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Friday, December 16, 2011

Night Walking

last week's full moon made star-watching difficult

In the winter it seems like the stars are closer to the earth; brighter; easier to see. The waning moon makes this week (and next) a good time for a night walk. Not only that – you might even see some falling stars!

According to the folks at EarthSky there should be a meteor shower peaking near Solstice. The Ursid meteor shower radiates from the bowl of the Little Dipper and should peak next Thursday and Friday, December 22 and 23. It’s a pretty sparse “peak” as meteor showers go – you might see only 10 stars streaking across the sky in an hour. Or you might luck out and see a couple a minute.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, I'll have to be on the lookout for those meteors.

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  2. But as you know, meteorites are falling all the time... I saw one the other night - it always comes as a surprise. If there aren't any clouds in the sky, you'll probably see something streak across the sky. What a great way to celebrate Solstice - with nature's fireworks.

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