A week after what can be a spectacular Geminid’s show, the Northern Hemisphere has Ursid’s meteor shower. The meteor shower commences on December 17th and finishes December 26th and peaks around December solstice on December 22nd. Up to 10 meteors per hour can be seen from the constellation Ursa Minor and with the waxing crescent moon setting in the early evening there will be dark skies.

The Ursids Meteor shower is caused by debris left over from Tuttle’s Comet as Earth orbits through it. Tuttle’s Comet next perihelion is due August 27, 2021.

*Perihelion is the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid or comet that is nearest to the sun. It is the opposite of aphelion, which is the point farthest from the sun

Geminid’s meteors are slow with prominent trails which have reliable volumes producing 50 or more meteors per hour, however, this meteor shower is intensifying year by year and there have been recordings of 120 - 160 per hour, specifically over 250 in 2014! Thankfully this year we have a near New moon, so weather permitting this could be a sensational show. The peak time will be high up in the sky, approx 2-3 AM with the radiant point just right of Pollux.

There is the possibility for a stunning portrait styled photograph of the Orion constellation with Geminid’s meteor shower raining down above it.

The Geminid’s meteor shower is debris from object 3200 Phaethon which is thought to be a Palladian asteroid. Object 3200 Phaethon is one of only two known meteor showers caused by asteroid orbits, and not a comet, the other being Quadrantids.

In 1966 the Leonids produced a jaw-dropping rate of thousands of meteors per minute, over 15 minutes. Nowadays, the peak meteor activity count is approx 15 on November 17th with the radiant point within Leo’s constellation.

The moon will be a waxing-crescent and there will be no illumination from it, therefore we will have dark skies.

Heres hoping for even 10% of the show from 1966!

Leonids meteor shower occurs when Earth orbits through debris left from the Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. In 2031 Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle will return to orbit the Sun.

The Orionids Meteor Shower occurs from Oct 2nd - Nov 7th, however, the peak will be on October 20th - October 21st where we can expect between 10 to 20 meteors per hour. Orionids Radiant point will appear low on the horizon approx 22:00 and will continue to rise in the sky. The radiant point will reach its highest point in the sky approx 3 AM and will be positioned to the left from the stunning Orion Constellation.
A few hours before and after 3 AM should hopefully present us with the best display, and as always Orionids can surprise as with bright fireballs! This will surely give the potential for some fantastic photos between 3 AM - 7 AM.

This is the second meteor shower of the year that was due to Halley’s Comet leaving debris in Earths orbit. The other meteor shower caused by Halley’s Comet was Eta Aqaurids back in May.

Halley’s Comet orbits the Sun every 74-79 years and was last seen in 1986. In 1986, Halley’s comet had an apparent magnitude 2.1, however, if Halley’s comet returns during the predicted date of July 2061- July 2062 it will be on the same side of the Sun as Earth, this will make observation much better than in 1986 and will have a magnitude of -0.3.

Draconid Meteor Shower

The Draconid Meteor shower can be somewhat of a sleeper show, displaying as little as a few Meteor trails an hour. However, in the past, the Dragon has awoken with as many as a few hundred meteors an hour! Unlike many Meteor showers, Draconid is at its highest Radiant point in the early hours of the evening, therefore be ready before dark.

Thankfully there is still plenty to photograph or observe after the initial meteor shower period. Mars rises from East at 19:00 and will have a magnitude -2.58, it will continue heading West where it will set approx 7 AM.

Jupiter and Saturn will be viewable approx 19:00 from the South and will set in the South West at approx 22:45. These Planets could potentially be photographed with the Milky Way and Draconids Radiant point between 20:00-21:00.

I will personally focus on wide-angle photos from 19:00 up to 21:00. After that, the moon will rise and it will illuminate areas of the sky making meteor viewing a little more difficult. Of course, the most vibrant meteor trails may still be seen, but I would expect these to be few and far between unless the dragon awakes!

The South and North Taurids Meteor shower can be frustrating due to the volume of meteors per hour, yet it can be one of the most rewarding if you are fortunate enough to catch a night where it displays a high percentage of fireballs!

The Meteor showers, in fact, start way back on September 10th and lasts until December 10th, however, it is difficult to predict a peak for the Taurids.

You can see around 5 meteors an hour, and although this may not be many compared to most meteor showers the South and North Taurid showers can be quite special due to fireballs.

Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid Meteor shower is possibly one of the best, if not the best show in town when it comes to Meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere. We can expect the Perseid Meteor shower to reach its peak on the night of the 11th leading into the dawn of the 12th. During the peak, it is possible to see 100 meteor trails per hour, although be aware that this year’s event is during the last quarter moon, therefore expect that number to be less due to fainter meteor trails being too dim against the illumination of the moon.

The Radiant point (best viewable point) is in the Northern East/East part of the sky, although Perseid Meteor shower has been known to have meteors coming from all over the night sky.

Around 23:30 a small window of opportunity will be available for a photo (as per above) of the Milky Way, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Mars and Jupiter will be particularly bright at magnitudes of -1.33 and -2.67 respectively. If you are fortunate you may get a shot of everything including some beautiful vibrant meteor trails!

