# Tonite--dec 13 meteor shower 9pm cst



## greybeard (Dec 13, 2017)

Looking toward East moderately  high in the sky..to the left (north of) Orion. The Geminids Meteor shower. 
Bundle up, light a fire and make a night of it.


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## Latestarter (Dec 14, 2017)

Over many years I've gone looking for the forecast meteor showers and have seen only one: winter of 2001 standing on a high bluff on the front range in CO looking east out over the plains. There were meteors from the northern horizon to the southern coming in from east to west with multiples/second. From about 30° above the horizon to vertical right above me. I watched it in awe for more than a half hour at which point I was just too cold to continue standing outside to watch. The temp that night was single digits, windy, and not a bit of moisture in the air. So I got in my truck and went back home. I've never seen anything to compare before or since. I'd sure like to.

Tonight I sat in the spa for an hour and saw a total of 3 for sure and possibly 2 others through tree branches out of the corner of my eye that may have been or may not have. All 3 looked more like space junk re-entering the atmosphere rather than comet dust or true meteors. 1 was headed north, one NW and only one was headed west. When I got out of the spa and dried, I went out front where it's darker/less light and more exposed sky and saw 4 for sure, 3 of which may have been meteors and one was most likely space junk. So over the span of about 1.5 hours, I saw 7 for sure streaks across the heavens. More than normal I suppose but hardly qualifies as a meteor "shower" to me...

Maybe they got the time wrong?

As an aside, I did get to see the Hale Bop comet in its full glory while driving east across the desert in I think it was Arizona... And also from the deck of the USS John F. Kennedy at sea off the east coast. This was in early 1997 over a period of several months. When away from any light sources the tail stretched across almost the entire sky. Another thing I've never seen before that or since, but would love to.


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