Tonight there will be meteors or shooting stars in the sky around 3am Eastern Standard Time (USA). The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of the year, is a northern-hemisphere phenomenon. The best seeing should be in the Eastern United States around the time the moon sets. If the skies are clear, get warm clothes and blankets and relax in a lawn chair to enjoy the predicted 60 to 200 "shooting stars" per hour. They are not really shooting stars, but just tiny particles, some the size of a grain of sand, diving into our atmosphere at speeds up to 90,000 mph. They usually burn up around 50 miles overhead. A shooting star may streak across the sky in a mere second!
The Quadrantids are a short show -- just a few hours. If the conditions are right, you can see some shooting stars when the moon sets. If so, stay warm and enjoy. Wish upon a star. Otherwise, go back indoors to sleep and have sweet dreams.
Going to check the Southwest Desert skies in the early morning hours,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012
Popular Posts
-
Today it is 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the shade and bound to get hotter as the afternoon progresses. Enough small talk. The news is, I ... -
What is going on with folks who drive the Toyota Prius car? I don't know how it is in your town, but out here, folks who drive a Prius ...
-
Reader comments and feedback regarding the Omega VRT 350 HD Juicer: Dave wrote, "...a little bit slow and noisy..." Anonymou...
-
Fragrant orange blossoms Haiku The heady fragrance of many orange blossoms clouds the orange tree. Blog Post: The heady fragranc... -
Yes. We've got monsoon. The pattern has started. Every afternoon the clouds roll in. The wind picks up. You may feel a few drops or...
-
Just wanted to let you know the temperatures in the Southwest Desert: Predicted high temperature for today is over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. ...
-
The post title says it all. Coin size 3/4 inch. You're right, the post title does not say it all. I feel guilty for not giving ... -
We have a break in the monsoonal weather so I have been outside looking for flowers. I found several tiny mammillaria cacti, growing in the... -
Day 14 of no coffee. Day 10 raw food vegan. It is a comfortable 97 degrees outside with humidity up to 19 percent. Been so dry I had to w...
-
The new moon is due in the Southwest Desert shortly after midnight April 20 turning into April 21, 2012. The nights are still pleasantly co...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment