Look Up!

I thought this was pretty interesting. Yesterday a meteor exploded above Tucson (about 2 hours southeast of here). Its approach was loud enough to get the notice of people inside their homes, and its entry was bright enough to get the attention of anyone who was outside to see it. The one video that's circulating isn't all that exciting, but it is a reminder that we've had some doozies in the past. Winslow, Arizona (about 2 1/2 hours northeast of us) got walloped pretty good 50,000 years ago (luckily, no one lived here back then). The crater, more than 2 miles around and 550-feet deep, is supposedly the best preserved crater in the world!

Well, let's hope we're not in for another one of those encounters any time soon. Many news sources are suggesting the latest event was a precursor to the upcoming Geminid meteor shower, but astronomers are saying it was actually from an unrelated Andromedids outburst (did anyone else just get this song stuck in their heads?). Considering the "news" is getting less factual every day, I'll go with the scientists.

The Geminid meteor shower (or Winter's Fireworks) is set to start tomorrow through Monday. We don't have street lights out here in Fountain Hills, so it's somewhat easy to find the necessary darkness for a good view of the show, but it's still cold at night. We got back into the mid-60s during the day, with 70s coming this weekend, but nights are still in the 30s. The advice is to head out at 4am (after the bright moon sets), lie on the ground, and look straight up. Um, I don't think I'm that committed. I'll look up sometime after the sun sets on Friday and see if I have any luck. Happy meteor viewing!