Astronomy Toadfish Nerds Unite!

[Sibling DavidH]

Fingers crossed that Sod's Law of cloud cover gives us a break for once. 

[Opsa]

We have the Leonid meteor shower coming up! According to cute calendar:

"The maximum of the Leonid activity in 2012 is expected during the night of the 17th November 2012. The Leonids are a prolific meteor shower. It tends to peak around November 17, but some are spread through several days on either side and the specific peak changing every year."

Roar!

[Sibling DavidH]

Sod's law of cloud cover is sure to apply in November.

[pieces o nine]

^  Sod's Law will not be mocked!     

[Aphos]

^  Sod's Law will not be mocked!     

But Sod's Law will mock us.

[Opsa]

Maybe if we perform an elaborate meteor shower dance we can distract Sod and get a peek at these on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

[Opsa]

There's still time for the skies to clear this weekend for the Leonids!

[Opsa]

Rats, I missed them this weekend, but apparently there's another chance tonight!

The next ones are the Geminids, December 13.

[Sibling DavidH]

The weather is predicted lousy here all week.

[Opsa]

It was partly cloudy here last night. I looked a little, but didn't catch one.

A few years ago I spotted a spectacular meteor streak around the second weekend of December, probably a Geminid. I was driving home from a show and low on the horizon appeared a long, slow, bright bar of light. At first I thought it was fireworks, but it never exploded. It was fantastic, though.

Any meteors you might see between now and mid December can be either stray Leonids or Geminids.

The Geminids are predicted to peak during a new moon this year, which (if we don't have cloud cover) will help with visibility.

[Roland Deschain]

Why is it always cloudy here whenever I want to see anything astronomical?

[Opsa]

Maybe it's just the Milky Way?

[Roland Deschain]

Maybe it's just the Milky Way?

Taken as a joke, that would be quite funny.

Unfortunately, I know the Milky Way when I see it, and that isn't it. It's bona fide cloud cover plus light pollution.

[Griffin NoName]

If it is only light pollution, it should not weigh you down.

[Opsa]

Yark, yark- sorry for the poor joke. I was demonstrating how to answer a post to someone who wants to join. I hope to see her here soon.

Geminids meteor shower is coming up December 13/14. Earthsky has an excellent page about this year's show. Apparently you can catch them either Dec 13 or 14 an hour or two after midnight, and this year it's a new moon, so there's an excellent chance to see some (unless clouds or Opsa's stinky jokes get in the way!). 50 per hour are possible if you are viewing from a place well away from the light pollution of a city, but even city dwellers may catch a few of the brighter ones.

Mark your calendars. Good luck!