The occultation of Jupiter

[jpurdy]

7 Dec 2004, Occultation & Graze of Jupiter for USA

the crescent Moon briefly hides Jupiter and can be seen from central and eastern North America
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/specia...d/index2.shtml

http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm

Just before dawn on Dec. 7, the crescent moon will cover the planet Jupiter, but this time in a dark sky.

[Tinsel Loaf]

Will this event bring peace on earth? I hope so.

[jpurdy]

most of the eastern half of the country will have cold temps, so if you are out and about it might feel peacefull.

[maxandgeorgia]

Aren't we getting close to the December meteor showers? I think these are the Leonides ??? or something like that? Anyway, these are usually spectacular viewing in a crisp cold winter night sky if you can bundle up warmly enough to stay outdoors awhile. Does anyone know the dates of these?

[Tarheel]

Remember Pearl Harbor!

[jpurdy]

found this on the net at
http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/

Date and moon phase for the major meteor showers for the coming year. The next meteor shower is the Geminids on December 13.

2004 Meteor Showers

Name Date of Peak Moon Phase

Leonids November 17 Past first quarter
Geminids December 13 New

What are meteor showers?

An increase in the number of meteors at a particular time of year is called a meteor shower.

Comets shed the debris that becomes most meteor showers. As comets orbit the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty debris stream along the comet's orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor shower. Depending on where Earth and the stream meet, meteors appear to fall from a particular place in the sky, maybe within the neighborhood of a constellation.

Meteor showers are named by the constellation from which meteors appear to fall, a spot in the sky astronomers call the radiant. For instance, the radiant for the Leonid meteor shower is located in the constellation Leo. The Perseid meteor shower is so named because meteors appear to fall from a point in the constellation Perseus.

[Stefrobrts]

A couple years ago I stayed up all night watching the Leonids, it was more like a meteor storm than a shower! The best I've ever seen! After that, all meteor showers have been kind of dull, plus you have to stay up after midnight out in the cold to watch them - brrr!

The occultation sounds cool, I saw one a couple years ago of the moon covering Saturn. Unfortunately I'm out of luck this time. Wrong side of the country!

[eljay]

Just a reminder that tonight is supposed to be the peak observation of the Geminid meteor shower. So...I'll be out in the hottub watching the Chiefs play and watching shooting stars...

[Silvertwinky]

We have a forecast of snow tonight. We hardly ever get very much this time of year but may get a couple of inches tonight. We had flurries off and on today. With the overcast and all I doubt we would have a chance of seeing anything.

[maxandgeorgia]

Eljay, we just came in from the hottub. While soaking, we watched the sky and sipped Merlot, but didn't see a single shooting star. Could it have been the Merlot? or were the meteors taking a break? Regardless, not a bad way to spend an icy December night! Guess I'll try again in an hour or so.

[eljay]

ONE, we saw one. I am not sure that one wasn't an airplane... but then I was sipping on Hermanhoff Norton (Missouri)...might be the wine...

[maxandgeorgia]

Norton. . .yum--m-m! I just came back in, cracking the icycles off as I came in the door. It's a brilliant night, but NO meteors to be seen. I am really disappointed. i know I've seen them other winters. If I ventured out again about one or two am, I'd probably see a host of them, but doubt I will! I"ve been reading the book
by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher called Wine for every day and every occasion. They share the Wall Street Journal's column called Tastings. I've become so caught up in their descriptions of wine that I proposed to Max that we spend the next week creating our Christmas gift to one another, by filling one 12 bottle wine rack with bottles we select for one another, trying wines, varieties, and vintages we have never tried before. Then we'll open one bottle each month between now and next Christmas, to stretch out the holiday season and learn about many different wines. Kind of like the fruit of the month club, but this we create ourselves. I'm kind of excited; he's kind of doubtful. We'll see how this goes More later. . .and now I've gone off the track of this celestial thread. Oops!

[jpurdy]

well I missed the Occultation due to bad weather but the current sky is clear and the temp is 30 degree.
The shower rate was at about one every 30 to 40 secs.

[Stefrobrts]

It's rare that you can sit outside for an hour and not see some shooting stars, even if it's not meteor shower time! I usually see several on an evening out watching the stars. No meteors here for us yesterday though, it was cloudy, rainy, and cold. I stayed inside and played videogames instead!

[jpurdy]

you are right.
My wife and I often go out and watch for shooting stars.
I find that after 10 pm is a good time. it is dark and quiet.