PAGASA: Winter Triangle, Geminids to light up December skies

The famous Winter Triangle, the equilateral triangle formation of stars, and the annual Geminids meteor shower will cap 2013 for stargazers in the Philippines, state astronomers said.

PAGASA officer-in-charge Vicente Malano said the Winter Triangle will be located at about 30 degrees above the eastern horizon.

"The triangle is composed of Betelgeuse, the super giant red star and the prominent star of the famous constellation Orion. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky of the constellation Canis Major, and Procyon, the brightest star of the constellation Canis Minor," Malano said.

He also said the annual Geminids meteor shower will peak on December 13 and 14.

Malano said the shower will appear to radiate from the constellation of Gemini.

"Under a dark and cloudless sky and just after midnight of its peak activity, meteors or 'falling stars' can be seen at an average rate of 40 meteors per hour," he said.

But he also noted a "big difference" between the Geminids and other meteor showers, as the Geminids meteors do not originate from a comet, but from an asteroid (3200 Phaethon).

"Meteors from this shower are very rocky and gritty and slightly easier to see compared to the other showers," he said.

Planets

Mars will rise an hour after midnight in early December and will remain visible in the early morning sky.

It will brighten from magnitude +1.2 to +0.9 as days pass by and will be found among the background stars of the constellation Virgo.

Saturn will rise an hour before sunrise and will be visible in the early morning twilight during December,  glowing at magnitude +0.6 and will be found among the background stars of the constellation of Libra.

Mercury will be found low in the eastern horizon before sunrise during the first week of December.

It may no longer visible for observation due to its closeness to the Sun.

Meanwhile, Venus will be located in the southwestern sky after sunset and will shine at magnitude -4.9.

Venus will stand at about 20 degrees above the horizon and sets two hours later.

Neptune and Uranus will be found above the sky after sunset and can be observed using modest-sized telescopes and binoculars under clear skies, and a star map.

Jupiter rises after 8 p.m. in early December and will be visible in the eastern part of the sky.

It will shine at magnitude -2.7 and will be located among the background stars of the constellation Gemini. — LBG, GMA News