadic) in 2 hours.

Astrophotography: Deepak Dogra, Deepak Jose, VIkrant Narang, Ishant, Sneh, RIshabh

images from Geminids 2010

2010-12-17T15:28:00.000+05:30

Geminids in Radio Frequency!!!

2010-11-26T20:48:00.000+05:30

How to Hear Meteors on Your FM Radio???

Introduction to hearing meteors on your FM radio

There are always meteors burning up in the Earth's atmosphere, and during certain times of the year there are major meteor showers. You want to watch the meteors but it's cloudy or the moon is too bright or you live in the city with too much light pollution. Even if you can't see the meteors, you can still have fun listening to the meteors.

Find out more by clicking here!!

2010-11-26T11:38:00.009+05:30

Fireballs in the Sky -
Geminids Meteor Shower on Dec 14th

Avid star gazers can soon witness another sky theatre spectacle in the mesmerizing night skies - the Geminids Meteor Shower, peaking on 13^th/14^th Dec. This is one of the best meteor showers of the year and never disappoints observers. The peak of the shower this year falls just after the first quarter Moon. Moonset is within half an hour of local midnight across the globe for the maximum, while the Geminid radiant will be overhead around 02h local time.

The source of the Geminids shower is asteroid 3200 Phaethon. There's a cloud of dust trailing the asteroid and the Earth plows through it every year in mid-December. Bits of dust traveling at 80,000 mph hit our atmosphere and turn into glowing meteors.The Geminids got its name because its radiant position, from which it appears to originate, lies in the constellation Gemini.

Observe and Photograph the Geminids:
SPACE has the following handouts and suggestions to ensure that each one of you can go out and observe this wonderful spectacle.

SPACE suggests that students, amateur astronomers and the public go out on Dec 14th morning to a dark site away from lights and observe this nightsky spectacle. Details about timing and observing suggestions can be found listed below.
Meteor Showers provide a wonderful photographic opportunity. Another post in this blog provides details on techniques and suggestions by SPACE to employ for meteor photography.
SPACE will webcast a workshop on 'Meteor Showers and the Geminids' on 14th Dec. Find details on this website.

Record and Report:
This year we would like all observers to become Citizen Scientists and record their results and report it to IMO (International Meteor Organization). Details can be found in the attachment, as well as on the IMO website, listed below. Each citizen scientist who reports their observations will have the privilege to have their names and results listed on the IMO website.

Interested in Joining an Observation?
If you or a group from your school would be interested in joining a tour to beautiful Rishikesh or to nearby Sakra to observe and photograph these spectacular fireballs, then contact STEPL Astrotourism at rishabhj@stepl.org for further details.

SPACE Plans:
SPACE plans to send a scientific team to witness and record the Geminid Meteor Showers to a dark site away from Delhi. In 2009, SPACE observed and created a very successful report for the IMO. This can be found on the blog listed below.

Geminids Details:

Maxima - Dec 14^th at 11h UT or 16:30 h IST

ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) - around 120.

The best time to watch the activity near the peak in India is on 13th December night/early morning on 14^th after moonset.

Relevant Websites:
SPACE astrophotography of Geminids:
http://picasaweb.google.com/organisationspace/Geminids2009#

IMO website reporting location:
http://www.imo.net/visual/major/observation Enjoy the last meteor shower of the Year.

Photographing the Geminds

2010-11-26T09:58:00.000+05:30

Shoot the Geminids

Here is what you will need to do.

Shoot the Leonids

2010-11-17T09:20:00.001+05:30

Shoot the Leonids

Here is what you will need to do.

Set up your photography equipment in an area that is shaded from any stray lights that may interfere. This is absolutely necessary!

Enjoy the show and Good Luck!

Leonids Meteor Shower - Nov 18th, 2010

2010-11-16T23:59:00.003+05:30

Leonids Meteor Shower - Nov 18th, 2010

The Leonids meteor shower will send trails of shooting stars in the sky on the dawn of Nov 18^th. This shower is created by the Earth moving through the debris of comet Tempel-Tuttle. The shower will peak at 2:45 am IST. However, this year the moon is quite full and moonset will only occur around 3:30 am, therefore the shower will be washed out and not offer a good view.

