Geminid meteor shower in 2022 dazzled sky watchers with bright fireballs (photos)
One of the most spectacular meteor showers this year peaked tonight and keen skywatchers from around the world managed to capture the spectacle, though some complained that bad weather spoiled their views.
Gemini It is the second richest meteor shower of the year, surpassed only by August Perseids. The product of debris from an unusual asteroid 3200 PhaethonGemini meteor At its peak showers can produce up to 120 shooting stars per hour. When the skies are clear, skywatchers can catch up to two meteors per minute during the peak, which fell this year on the night of December 13th.
In California, photographer Typhoon Coskun captured some beautiful shooting star lines over a shipwreck at Point Reyes, the skeleton of a fishing boat stranded on a sandbar near the small town of Inverness about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of San Francisco. Other skywatchers captured their shots against other stunning backgrounds.
Related: 2022-23 meteor showers: Where, when and how to see them
Photographer Paula Courette shared an adorable shot on Twitter showing a starry sky showing the Great Red Spot of Mars and a meteorite streak cutting through the image right next to it.
Corrett said tweet.
A little condensation on the lens added a little shine to Mars when a meteor flew by. #geminids #azwx pic.twitter.com/998n15Qw6qDecember 14, 2022
Another photographer, Frankie Lucena, shared a clip that shows a bright streak of light crossing the dark sky near the Lajas Aerostat radar station in Puerto Rico.
“Geminid meteorite near Lajas Aerostat encounters SE of Cabo Rojo, PR,” Lucena chirp.
Geminid meteorite near Lajas Aerostat encounters SE from Cabo Rojo, PR. @adamonzondeborahTiempoweatherchannelamsmeteors #GeminidMeteorShower #GeminidsIMOmeteorsSPACEdotcom @NASAeMeteorNewsmeteordoc pic.twitter.com/uXsCdCpItEDecember 14, 2022
A Twitter user named WonderPixel shared footage from two cameras on the web showing a meteor shining at night in Maine. said the user This was the second catch in two consecutive nights.
“Wow, I got another meteor on camera tonight here at http://FreeportMaineWebcam.com. Two days in a row! It’s aimed at Harpswell, two cameras caught it,” the user wrote.
Wow, I got another meteor on camera tonight here at https://t.co/SldgGkDZRH. Two days in a row! She’s aiming for Harpswell, and she’s picked up by two cameras. #Meteorshower #meteorspottedSarahLongWMTWcolleenhurleywxspannStormHourMet_CindyFitzTodd_Gutner pic.twitter.com/U2M5qxj5vYDecember 14, 2022
Not everyone who was watching took pictures, but many still enjoyed the show.
Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski counted 15 meteors in just half an hour and despite less-than-perfect observing conditions.
“Despite the brightness of the waning moon and some fluffy clouds, I saw 15 meteors in about 30 minutes. Nothing was terribly bright,” Piotrowski tweeted.
Several amateur radio operators have been able to detect the signal of passing space rocks Earth’s atmosphere on their devices, according to fans of ham radio and podcasters Brice Foster.
However, some observers were less fortunate because their view was obstructed by clouds. A Twitter user has been called out in Detroit Delmenico Primo He said:
“Looks like Mother Nature would block my view of any #Geminids tonite. I went out for a few hours, catching a veiled look at the brightest objects (Mars, Betelgeuse, and Capella in that first shot), but the clouds are now making their way.”
The same was true of Florida’s Jon Van Horn: “Did you see any #Geminids tonight from Space Coast, FL?! YA! Neither did I.” Van Horn he said in a tweet accompanied by a photo of the dusk sky.
Geminids will continue until December 17, but the frequency of meteors will drop sharply. The next big meteor shower will be Ursidswhich will culminate on December 22.
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