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 … [Read more...]
Protecting the Earth from meteors
Is it possible to protect the Earth from meteors? There has been a lot of talk lately about the possibility of sending space craft into outer space with the expressed purpose of finding and destroying possible impact meteors, but can it really be done? About 65 million years ago – give or take a few years – the dinosaurs could only look on as a streak of light hurdled closer … [Read more...]
Geminid Meteor Shower
The Geminid Meteor Shower is not one of the better known, but it always puts on a good show. At 5 AM this morning I got up to see for myself this year. It was cold here in Canada – about 22 degrees F, but it was well worth braving the frigid temperatures. During the course of an hour I saw a total of 42 meteorites, with 5 that were in the wow class. That is quite a few more … [Read more...]