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Geminid Meteor Shower
An anonymous reader writes "physorg.com is carrying a story on the upcoming Geminid meteor shower, which will peak on December 13th. This is usually a high-rate meteor shower, and this year will be no different. The early morning hours are the best time to see them. Space.com is also reporting on the shower. This shower was also covered by Slashdot in 2003, 2002, and 2001."
Meteor showers used by radio amateurs for meteor scatter. Basically they point their beams at the meteor shower when it hits earth and have long distance QSOs (radio amateur contacts) by bouncing their signal from the rocks.
The best stargazing I've ever done was after helping a friend build a tent platform on Blewitt Pass in Washington state. I saw so many stars I thought my eyes were broken. I now unerstand why we were building a tent platform and not a cabin. I developed a whole new appreciation for star gazing. I still don't get the whole constellations naming thing. I don't see the pictures nor do I see the appeal.
Why doesn't anything interesting happen when I have mod points?
At least you still have them. Thirty years ago, we would get swarms of thousands upon thousands of them. But I read that they need low-hanging shrubs and bushes and the like to reproduce, and since so much of my area has been built up in the past few decades you hardly ever see lightning bugs any more. Too bad, they really are a neat adaptation. As a kid I would collect them in a bottle and watch them blink by my bedside all night, and let them go in the morning.
Quite a few years ago I went up to Rhinelander, WI to visit some friends. They lived on a ten acre spread (heavily forested) out in the middle of nowhere. It was incredibly dark and quiet at night: I hadn't realized just how much light and sound is generated populated areas that you don't even notice until it isn't there. I have to admit, I got a better night's sleep than I'd had in years.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
The event is also covered/reported at http://www.astronomydaily.com/
It may be possible to observe the radio effects of the meteor shower without being a ham or having an extensive station.
Regular FM radio and TV broadcasts are also reflected by the ionized trails.
Try tuning to an empty channel, as low on the dial as possible. Of course, for TV you'll need a set with a regular antenna, not cable or satellite. For FM, your car radio is probably the best radio you own for this purpose.
Sit there and listen/watch. You should see/hear brief bursts of signal. If you're really lucky, you'll hear something that will allow you to identify the station you saw/heard.
Might be something interesting to listen to while you're waiting for visible meteors -- or for the clouds to go away...
Go to Mt. Pinos. If you live around the LA area, just hop on the I-5 north. Keep going until you get to a sign that says "Frazier Park" and turn off. Then head past the gas stations and keep on going straight. You'll pass through town, into the hills (with lots of little country homes) and finally into the winding road that goes up Mount Pinos. As you go up the windy little road, you'll notice little signs on the right side of the road that have numbers on them... The road ends at 13.50.
When you arrive, the view is just breathtaking. Every constellation clearly visible. The end of the road is a large, cleared parking area ringed by trees up to about 20 degrees elevation. And it's definetly Geminid season... I saw about 10 or 12 meteors in the occasional times I looked up over about 3 hours.
Come heavily dressed (hits freezing before midnight): I find that two shirts and a jacket plus sweat pants and windbreaker pants will keep you warm for about 3-4 hours.
To get an idea of the weather, use the Mt. Pinos Dark Sky Clock.
(I'd watch from the summit but it's gonna be colder up there.)
The most convenient airports are ITO and KOA in that order. :)
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.