Meteor shower due Dec 14-15

Stargazers are in for a treat in the middle of December, with the annual Geminids meteor shower. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) astronomical diary for December said the meteor shower will peak on December 14 and 15. “Under a dark and cloudless sky just after midnight of its peak activity, meteors or ‘falling stars’ can be seen at an average rate of 40 meteors per hour. The shower will appear to radiate from the constellation of Gemini, the Twins, which will be located in the eastern horizon," Pagasa head Prisco Nilo said. The Geminids were first observed only 150 years ago, much more recently than other showers such as the Perseids and Leonids. Winter Solstice Meanwhile, Pagasa said the Sun will reach the Winter Solstice on December 22 at 1:47 a.m. (PST), marking the time when the Sun lies at its farthest point south of the equator. “It signals the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Philippine nights will be longer than daytime. Earth has now completed another annual circuit around the Sun," Nilo said. Other things to watch for Also, the famous equilateral triangle in the sky, known as the Winter Triangle, rises after sunset. The Triangle is composed of Betelgeuse, the super giant red star and the prominent star of the famous constellation Orion (the Mighty Hunter); Sirius, the brightest star in the sky of the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog); and Procyon, the brightest star of the constellation Canis Minor (the Little Dog). Mars rises two hours before midnight and remains visible throughout the month. It increases its magnitude from the beginning to the end of the month, from -0.1 to -0.7 with a phase of 91 to 96 percent and a diameter from 9.93 to 112.54 arcseconds. Mercury appears in the evening sky during the month lying low in the western horizon after sunset. Venus will be difficult to observe due to its proximity to the Sun. Jupiter dominates the evening sky shining at magnitude -2.3 and it lies in the constellation of Capricornus, the Sea Goat. “Through a modest size telescope, the Great Red Spot will be seen as a pale oval followed by a darker ‘barge’ in the south Equatorial Belt," Nilo said. Uranus and Neptune remain visible in the evening sky throughout the month. They will be glowing at magnitude +5.8 and +7.9 and they will be located among the background stars of the constellations Pisces and Capricornus, respectively. Saturn will be visible in the morning sky throughout the month and will be glowing at magnitude +1.0 and will lie among the background stars of the constellation Virgo, the Virgin. - JHU/TJD, GMANews.TV