{"id":18706,"date":"2017-12-13T19:49:16","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T11:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/its-prime-time-for-the-geminid-meteor-shower-with-partly-cloudy-skies-in-forecast\/"},"modified":"2017-12-13T19:49:16","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T11:49:16","slug":"its-prime-time-for-the-geminid-meteor-shower-with-partly-cloudy-skies-in-forecast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/its-prime-time-for-the-geminid-meteor-shower-with-partly-cloudy-skies-in-forecast\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s prime time for the Geminid meteor shower, with partly cloudy skies in forecast"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_217276\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-217276\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-217276\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151213-geminids-630x438.jpg\" alt=\"Geminid\" width=\"630\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151213-geminids-630x438.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151213-geminids-768x534.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151213-geminids.jpg 1042w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-217276\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A streaking Geminid meteor makes an impression in an all-sky photo captured in 2011. (Credit: NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This year\u2019s Geminid meteor shower is reaching its peak, and Seattle\u2019s weather just might cooperate.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight\u2019s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a low chance of precipitation, which is unusual for a Seattle holiday season.<\/p>\n<p>That adds to the allure for this year\u2019s Geminid display, which is expected to be out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith August\u2019s Perseids obscured by bright moonlight, the Geminids will be the best shower this year,\u201d Bill Cooke, who leads NASA\u2019s Meteoroid Environment Office&nbsp;at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, said in a news release. \u201cThe thin, waning crescent moon won\u2019t spoil the show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under optimal viewing conditions, observers could spot a meteor per minute tonight. Your mileage may vary, depending on how far away you\u2019re able to get from city lights.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"2017 Geminids Will Be Dazzling!\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LapXJCJFeXQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood rates will be seen between 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 and dawn local time the morning of Dec. 14, with the most meteors visible from midnight to 4 a.m. on Dec. 14, when the radiant is highest in the sky,\u201d Cooke said.<\/p>\n<p>The Geminid shower occurs every December when Earth plows through a ring of cosmic dust and grit left behind by a weird celestial object called Phaeton.&nbsp;\u201cPhaethon\u2019s nature is debated,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cIt\u2019s either a near-Earth asteroid or an extinct comet, sometimes called a rock comet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Flecks of grit burn up in the high reaches of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, leaving ionized trails. Those trails appear to emanate from a spot in the constellation Gemini, which gives the meteor shower its name.<\/p>\n<p>A couple of years ago, we put together a list of&nbsp;top five places for Seattle meteor-watchers, and although the occasion for the original list was the Perseids, the lineup works just as well for the Geminids.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight the Seattle Astronomical Society is planning a \u201cGeminid Meteor Shower Watch\u201d at Snoqualmie Point Park, just off Interstate 90 at Exit 27 near North Bend, from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. PT. Local astronomers will be on hand to help skywatchers maximize their meteor-viewing experience. If history is any guide, parking will be a challenge.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_217277\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-217277\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-217277\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151212-gem-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151212-gem-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151212-gem-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151212-gem-1240x698.jpg 1240w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151212-gem.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-217277\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geminid meteors appear to diverge from a point in the constellation Gemini, as shown here. Don\u2019t expect to see several meteors at once: This chart is meant only to show the meteors diverging from the radiant point. (Credit: Gregg Dinderman \/ Sky &amp; Telescope)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here are a few additional viewing tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bring a lounge chair, blanket or sleeping bag and find a comfortable position for looking up into the night sky. Geminids seem to radiate from Gemini, but they can appear anywhere in the heavens.<\/li>\n<li>Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark, and don\u2019t expect to see fireworks. Don\u2019t gaze into the glare of your smartphone if you can help it. Bring a flashlight so you can walk safely to your viewing spot, but be mindful of others.<\/li>\n<li>Consider taking along snacks and a thermos of coffee or some other energizing beverage to keep you alert during the pre-dawn hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the forecast turns cloudy, you can still get a taste of the Geminid goodies by tuning in to NASA Marshall\u2019s Ustream channel&nbsp;starting at sunset, or by checking out the Slooh virtual observatory\u2019s webcast starting at 6 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n<p><em>This report was originally published at 4:58 p.m. PT Dec. 8 and has been updated for the peak night of Dec. 13-14.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A streaking Geminid meteor makes an impression in an all-sky photo captured in 2011. (Credit: NASA) This year\u2019s Geminid meteor shower is reaching its peak, and Seattle\u2019s weather just might cooperate. Tonight\u2019s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a low chance of precipitation, which is unusual for a Seattle holiday season. That adds to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5298,4919,4599,4378],"class_list":["post-18706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-geminids","tag-meteor-showers","tag-meteors","tag-skywatching"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18706\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}