Meteor Section Blog
Viewing the 2024 Ursid Meteor Shower
12/20/2024
Ursid Meteor
Wade Earle captured these Ursids from rural eastern Oregon, USA, on the evening of December 21, 2020, when the first quarter moon illuminated the landscape. 
The Ursid meteor shower is the least observed of the major annual showers. In the northern hemisphere December nights are cold and often cloudy. Another hindrance is the fact that it peaks just before the Christmas holiday when many people are busy with holiday festivities. This shower is completely invisible from the southern hemisphere as the radiant lies too far north to be seen from south of the equator this time of year.
The Ursids are active from December 13-24 with a sharp maximum on December 22nd. The exact time of maximum activity is predicted to occur between 9-10 universal time which corresponds to 4-5am EST and 1-2am PST. This timing is highly favorable for North America. Activity is normally low away from maximum with rates less than 1 shower member per hour. At maximum activity this source normally adds 5-10 medium velocity meteors to the 15 or so that are normally seen each morning hour from dark sky sites. The moon will be near its last quarter phase and will rise near midnight local standard time on December 22nd.
At maximum, the Ursid radiant lies just west of the fairly bright (2nd magnitude) orange star known as Kochab (beta Ursae Minoris). To those not familiar with star names, this star lies in the bowl of the “Little Dipper”. This area of the sky lies lowest in the northern sky near 20:00 (8pm) local standard time. This is the worst time to view the Ursids as most of the activity will occur beyond your line of sight, below the northern horizon. As the night progresses the Ursid radiant will slowly rise higher into the northern sky and is best placed during the last dark hour before dawn. To best view this activity, it is suggested that you face toward the northern half of the sky. It doesn’t have to be directly at the radiant, but it’s a good idea to have the radiant within your field of view to help with shower association. Don’t look straight up as this is the worst place to look for meteors. Lower you view so that none of the horizon blocks your view. About halfway up in the sky is suggested for most observers.
Despite the bitter cold, try to view for at least an hour. Meteor activity is notoriously variable and if you view for only a short time, it may occur during a lull in activity. Viewing for at least an hour ensures you will see several peaks and valleys of activity. An estimate of your limiting magnitude is important in your report as it provides the sky condition during your watch.  This is easily done by counting the number of stars visible with certain areas of the sky. Charts for these areas are available at: https://www.imo.net/observations/methods/visual observation/major/observation/#table1. Areas 1, 7, and 19 on chart #3 would be the easiest to use. Using more than one area is also encouraged to provide more estimates. The conversion table is available in Table 2 on the link provided above. At least two estimates of the limiting magnitude are requested, hopefully at the beginning and end of your session. If conditions change during your session, more estimates will provide a more accurate figure for your data. Helpful tips for visual observing are also available at: https://www.imo.net/observations/methods/visual-observation/ and https://www.imo.net/observations/methods/visual - observation/major/observation/ . In order to submit your observations we suggest that you fill out an online visual form provided by the International Meteor Organization. You must register to provide your data, but there is a free option for those not wishing to subscribe to the IMO Journal. Note that not every meteor will be an Ursid. There are several minor showers also active during this period adding a few meteors to the hourly total. There are also upwards of 10 random meteors appearing each hour to add to your count. Therefore, shower association of each meteor must be included.
Feel free to also share what you saw by sending an email to me at: lunro.imo.usa@gmail.com  If you have never viewed this shower, this will be a good opportunity, especially for observers in North America.
Meteor Activity Outlook for Dec 14 to Dec 20, 2024
12/13/2024

This post discusses the expected meteor activity and lunar conditions for the upcoming week. It is focused on North American latitudes but may be used in all locations. Sky charts displaying current radiant positions are provided for early evening hours, mid-night, and the hour prior to dawn. European readers may wish to use the charts in the same article at www.imo.net for better accuracy.

To access the meteor activity outlook, click on: Meteor Activity Outlook for Dec 14 to Dec 20, 2024

We welcome hourly reports on meteor activity at: lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

Reports of individual fireballs should be filled out at: https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo/report_intro/

Meteor Activity Outlooks for observers in the southern hemisphere are available upon request at: lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

Clear Skies!