Come November and all amateur astronomers around the world start looking up to the skies for an event which we call the “Leonids Meteor Shower”. One can see trains of shooting stars coming from a particular area in the sky at an amazing rate. This phenomenon can be seen almost any day of the year but a shower of shooting stars is something that happens only a few times a year. Leonids is one of these and the most prominent one.

Most visible Leonids are between 1 mm and 1 cm in diameter. For example, a Leonid meteor barely visible with the naked eye in a dark sky, is caused by a meteoroid of 0.5 mm in diameter and weights only 0.00006 gram. Just before they enter the Earth's atmosphere, Leonid meteoroids travel at 71 kilometers per second, or 213 times as fast as speed of sound.

It can be seen from Nov 14 till Nov 21. The peak usually occurs around 17/18^th November.

This year the peak is happening on 17th Nov night/18th morning at around 02:45 hrs IST. However this year the moon is quite full and the moonset will only happen around 3:30am, which means this year the meteor shower will be washed out. To try and look for Leonids, go to a dark site and try looking during the dawn of Nov18^th, but as mentioned this year the viewing will not be good. Although the meteors appear to originate from Leo, they really streak across the whole sky.

Observing Meteors Visually

2010-08-11T10:47:00.004+05:30

Observing Meteors Visually

Taken from BAA blog

A meteor during the peak of the 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower. The photograph shows the meteor, afterglow, and wake as distinct components

What equipment should I use?

1. Norton’s 2000.0 Star Atlas or similar star maps.

2. Report sheets (will be made available to you during the meteor observation).

3. Timepiece – accurate to better than 30 seconds.

4. Dim red torch – to enable you to note down data, but retain the dark adaptation of your eyes.

5. Several pens or pencils. These have a habit of breaking or getting mislaid in the dark, so have plenty of back-ups!

7. Food and drink. Refreshments should be available to be taken during breaks. Alcoholic beverages should, of course, be avoided!

Observer requirements

are rather more stringent

Observing

Now you are ready to begin the watch. Write down the start time of the watch in UT to the nearest minute. All times used in this type of work are required in Universal Time, which is 5.5 hours + IST.

As each meteor appears, not whether it was a shower member or a random sporadic, estimate how bright it was, and give its time of appearance to the nearest minute in UT.

Magnitude Object(s)

-4 Venus

-2 Jupiter

-1 Sirius

0 Capella, Rigel, Arcturus

+1 Regulus, Spica, Pollux

+2 Belt stars of Orion, Beta Aurigae, Gamma Geminorum,
Pointers of Plough, Polaris, Denebola, Alphard

+3 Delta Ursae Majoris, Gamma and Delta Leonis, Epsilon Geminorum

+4 Eta Persei, Delta Aurigae, Rho Leonis

+5 Faintest meteors generally visible to naked eye

Note the time of appearance of the meteor, having made due allowance for the time spent thinking about magnitude and type, and writing these down, perhaps 15-30 seconds.

Then, and only then, you may make any notes about the meteor itself. For example, did it explode? Did it have an intense colour? Did it have a long-duration persistent train?

Observation trip for persieds meteor shower

2010-08-07T13:09:00.003+05:30

Come August and we have one of the best annual celestial fireworks shows – Persieds Meteor Shower. Right now the earth is passing through fragments and dust trails created by the comet swift tuttle and this means the perseids meteor shower has started and will be getting stronger each day until its peak on 12th August 2010. Only bad weather and clouds can deprive us from this wonderful display of fireworks from the skies. The persieds Meteor showers of August is one of the most famous Astronomical Summer time events. Some call the persieds "old Reliable" because every year it seems to deliver an extraordinary exhibit in the August skies. Lets pack our bags and spend a night under the stars far away from city light.

Also see the article about the persieds in the file sections.

astronomicans (amateur wing of SPACE) HAS decided to go for observation, following are the details about the observation.

Overnight observation of Persieds Meteor Shower 2010

Date: 12th August 2010

Day: Thursday

Venue: Sakaras, SPACE’s new observation Site (120km from from SPACE office)

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=27.8536995&lon=76.9726396&z=18&l=0&m=b

astronomical Data for the site:

Sunset 19:01pm

Astronomical twilight ends 20:28pm

Astronomical twilight begins 04:25am

Assembly point: SPACE office

Reporting time: 2:30 pm

Departure for site: 3:30 pm

Departure for SPACE office from the site: 6:00 am (13 aug)

Arrival at SPACE office: 9:30 am

Cost: ` 600 (approx)

The cost includes the logistics at the site and the transportation which will depend on number of participants and will be either cab or bus. Food is not included in the cost.

