Geminids 2013 - Reports

gaa_ian (Ian) · #1 12-12-2013, 11:06 PM

The best of the Geminids is almost upon us, peaking as it does this Saturday morning the 14th Dec.
As luck would have it (touch Wood) skies are clear up here in Gove NT.
I will try my luck tomorrow morning to test the waters.
I have attached a chart showing the moon heading below the horizon around 3:30 am, so a good clear hour to observe up here at least.

What have you seen of the Geminids so far, love to hear your reports as we go through the peak and out the other side. Peak rates can be as high as 120/hr !

ath (Andrew) · #2 13-12-2013, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the chart Ian, I was out for several hours last night here in Gippsland VIC and only spotted me one Geminid, it was slow moving and orange in colour with an 'arrow' head. It seemed to appear roughly from Gemini and headed NE, the moonlight was still interfering a bit as it was about 30 mins before the moon had completely set. I might set the alarm for 3am and take a look again this morning (which leaves me with about 3hrs to sleep!

) Goodnight IIS!

gaa_ian (Ian) · #3 13-12-2013, 08:49 AM

Good on you Andrew !
I got up for about 15min at 3:30am and saw about 6 Geminids, which is a good sign for tomorrow morning.

gaa_ian (Ian) · #4 14-12-2013, 08:26 AM

This mornings Geminids peak was spectacular

from 3:30am to 4:50am we saw 101 Geminids.
Along with 2 other members of Gove Astronomers at a dark site on the beach with a good clear N - NW horizon.
When the Geminids came they were, as is often the case with meteor shower in batchs, with their often being 3 or 4 meteors in a 10 second or so timeframe.
There were 2 bright fireballs, with one so bright behind us that it lit the ground momentarily .... WOW !
The number seen, dispite the scattered sea cu's drifting over worked out at a rate of 75/ hr.
This is easily the best meteor shower of the year & luckily the early start to the wet in November has faded away for now.
What did you see ?

seeker372011 (Narayan) · #5 14-12-2013, 09:04 AM

Last night..this morning.. from near Tebbutts observatory Windsor, from 230 am to 330 am sighted approximately 20

Didn't do a proper tally. Started to flash with lightning in the east so headed home, maybe missed the peak!

swannies1983 (Dan) · #6 14-12-2013, 10:57 AM

Under light polluted skies in Adelaide, I saw 20 Geminids between 3.45 and 4.45 this morning. There were 3 in a 1min space.

I'm currently at my dad's house which brings back memories as I watched many meteor showers from his backyard when I was a teenager in the late 90s and early 2000s.

dutch2 (Ingrid) · #7 14-12-2013, 04:37 PM

Dan, where in Adelaide were you?
Gawler at 4am was very cloudy.
I'm going to try again tomorrow morning.
I'd love to get some Geminids on my camera.

swannies1983 (Dan) · #8 14-12-2013, 05:58 PM

Port Adelaide region. Cloud started to spoil the view from around 4.30.

dutch2 (Ingrid) · #9 15-12-2013, 08:58 AM

I sometimes think Gawler is in a different climate zone to Adelaide.

At least we had clear skies for once, last night.
I saw a few Geminids, but think I missed the main event.

Kunama · #10 15-12-2013, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dutch2

I sometimes think Gawler is in a different climate zone to Adelaide.

At least we had clear skies for once, last night.
I saw a few Geminids, but think I missed the main event.

At least you saw some Geminids Ingrid, I got up again to find the clouds covering the entire view from my place.

I have to stop buying new gear to rid me of this curse.
(I lived in Gawler in '77, at that time it was in a different century as well

.... I did enjoy the pie floaters at the old Gawler Pub ... built the Drs Surgery at One Tree Hill at that time)

swannies1983 (Dan) · #11 15-12-2013, 10:13 AM

Woke up to clear skies at 3.30 this morning. Saw 5 meteors, only 2 of them were Geminids, from 3.40 to 4.15. Was getting tired so went to bed

bobbyf (Bob) · #12 15-12-2013, 10:44 AM

Did you see the really long bright one at about 3.50am? (Low heading East)
It was that long that I had time to jump up out of my chair to follow it behind an obstruction to see it brighten more and then break up. It had orange and green colour in it too. I only saw 3 ( the missus saw more as I was setting up her chair and getting blankets though) but this one was probably the best meteor I've ever seen, and was well worth getting up for.
Cheers

Bob

Suzy · #13 15-12-2013, 10:45 AM

From 1.40am to 4am: I only got 10.

My worst Geminids experience in the 3 years I've been watching it.

And seems manyof my Aussie fb buddies saw around the same numbers.

I only saw one bright quick one. Two of them very faint and out of the corner of my eye. But all the rest were short and quick.

Spotted 3 satellites- the last one was a doozy- it was the ISS. It was at 3.53am rising under and passing next to Jupiter low on the western horizon NW heading SE, and as bright as Jupiter. I spotted more bats flying low above my head than meteors grrrr. I had my cat cuddled up with me in the blankets on the banana lounge and she was entertained by them

. A possum broke a branch & fell off the tree and made a hell of a thud on the shed next door. So that and the bright satellite were my highlights.

No smoking trails and no fireballs.

This is how long it took for meteor action....

RESULTS:
1.50am: 1
2.30am: 1 (that’s 40mins time lapsed!)
By 3am nabbed another2- making that 4 all up.
By 4am nabbed another 6.

EXTRAS:
2 sporadic meteors.

ZeroID (Brent) · #14 16-12-2013, 11:18 AM

Auckland, 3:00 am till 3:45 Sunday morning. Counted 8. Two nice long streaks and one with a distinct flash at the end of the trail as it exploded I guess. All quite slow moving compared to meteors I ve seen previously.
The long streaks gave me about 2 secs of visibilty, 25*-35 * of travel.