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Did you know you can use an inexpensive webcam to capture images of planets and other objects in the night sky?
Clik here to find out more.
 
 
 
If you are looking for a telescope be sure to check out the following teh telescop site first.
The Telescope Site
 
  Webcam Astronomy
 

Geminid Meteor Shower
   
What is it?
 

Generally, the Geminids or August's Perseids provide the best meteor shower show of the year. Geminids are usually considered the best opportunity for younger viewers because the show gets going around 9 or 10 p.m. Unfortunately the moon does not set until after midnight this year, making for the possibility of drooping eyelids from the pre-teen set.

 
Where should I look for the Geminids?
  The meteors will appear to come out of the constellation Gemini. The easiest way to find Gemini is
 
 
When should I look for the Geminids?
  In the United States and Canada, eastern observers will be particularly well-positioned for maximum activity, expected sometime between 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. EST, when the radiant of the Leonid shower will be well up in the dark southeastern sky.
 
Can I seen the shower if I live in a city?
  While the best place to watch is in a dark location you should be able some of the brighter meteors from the city. To find a good location you can check out our light pollution maps.
   
 

Meteoroids are the debris sloughed off from comets. When they reach the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, they are referred to as meteors; otherwise known as shooting stars. Those that hold together and actually reach the Earth's surface are known as meteorites.

It was once calculated that the Comet Swift-Tuttle was on a collision course with Earth, suggesting that an impact was likely to occur in the year 2026. That theory was quickly debunked as recalculations of the nearly dual century data showed differently. The new theory is that in the year 3044, the Comet Swift-Tuttle will brush by within a million miles of the Earth, considering this future event to be a true 'cosmic near miss' by astronomers.
   
   
   
   
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