So what are you waiting for pick up bags and cameras, and chase the meteor shower!!

Kindly confirm it before 9th August 2010 with Ms Shikha at 9212669953

Perseids Meteor Shower

2010-08-07T13:08:00.000+05:30

Fire from the skies (in monsoon!!!!)

Perseids Meteor Shower

Night of August 12th, 2010

Seeing a shooting star in the sky makes one feel that a star has died, but is it really so. Death of a star results in one of the biggest celestial shows in the universe and definitely a shooting star is not that. The words “shooting star” it self is a misnomer. We all know that when a small particle of space dust enters earth atmosphere, it burns up while travelling towards Earth and result is a streak of light in the skies. It has nothing to with star death. Sometimes the particle is so big that part of it burns in the atmosphere and the rest falls on earth as it happened last few years in certain parts of India.

The show

Perseids can be seen from July 15^th –August 25^th. Most of these nights one can see few meteors from the shower. Night of August 12 is the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. timing of the mean or ‘traditional’ broad maximum will vary between August 12, 18h30m UT to August 13, 07h00m UT, while the shorter, enhanced will be between August 12, 09h30m to August 13, 13h30m UT. When Perseus rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping the surface of a pond. Earthgrazers are long, slow and colourful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors. An hour of watching may show only a few of these--"at most"--but seeing even one makes the long night worthwhile. The thin, crescent moon will be out of the way early, setting the stage for a potentially spectacular show. For best viewing, look to the northeast after midnight. Other things which will spoil the show will be monsoon clouds.

How to observe the meteor shower?

reports of Geminids observation submission to IMO

2009-12-18T23:36:00.003+05:30

Reports of sachin bahmba and akhil chopra have been submitted to IMO and can be seen at

http://www.imo.net/live/geminids2009/

Geminids 2009 report – SPACE Scientific team, Jim Corbett Park, UP, India

2009-12-17T16:50:00.002+05:30

Geminids 2009 were predicted to yield a good ZHR of more than 100 at 05:10 UT on 14th Dec. Absence of moon during the shower was a bonus for meteor observers. SPACE scientific team comprising of the following members made their plans to observe and photograph Geminids from Jim Corbett National Park, UP, one of the dark sites available within 300 kms of Delhi:

Sachin Bhamba
C B Devgun
Surender Solanki
Akhil Chopra

Experiments planned:

Naked eye observation of the meteor shower
Photography of the shower
Estimating limiting magnitude for project dark skies

Equipment:

Canon 450D with 18mm f 3.5 lens
Images plus software to control the camera
GPS for time keeping and location

Naked eye observation team:

Sachin Bahmba (SB), C B Devgun (CB) and Akhil Chopra (AC)

Time of observation:
14th Dec. 2009
00:15 IST – 03:00 IST (UT)

Observation was done in time spans of 1 hour each with last observation being of 45 mins duration

Time Observer Shower Random Fireball
00:15 IST – 01:15 IST SB 84 3 2
00:15 IST – 01:15 IST AC 45 5 3
01:15 IST – 02:15 IST SB 131 5 1
01:15 IST – 02:15 IST AC 90 2 0
02:15 IST – 03:00 IST SB 47 2 1
02:15 IST – 02:45 IST AC 26 1 1

C B Devgun was looking in the west direction and Sachin Bahmba was recording the number on his behalf in the log sheet.

During the time period of 01:15 IST – 02:15 IST maximum number of meteors were logged and the count dropped in next hour and followed by more appreciable drop in the time period of 30 mins during 02:15 IST – 03:00 IST.

Estimation of the limiting magnitude:

At the observation site at “wild trail” resort near Girjia temple, the north and south horizon was having light pollution but the east and west horizons were having less light pollution and Zenith was clear of any light pollution. Magnitude estimate was done with pipe method used in the project dark skies and it was found to be around 5.5 mags. Later on while doing astrophotograhy at Bijrani forest rest house inside the jungle the estimate was 6.0. Another tube of less length (Toilet paper roll cardboard tube) was used to check the accuracy of the method. Details will follow in another report on the method in project dark skies.

