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The Geminid meteor shower is an annual nighttime sky spectacle that sees as many as 100 shooting stars streaking across the sky each hour.
The climax of the 10-day event was at the weekend, and sky watchers described the conditions in many areas as perfect thanks to the clear skies – ideal for seeing the brightly coloured trails from tiny particles as they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere.
One of those observing the annual astronomical event was Andreas Vogel, of Bremen’s Olbers Planetarium, who caught the action outside the town of Dangast, located on German’s North Sea coast, early Sunday. Vogel said 120 shooting stars might be visible in an hour when conditions are perfect, though this one delivered far fewer.
On a NASA discussion board, most of those watching were not disappointed.
“Watching from our balcony…stars are brighter than normal which makes the meteors even more exciting and beautiful to watch! Seen about 6 in 15 minutes!” said a woman who identified herself as Megan from Connecticut.
Similar sentiments were echoed across North America, with several observers saying they saw upwards of 20 shooting stars in less than an hour.
“In the middle of Edmonton, I saw a gigantic streak fly across the sky in the 15 minutes I was outside,” said a forum participant identified as Bryan. “It was pretty cool and felt very fortunate considering all the buildings obstructing my view.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