Between April 26th and May 3rd, Venus will be at greatest illuminated extent, this means that for this period Venus will be brighter than any time of this year. Venus magnitude will be a brilliant -4.73, however, Venus will slowly decline in magnitude after this period.

On April 26th Venus and the last quarter Moon will be nicely positioned for photographing. The last quarter moon will be 55% visible while Venus will be positioned slightly 2 o’clock from the moon.

Crescent moon meets Venus

Starting in the West and setting in the North West, the moon and Venus will be within wide-angle lens distance and should give the opportunity for a good photo. On the first day, the moon will be lower than venues and on the last day, the roles will be reversed.

THE LYRIDS METEOR SHOWER

This year, the Lyrids meteor shower will have dark skies due to no Moon in the sky.

The Lyrids Meteor Shower will peak on April 21st into the morning of April 22nd and will be viewable in both hemispheres. We can expect 10-20 meteors per hour, although history has shown on rare occasions the expected number can be exceeded, so fingers crossed!

To locate the radiant point (best viewable spot) of the Lyrid Meteor Shower look North East and identify the bright stars Deneb and Vega in the sky, look right from Vega and with luck, you will see the trails of Meteors as they aerodynamically heat up at speeds of 25,000mph (11km/sec) - 160,000mph (72km/sec)!

The Meteor shower occurs yearly due to debris that has been left in direct line of Earth’s orbit from the comet Thatcher, which takes 415 years to orbit the Sun. Thatcher will be viewable from Earth in the year 2276.

To observe this event in all its beauty try to move away from light polluted areas such as cities and towns. Ensure to wrap up warm and have a nice thick blanket with a pillow/cushion and lay down on the ground or car, preferably with a love one or friends and enjoy the show with a beer or hot beverage!

Waning moon meets Planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars

In the South-East during pre-dawn hours the moon can be seen orbiting from right to left, starting as a waning moon on April 14th to a waning crescent moon on April 17th. It will pass by closely to Jupiter, Saturn and Mars and will be positioned to the right of Jupiter on day 1 and will finish to the left of Mars by day 4. This will undoubtedly offer fantastic photo opportunities each day, with the potential to include the Milky Way, weather permitting. For best observation move away from light polluted areas such as cities and towns and observe in dark areas.

THE SUPERMOON

April’s full moon, also known as the pink moon will be at perigee, the closest point to Earth during its elliptical orbit. The moon will appear larger during this phase, and if you choose to gaze or photograph at moonrise, or moonset, the moon will appear even larger due to it’s proximity to the horizon, this is due to an optical illusion.

The moonrise and moonset should appear red-tinted or orange-tinted at low altitudes. This is caused by light being absorbed and scattered in the Earth’s densest atmospheric layer known as the troposphere (where we live). The scattering and absorption of shorter wavelengths of light (purple, blue, green) cause our retinas to only see the longer wavelengths of light (Yellow, Orange, Red), hence the moons tinted appearance.

VENUS AND PLEIADES CONJUNCTION

The Planet Venus and Pleiades Star Cluster conjunction occurs every 8 Earth calendar years and will take place on the 3rd April, Venus passes 0.27 degrees south of Alcyone, however, 2nd April and 4th April are also good a time as any to gaze or photograph this spectacular event.

Future conjunction dates are below and if we are fortunate enough 2028 and 2036 will be closest and best viewing!

April 3, 2020: Venus passes 0.27 degrees south of Alcyone
April 4, 2028: Venus passes 0.10 degrees south of Alcyone
April 4, 2036: Venus passes 0.07 degrees north of Alcyone
April 5, 2044: Venus passes 0.25 degrees north of Alcyone
April 5, 2052: Venus passes 0.45 degrees north of Alcyone
April 6, 2060: Venus passes 0.67 degrees north of Alcyone
April 7, 2068: Venus passes 0.92 degrees north of Alcyone
April 9, 2076: Venus passes 1.18 degrees north of Alcyone
April 11, 2084: Venus passes 1.50 degrees north of Alcyone
April 16, 2092: Venus passes 1.87 degrees north of Alcyone

The Eta Aquarids is arguably the Northern hemispheres best meteor shower displaying anything from 10-40 meteors per hour. Although this figure doesn’t seem that high compared to some of the bigger meteor showers, Eta Aquarids can for a few days before and after the peak continue to rain down meteors making it a good opportunity for those that can’t make the predicted peak date during the morning of 5th May.

One thing to note, there is an almost full moon in the sky for most of the night, and although it is positioned opposite to the Meteor Shower, orbiting SW to W, the fainter meteors may not be viewable due to the illumination in the sky.

The radiant point will rise into the sky from the East at approx 3 AM and will vanish around 5 AM due to sunrise. Despite the radiant point being low in the sky, it is possible you will see some meteors before the radiant point appears above the horizon, however, the best viewing should be the 2 hours leading up to dawn.

The meteors are debris that was left in Earth’s orbit from Halley’s comet which orbits the Sun every 74-79 years and was last seen 1986. In 1986, Halley’s comet had an apparent magnitude 2.1, however, if Halley’s comet returns during the predicted date of July 2061 - July 2062 it will be on the same side of the Sun as Earth, this will make observation much better than in 1986 and will have a magnitude of -0.3.