Photography of the shower:

The shower was photographed for the same duration as that of the shower and 3-4 frames got the meteors, images will be uploaded in blog. Picasa gallery and the repository of SPACE soon.

SPACE team observed the shower and it seems that the peak for the observation happened at 19:45 UT on 13th Dec. 2009

Sachin saw more than one meteor belonging to shower in same field of view within seconds. Akhil saw a fireball which broke into fragments and made a “s” shape in the sky.

Images of Geminids 2009 taken by SPACE team

2009-12-17T15:13:00.000+05:30

Geminid meteor shooting past Ursa Major

Geminid meteor shooting past Pleiades near the tree

A faint Geminid meteor in Leo

GEMINIDS peak timings

2009-12-10T11:10:00.004+05:30

The Geminids meteor shower is predicted to peak at 0510 UT on 14th December, that means 10 40 IST ON 14th December, the best time to watch it on 13th night/early morning of 14th dec in India. Get ready for the shower as this time moon will not be there to marr your observations!!!!

Forecasters expect more than 100 meteors per hour to fly out of the constellation Gemini when the shower peaks.

skymap for Geminids 2009

2009-12-10T06:55:00.000+05:30

Geminids Meteor Shower

2009-12-03T13:57:00.002+05:30

What is a meteor shower?

Sometimes while looking at the dark night sky full of stars, suddenly a star appears to fall off the sky. We call it a “Shooting or Falling Star”. On some particular nights of the year we can observe a large number of shooting stars. These celestial events are called Meteor Showers.
Meteors are startling streaks of light that suddenly appear in the sky when a dust particle from outer space evaporates high in the Earth's atmosphere. We call the light phenomenon in the atmosphere a "meteor", while the dust particle is called a "meteoroid".

A geminids streaking past orion

Does it mean that when meteor showers occur we expect fireballs from the skies falling on earth, or does it actually look like a shower of meteors? Let’s explore the facts. A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid (a small sand size particle) that enters the Earth's atmosphere. They can be seen on any night and they fall at random. But when the number of meteors is large, it is called a meteor shower or meteor storm. The shower always happen on a particular day or a time period as it is associated usually with comets. During meteor showers, which usually last a few days, the majority of the meteors appear to come from a particular point in the sky, called the radiant of the shower. The meteor shower is commonly named after the constellation in which this radiant is found, and occurs annually during a well-defined time period.

One of the most Spectacular Meteor Showers of the Year-Geminids

After last month's major meteor shower “Leonids”, this month i.e. on 14 December 2009, will bring us one more major meteor shower this year, called the “Geminids”. This is one of the best meteor showers of the year and never seems to disappoint observers.

How does this shower occur?

As comets move about their orbits they leave a stream of debris because dust and rocky material is liberated from the head as the ices vaporize. If the earth’s orbit crosses this debris, this leads to an increased number of meteors as the debris burns up while encountering the Earth’s atmosphere. When an object like a dust or rock floating in space enters the Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds, it heats up due to friction with the air. Its temperature increases very rapidly and it starts radiating light. Now this object can be of a size starting from small dust grains (1/100th of millimeter) to the size of pebbles (few 100 of millimeter). These falling, radiating objects are called meteors. Sometimes these Meteors can reach the surface of the Earth, these are called Meteorites.

Origin of the debris:

In the vast empty space between the planets there are huge regions containing mixture of dust and ice particles. These regions are caused by streams of debris from comets and sometimes asteroids. Comets are like dirty snowballs. They orbit around the sun and as they come closer to the sun some of its ice vaporizes and with this vapor some material is also thrown off the comet. It forms streams of debris along the orbit of the comet. When the Earth’s orbit passes through this stream, some of this space debris enters the atmosphere, they radiate and we observe this phenomena as a Meteor Shower. Interestingly, in the case of Geminids, the source is not a comet but a rocky asteroid named 3200 Phaethon, which is in a highly elliptical 1.4 year orbit.
Meteor showers are named after the nearest bright star or a particular constellation that is close to the radiant position at the peak (maximum) of the shower. So the Geminids got its name because its radiant position lies in the constellation Gemini.

The Geminids

The first Geminid meteors suddenly appeared in the mid-1800's. Those early showers were unimpressive, boasting a mere 10-20 shooting stars per hour. Since then, however, the Geminids have grown in intensity until today it is one of the most spectacular annual showers. In 1996, the last time the Geminids appeared in a dark moon-less sky, observers saw upto 110 per hour. The ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate) is about 50-100.