Robert Lunsford

ALPO Meteors Section Coordinator

Viewing the 2024 Geminid Meteor Shower
12/12/2024
Geminid meteor
Michel Deconinck, the assistant comet recorder for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, also loves watching meteor showers. This watercolor is his impression of the 2023 Geminid meteor shower as seen from Artignosc, Provence, France.
The Geminids in 2024 will be largely spoiled by a bright moon which reaches its full phase on December 15th. The time of maximum activity is predicted to occur anywhere from 17 Universal Time on December 13th to 1 Universal Time on the 14th. This timing favors Asia, but most of the world can see good Geminid activity on December 13 and 14. Since most Geminid meteors are faint, as well as most meteors in general, the intense moonlight will obscure at least 75 percent of the activity normally seen in years without interfering moonlight. This would mean at 2am on either morning the Geminids would produce about 15 meteors per hour.
Observers can avoid moonlight by viewing during the predawn hours after the waxing gibbous moon has set during the week prior to the 13/14 maximum. Hourly rates during this period would be 5-15 per hour, depending on the date. At this time of night the Geminid radiant will lie in the western sky, but Geminid activity can still be seen anywhere in the sky.
Geminid meteors can bee seen all night long from all over the world. Only in Antarctica, where there is 24 hours of daylight this time of year, is this display not visible. The Geminid radiant passes overhead near 2am local standard time for observers located near 30 degrees north latitude. The entire northern hemisphere gets a good view of these meteors. Conditions become less favorable in the southern hemisphere as the radiant is only visible during the morning hours from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the southern portions of South America. The radiant is also located much lower in the northern sky as seen from these southern locations.
Seeing 15 meteors per hour is stronger than most nights of the year, so if your sky is clear the effort to see these meteors is worth it. Photographers may also wish to take advantage of the illuminated landscape and try to capture bright Geminid meteors near the horizon, where they are most numerous.
There are only two more major meteors showers predicted for the "meteor season" in the northern hemisphere. The normally weak Ursids peak on December 22nd with a half-illuminated moon in the morning sky. expected hour rates would only be near 5. The Quadrantids are predicted to peak on January 3rd between 15 and 17 Universal Time which favors Alaska and extreme eastern Russia. Hawaii may be well positioned but the radiant will be much lower in the sky, hence less activity. Since there is no interfering moonlight for the Quadrantids, maximum rates could be quite strong, surpassing 60 per hour for the favored locations. The peak only lasts around 6 hours so most of the world will witness a much weaker display.
Meteor Activity Outlook for Dec 7 to Dec 13, 2024
12/6/2024

This post discusses the expected meteor activity and lunar conditions for the upcoming week. It is focused on North American latitudes but may be used in all locations. Sky charts displaying current radiant positions are provided for early evening hours, mid-night, and the hour prior to dawn. European readers may wish to use the charts in the same article at www.imo.net for better accuracy.

To access the meteor activity outlook, click on: Meteor Activity Outlook for Dec 7 to Dec 13, 2024

We welcome hourly reports on meteor activity at: lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

Reports of individual fireballs should be filled out at: https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo/report_intro/

Meteor Activity Outlooks for observers in the southern hemisphere are available upon request at: lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

Clear Skies!

Robert Lunsford

ALPO Meteors Section Coordinator

Meteor Activity Outlook for Nov 30 to Dec 6, 2024
11/29/2024

This post discusses the expected meteor activity and lunar conditions for the upcoming week. It is focused on North American latitudes but may be used in all locations. Sky charts displaying current radiant positions are provided for early evening hours, mid-night, and the hour prior to dawn. European readers may wish to use the charts in the same article at www.imo.net for better accuracy.

To access the meteor activity outlook, click on: Meteor Activity Outlook for Nov 30 to Dec 6, 2024

We welcome hourly reports on meteor activity at: lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

Reports of individual fireballs should be filled out at: https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo/report_intro/

Meteor Activity Outlooks for observers in the southern hemisphere are available upon request at: lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

Clear Skies!

Robert Lunsford

ALPO Meteors Section Coordinator