News / Education
Astronomy.FM Hosts Radio Broadcasts & Live Online Viewing for Global Meteorwatch Event
Astronomy.FM will broadcast live and share a number of online observing opportunities for amateur astronomers around the world to participate in the #MeteorWatch Twitter event.
The "Geminids" meteor shower, one of the year's best meteor showers, gets its name because it appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini. Northern hemisphere observers may see Geminid meteors as early as December 6, with the peak of 120-160 meteors per hour occuring the night of December 13/14. The last Geminids may be seen as late as December 18, at aa rate of one every hour or so. Because of their location, Southern hemisphere observers may be able to see possibly 20 meteors per hour coming up from the northern horizon during the peak.
Initiated by the Newbury Astronomical Society in the UK, this IYA2009 global event will follow the showers as Gemini moves through the sky from December 12-14. On Sunday night (December 13/14), Astronomy.FM will host MeteorWatch Central, featuring the latest Twitter #MeteorWatch conversation and images, live telescope imaging from Global-Rent-A-Scope's New Mexico and Australia facilities, meteor radar listening, all-sky cams, and more!
AFM*Radio will also feature meteor and comet themed programming, including live call-in updates from the Newbury Astronomical Society and an audio/visual presentation, "When Planets and Particles Collide!"
A "meteor" is the visible path of a meteoroid entering the Earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids are debris in our solar system, often coming from comets. Most meteors are created by the vaporization of pebble-sized meteoroids as they enter Earth's atmosphere. A "meteor shower" is when a number of meteors are observed to radiate from a particular point in the night sky. The International Meteor Association provides an annual calendar of meteor showers, including maps and descriptions.
Follow the links at Astronomy.FM and follow #MeteorWatch on Twitter to participate in this International Year of Astronomy live event!
