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Another One Returns to the Stars

Sir Patrick Moore, well-known in Britain as an astronomer and broadcaster, died today at his home. (Here is the official BBC obituary.) He brought astronomy alive through his writing, radio, and television shows. I had several chances to meet Sir Patrick at various events throughout the years, and he always seemed to be a kind man, a bit eccentric, and with a phenomenal memory. After the first chance meeting with him, I didn’t see Sir Patrick for a few years, but acquired several of his books and thoroughly enjoyed them. The next time we met, he reminded me of where we’d met and what we had chatted about. He will be sorely missed, but I’m sure he’ll live on through his “Sky at Night” program, and through his many books.

I’m aware that Sir Patrick also had a bit of a controversial side, with many people citing his views on immigration and other political topics as grist for the mill. It’s unfortunate that such a brilliant communicator could also hold closed-minded opinions, but then again, people are complex. I don’t condone his views on women and immigrants, but I do salute his amazing accomplishments in communicating astronomy. Perhaps that will be his best and final legacy.

Sir Patrick’s passing also brings to mind another science popularizer, Dr. Carl Sagan. He died on December 20, 1996, far too soon. He was MY inspiration to take up astronomy and to communicate it to others, as was Sir Patrick Moore. There are many of us out there sharing the stars with others, and digging deeply into the secrets of the cosmos, all because of these two people.

If you have the chance, check out “Sky at Night” and “Cosmos”, two works by these phenomenally gifted astronomers.Let them continue to inspire you, even as their creators have moved on. If they succeed, it’s the best tribute to their unceasing work to share the cosmos.

The Geminids

Right now, Earth is passing through a swarm of particles shed by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon as it moves through its orbit in the solar system. As we encounter the stream, many of the particles get swept into our atmosphere and get vaporized as they pass through. We see that action as meteors flashing across the sky. They appear to come at us from the constellation Gemini, and so this swarm of meteors is called the Geminid Meteor Shower. Earth entered the stream on December 6th, so you should be able to see some meteors each night through about the 18th of the month. The peak of the Geminids is later this week, on December 13/14.

GEMINIDS S&T — Where to look for the Geminids. Courtesy *Sky & Telescope* (www.SkyandTelescope.com)

According to a story released by the good folks at Sky & Telescope, the skies should be good and dark for the shower since we’ll be at new moon. If you have good viewing conditions, you can expect to see perhaps one or two meteors (shooting stars) a minute from 10 p.m. Thursday night until dawn on Friday the 14th.

Meteor observing couldn’t be easier. Just find a good dark spot outside (and be sure to dress warmly —you could be out there a while) and find the constellation Gemini. Then, you wait for streaks of light to race across the sky, mostly radiating from Gemini — but they can appear anywhere. You will be able to see small flashes of light and if you’re lucky, maybe some bright ones will flare across the sky.

As you see these meteors, notice the colors in their trails — particularly if you’re lucky enough to see a fairly good-sized flash. These colors come from the materials in the meteor as it gets vaporized by friction with Earth’s atmosphere. Most meteor flashes will look white or blue-white.

One of the most interesting things about this shower is that it’s one of two showers caused by particles of rock from an asteroid. Most other meteor showers come from materials shed by comets as they round the Sun and Earth’s orbit intersects their paths.

If you get a chance, check this one out. It’s likely to be one of the best meteor showers of the year , so let’s hope the weather is good for all of us to go meteor-hunting!

The Spacewriter's Ramblings

Sir Patrick Moore, 1923-2012

Another One Returns to the Stars

December’s Meteor Shower

The Geminids

Exploring Science and the Cosmos