Shortly before the new year, NASA released a list of the most active and easily observed meteor showers for 2014. The Quadrantids have already arrived, but there’s still plenty to see: the Lyrids and the Eta Aquariids in April-May, the Southern Delta Aquariids in July-August, and of course our old friends the Geminids that Les wrote about in 2012.
The Geminids are typically one of the best and most reliable of the annual meteor showers. This shower is considered one of the best opportunities for younger viewers who don’t stay up late, because it gets going around 9 or 10 pm local time. This year, the last quarter moon will rise around midnight, making the prime time for viewing the first half of the night.
I never have much luck seeing the Lyrids, but this year I have a good feeling about them.
Ozone Hole Watch: Southern ozone map for 29 November 2014
The comet of the hour: Rosetta
Fruity planets
What if the Moon was only 1 pixel large?
Rare northern lights captured in UK
The millions of birds that block out the sun
Video: Colima volcano erupts in Mexico
Deep-sea Anglerfish Caught On Video
That Toxic Blue Glow: Noctiluca Scintillans
Depression Deception of 2009
Study shows Antarctica affected by Global Warming?
After Hurricane Sandy
The quest to find silence on Earth
Brazil Enforcing Sugar Cane Ban