WEEKEND METEORS: Earth is entering a stream of debris from extinct comet 3200 Phaethon, and this is causing the annual Geminid meteor shower. The shower is expected to peak on Dec. 13th and 14th. Normally, as many as 100 meteors per hour shoot out of the constellation Gemini, but this year a bright Moon will interfere with the display, reducing hourly counts to only 20 or so. That’s could still be a nice show. For best results, watch the sky from 10 pm local time on Saturday night (Dec 13th) until dawn on Sunday morning (Dec. 14th).

BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR: The Moon that’s causing trouble for the Geminid display happens to be biggest full Moon of 2008, as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons we’ve been earlier this year. An astronomer would say this is a “perigee Moon” because it occurs at perigee, the side of the Moon’s elliptical orbit closest to Earth. Go outside tonight and take a look. The meteor rate may be low, but the lunar beauty index is off the charts.

IRIDIUM FLARES. Tomorrow night you also will be able to witness two very bright Iridium flares when you live in within 20 miles of Covington. Iridium 94 will flare with a magnitude of -5.6 at Azimuth=269.6° W altitude= 19.5° in constellation Ophiuchus at 17:33:50h and if this is too early to see, Iridium 29 will flare with Magnitude=-5.3mag at Azimuth=271.2° W and altitude= 16.6° in constellation Ophiuchus at 17:47:12h

If you have a few minutes step out and enjoy this.
Theo Ramakers