All of the weather forecasts agree that cloud cover will increase after 15:00 to ‘mostly cloudy’ (or worse). Transparency “too cloudy to forecast” and seeing poor to impossible won’t allow us to show the public wonders of the night sky.
Hoping for better conditions in 2019,
R J ‘Tree’ Greenwood
Crockett Park Site Coordinator
Please read the C.M. Crockett Page for park details.
Planning on staying up late (or waking up early) for this one. The Geminids is the “king” of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky
The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1790. The shower runs annually from December 17-25. It peaks this year on the the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd. This year the glare from the full moon will hide all but the brightest meteors. If you are extremely patient, you might still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, respectively, in the sense that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a minimum for the year. Of course, daylight saving time means that the first Sunday in April has 23 hours and the last Sunday in October has 25 hours, but these human meddlings with the calendar and do not correspond to the actual number of daylight hours.
If you life in the southern hemisphere, this is your Summer Solstice, celebrating the longest day of the year.
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/WinterSolstice.html
Although the Clear Sky Chart shows only 20 to 40% cloud cover[1], the ClearOutside site predicts over 80% of the sky obscured by clouds.[2] WeatherUnderground says 39 to 70%[3] and AccuWeather says ~90% cloud cover.[4] Other paid weather-guessers predict partly or mostly cloudy and most give a five to fifteen percent chance of measurable precipitation. Not conditions suitable for star gazing.
Clear skies, dang it! Please?
Tree Greenwood
Crockett Park Site Coordinator
1 – http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/CrckttPrkVAkey.html
2 – https://clearoutside.com/forecast/38.60/-77.73?view=midday
3 – https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/us/va/midland/date/2019-04-06/22728
4 – https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/midland-va/22728/hourly-weather-forecast/2111280?hour=40
Please read the C.M. Crockett Page for park details.