DEAN: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS.

I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI
OBSERVATORY.

JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE
KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE

FLORIDA.

THIS WEEK, WERE GOING TO ANSWER A QUESTION
FROM ONE OF OUR VIEWERS.

JOHN ZIMMERMAN OF NEW JERSEY.

WRITES: DEAR STAR GAZERS.

IVE SEEN A LOT OF METEOR SHOWERS AND I ALWAYS
WONDERED, WHY ARE SOME METEOR SHOWERS BETTER

THAN OTHERS?

DEAN: EXCELLENT QUESTION, JOHN!

THIS WEEK OUR PLANET EARTH WILL INTERSECT
WITH THE PATH OF AN ASTEROID NAMED 3200 PHAETHON

AND WE'RE USUALLY TREATED TO WHAT CAN BE A
VERY GOOD METEOR SHOWER.

JAMES: HOWEVER, THIS YEAR, OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOR
IN SPACE IS GOING TO RUIN SOME OF THE FUN.

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

LET'S SHOW YOU!

JAMES: TO ANSWER JOHNS QUESTION, A METEOR
SHOWER OCCURS WHENEVER OUR EARTH RIDES DIRECTLY

INTO A STREAM OF SPACE DEBRIS AND THE LITTLE
PIECES OF DEBRIS SLAM INTO OUR EARTH'S UPPER

ATMOSPHERE AND PRODUCE VISIBLE STREAKS OF
LIGHT.

WE CALL THESE STREAKS OF LIGHT, METEORS (OR
SHOOTING STARS).

DEAN: YOU SEE, EVERY TIME A COMET PAYS A VISIT
TO THE SUN, IT SHEDS PART OF ITSELF.

AND EVENTUALLY, AS THE COMET MAKES A LOT OF
TRIPS TO THE SUN, THE ENTIRE ORBIT OF THE

COMET GETS LITTERED WITH COMET DEBRIS.

AND WHENEVER OUR EARTH CROSSES A WELL-LITTERED
COMETARY ORBIT, WE GET HIT WITH THIS STUFF,

AND EXPERIENCE WHAT WE CALL A METEOR SHOWER.

JAMES: THE METEOR SHOWER WERE EXPERIENCING
NEXT WEEK IS THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER AND

BACK IN 1983 IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE OBJECT
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER

IS NOT AN ORDINARY COMET BUT AN ASTEROID OR
PERHAPS BETTER NAMED A ROCK COMET.

DEAN: AFTER A COMET HAS MADE A LOT OF TRIPS
TO THE SUN, ALL ITS SNOW AND ICE EVENTUALLY

MELT AWAY, AND ONLY A SOLID CORE IS LEFT.

WE THEN CALL THAT SOLID COMET CORE AN ASTEROID,
SINCE IT'S NO LONGER CAPABLE OF PRODUCING

A COMETARY DISPLAY.

JAMES: THEREFORE, WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING
HERE IS DEBRIS FROM A COMET SO OLD AND WORN

OUT THAT IT NO LONGER HAS THE STUFF TO PUT
ON ALL THE SHOW AND WONDER OF A BRILLIANT

COMET HEAD WITH A LONG TAIL OF GAS AND DUST,
SUCH AS COMET HALE-BOPP.

SO, WHILE WE WILL NEVER, EVER AGAIN SEE A
BRILLIANT COMET ASSOCIATED WITH THE GEMINID

METEOR SHOWER, WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE
THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER ITSELF; WHICH IS

ONE OF THE TWO BEST METEOR SHOWERS OF THE
YEAR, THE AUGUST PERSEIDS USUALLY COMING IN

AS NUMBER ONE.

JAMES: THIS YEAR THE PEAK OF THE SHOWER WILL
OCCUR ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 13TH, AFTER DARK

RIGHT THROUGH TO SUNRISE, WEDNESDAY MORNING
DECEMBER 14TH.

HOWEVER, UNLIKE PREVIOUS YEARS, THIS YEAR
MIGHT BE A WASH OUT ON THE NIGHT OF THE PEAK

BECAUSE OF OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOR IN SPACE.

DEAN: THATS RIGHT JAMES.

OUR EVER-POPULAR AND LOVELY NATURAL SATELLITE,
THE MOON, WILL BE IN A BOTHERSOME LOCATION

IN ITS ORBIT THIS TIME AROUND.

IT WILL BE IN THE WANING GIBBOUS PHASE, WHICH
WILL PUT IT ABOVE THE HORIZON DURING THE BEST

PART OF THE SHOWER.

JAMES: FORTUNATELY, THE GEMINIDS IS SUCH A
DENSE METEOR SHOWER THAT IT USUALLY PUTS ON

A GOOD SHOW FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS BEFORE AND
AFTER THE PEAK.

SO BEGINNING AS EARLY AS DECEMBER 7TH TO AS
LATE AS DECEMBER 21ST, YOU CAN SEE QUITE A

FEW METEORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SHOWER, WITHOUT
INTERFERENCE BY THE MOON.

DEAN: SO, TO FINISH ANSWERING JOHNS QUESTION,
THIS IS A MAJOR REASON WHY SOME METEOR SHOWERS

ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS.

ALTHOUGH THE TIMING OF THE PEAK OF THE METEOR
SHOWER STAYS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME EVERY YEAR,

THE PHASE OF THE MOON IS ALWAYS DIFFERENT
ON THE SAME DATE EACH YEAR.

JAMES: THEREFORE, IF YOUR METEOR SHOWER IS
RUINED BY A FULL MOON ON DECEMBER 13TH ONE

YEAR, A YEAR OR SO LATER, THE MOON WILL BE
IN A WAXING PHASE ON THAT SAME DATE, PUTTING

IT BELOW THE HORIZON DURING THE METEOR SHOWERS
PEAK AND THUS MAKING THE FAINTER METEORS EASIER

TO SEE.

DEAN: TO WATCH THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER,
GET COMFORTABLE IN A LAWN CHAIR OR SLEEPING

BAG AND CONSTANTLY SCAN THE SKY BACK AND FORTH.

ITS GOOD TO BE FAR AWAY FROM CITY LIGHTS AND
HAVE A CLEAR DARK SKY TO CATCH THE FAINTEST

OF METEORS.

JAMES: AND AGAIN, IT HELPS IF YOU CAN GET
OUTSIDE BEFORE THE MOON COMES UP.

DEAN: SO WATCH OUR EARTH IMPACT THE REMAINS
OF AN ASTEROID OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

JAMES: AND IT WILL BE SUCH A LOVELY IMPACT,
PARTICULARLY IF YOU REMEMBER TO.

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!