Most well known meteor showers, like the Perseids and Leonids, are old. They've been observed for hundreds or even thousands of years. The earliest record of a modern-day meteor shower is probably a notation in Chinese annals dated 36 AD, regarding the Perseids, where it is said that "more than 100 meteors flew thither in the morning."
The Geminids are a different story. The first Geminid meteors suddenly appeared in the mid-1800's. Those early showers were unimpressive, displaying a mere 10-20 shooting stars per hour. Since then, however, the Geminids have grown in intensity until today it is one of the most spectacular annual showers. In 1998 observers counted as many as 140 per hour (zenithal hourly rate). Meteor observers with clear skies should see close to that many this year if the Geminids continue to intensify.

After the discovery of the Geminids in 1862 astronomers began searching for the parent comet. Most meteor showers result from debris that that boils off a comet's nucleus when it passes close to the Sun. This debris orbits the Sun along with the comet, forming a thin, elongated stream of meteoroids that become shooting stars when they hit Earth's atmosphere. Years of searching proved to no avail until finally, in 1983, NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite discovered a curious object moving in the same orbit as the Geminid meteoroid stream. The orbital match was so good that it had to be the source of the debris, but to the surprise of many it wasn't a comet. The source of the Geminids was apparently a rocky asteroid. 3200 Phaethon, as the asteroid is now known, is in a highly elliptical 1.4 year orbit that brings it within 0.15 AU (astronomical units) of the Sun. It made its closest recent approach to Earth in December 1997 when it passed within 0.31 AU of our planet.

How does an asteroid produce a meteoroid debris stream?

Comets do it easily whenever they pass close enough to the sun to heat their frozen nucleus. Tiny bits of ice and dust naturally bubble away into interplanetary space. Rocky asteroids are made of tougher stuff, however, so it is unclear how bits of 3200 Phaethon would break or boil off to form a meteoroid stream. When Phaethon passes by the sun it doesn't develop a cometary tail, but bits and pieces do break off to form the Geminid meteoroids. Many astronomers now believe that Phaethon is an extinct or dormant comet that has accumulated a thick crust of interplanetary dust grains. Phaethon's thick mantle gives it the outward appearance of an asteroid, but underneath lies the nucleus of a comet.
Source of light: When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere, they collide with air molecules. Those collisions sputter away the outer layers of the particle, creating a vapor of sodium, iron and magnesium atoms. Electrons are knocked into larger orbits from the nucleus of the atoms. When the electrons fall back to their rest positions, light is emitted. This is the same process as in gas discharge lamps.
Sounds: Meteors do not normally cause audible sounds, hence will pass by unnoticed if not seen. A sonic boom is sometimes heard for very bright Geminids meteors.
In 2008, viewing of the shower was restricted due to a full moon washing out the fainter meteors. 2009 will see the Geminids close to new moon phase so expect a good viewing.

How to observe Meteors?

Meteor watching is one of the easiest forms of astronomy. Anyone can go out in the early-morning hours, lie back in a chair or on ground, and wait for the occasional shooting star. Make sure that you have selected an area where light pollution is at its minimum. Plan to start your watch around midnight. By then Gemini constellation (radiant of Geminids) will be fairly high above the horizon towards the East. The hour or two before dawn should be best of all.
No trees or buildings should intrude into your view except maybe at the very edges. Get a sleeping bag for protection against cold, and dew. You'll also need a watch and a dim, red-filtered torchlight to read it by. Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark. Settle in, look up, and relax. That’s it, now just sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Now if you would like to count and estimate how many of these are from the Geminids, then you can do the following:
The simplest thing to do is just to count the number of "shower" (S) and "non-shower" (NS) meteors that you see. Shower meteors will seem to come from the Gemini constellation. Trace the path of a meteor backwards across the sky. If the line comes near the radiant, then you have observed a shower meteor. If the line goes elsewhere, then you have observed a non-shower meteor. Watch the sky at least 50° up, and pick a direction away from the radiant. Keep your field of vision filled with sky. Meteors can provide some of the more spectacular sights in the sky so stop reading about it and get out there! This year the viewing should be good as it is close to a new moon.