Superlong will hide the Geminid meteors

Superlong will hide the Geminid meteors

Bad news for meteor shower fans: The full moon will reach a dazzling brightness at the peak of the Geminids on Tuesday, eclipsing everything but the most noticeable fireballs.

An astronomical coincidence this week questioned the observations of the meteors of the Geminids.

But there are pluses: the expected flow, as you know, is very strong, so you have a chance to notice more than with the usual full moon.

The peak will come on December 13th. Dust particles from the “rocky comet” 3200 Phaeton will crash into our atmosphere at a speed of 7800 miles per hour. Since they are more composed of gravel than the average comet, the amount of debris that can penetrate deeper into the atmosphere increases, creating fireballs.

And now the annual event should work hard to outdo the powerful glow of the satellite, which will reach its maximum brightness at the time of the “super moon”. On Tuesday at 7:05 pm Eastern Time, The Moon will complete its period as the sixth and last super-moon in 2016. According to Spaceweather.com, it will be so bright that the number of debris seen will decrease by a factor of 5 to 10 and you will not be able to see weak ones.

A super moon begins when the full moon moment coincides with a point in its orbit and is the closest distance to Earth - perigee. At this time, the earth satellite is 14% larger, and its luminescence is 30% stronger. Therefore, tracking meteors is so difficult.

According to preliminary data, bright spheres were seen in the growth of the rain peak, and therefore we still have good chances to see several fireballs above the moonlight. But do not expect the usual meteor shower.

The final super moon is reminiscent of the historic last month. Although you will not see the difference between this and that of November 14, the last but one is the largest since 1948. Perigee November record holder lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes. So much close approach will not happen until 2034.

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