Every December, the sky will stage a "night sky fireworks" - Gemini meteor shower . This year, the meteor shower will usher in a huge magnitude today (December 14), with the best observation time from night to 23:00 on the 14th.
happens to be sunny in Suzhou these two days, and citizens can choose places with less light pollution to watch with their naked eyes. Fortunately, this Gemini meteor shower will be extremely big at 21:00 tomorrow. Everyone can make wishes to the meteor without staying up late!
Perseid meteor shower /photo by Liu Junda
As the most trusted meteor shower every year, Gemini meteor shower never loses its appointment, and the traffic is not disappointing. It is known as the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere, together with the quadrant meteor showers in January each year and the Perseid meteor showers in August. Its distinctive features are whiter, slow and bright Fire Meteor , with a long period of maximum duration, which is suitable for direct observation of the naked eye and astrophotography.
Liu Junda, deputy secretary-general of Suzhou Astronomical Society, told Suzhou reporters that this year's Gemini meteor shower active period starts from December 4th to end from the 17th, and the maximum period is expected to occur at 21:00 on December 14th, with an hourly 150 zenith flow.
zenith traffic is also called "ZHR", which refers to the number of meteors that an observer can see per hour in the best conditions such as cloudless sky and radiating points in the zenith. Liu Junda explained that according to the current forecast time point for the extremely large meteors, if the above conditions are met, you can see about 70 meteor showers every hour. Even in urban areas with light pollution, the probability of citizens seeing meteors with their own eyes is very high.
Figure/December 14 20:10 Gemini meteor shower radiation point diagram
As time goes by, the radiation point is rising higher and higher, and the observation conditions are getting better and better. By the great time of forecasting, for Suzhou area, the height of the radiation point can reach about 30 degrees. At 22:15 in the moonrise time in Suzhou, the height angle of the radiation point is about 45 degrees at that time. "Citizens can observe from darkness on December 14 until before dawn on the early morning of the 15th, and the observation time can be as long as about 10 hours." Liu Junda said.
How to observe this meteor shower? Liu Junda reminds that observing meteor showers is like observing starry sky, both need to go to places that are far away from light pollution and have a wide field of view. "If conditions permit, it is recommended that you go to the suburbs for observation; if in the city, try to choose places that avoid direct light, such as where you can usually look up and see a lot of stars, and you can also see meteor showers." Liu Junda pointed out that the direction of the meteors appears is not fixed, and you can catch them by looking quietly at the sky. In addition, when observing meteor showers at night, you should pay attention to keeping cold and warm.
