About twenty people have reminded me that the Geminid meteor shower is peaking right about now. I forgot, what with all the server woes! Anyway, I could write a bunch of stuff about it, but I just spent all day writing up a HUGE blog post (heh, just you wait) and so I’ll be lazy and just point y’all to what Pamela already said.
About Bad Astronomy
If you went to BadAstronomy.com and found yourself here, never fear: the BA Blog has moved to its new home at Discover Blogs. The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking and all that) is still online, too.
Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
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December 12th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Does anyone else miss the days when badastronomy was an astronomy based blog and not a political one? When the author didn’t have to make posts about forgetting to talk about astronomical events on his astronomy website?
December 12th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
You have no need to miss astronomy, I visit this blog everyday and there are usually at least two fairly in depth and large astronomy posts each time. If you don’t want the political stuff, then skip it, there are still more astronomy posts per day than most blogs anyway. You should be thankful that Phil posts so much.
But on topic, its waaaaayy too cloudy outside for me to get anything out of this.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
I’d likely freeze before I’d see one. The new crescent moon was quite arresting though.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
PersonThatMissesAstronomy: I gave the reason I forgot about the shower: I have spent three days working on moving this website. I also spent a lot of today and yesterday on an upcoming big post.
Also, read this. I still do post a lot of astronomy, but I will neither apologize about nor back down from posting so much about religion and politics.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I for one enjoy the political posts here, while I may not be as “liberal” as Phil may be, I agree with him pretty much all of the time.
I certainly hold his opinions in higher regard than just about any politician, or clergy member, as his intelligence and education levels are certainly better than just about any of those folks, and definitely better than my own.
The world is a much better place because people like Phil Plait, and James Randi are in it, and share their opinions and knowledge with the rest of us.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Too cloudy here in Western Canada. I had read that this meteor shower was the best of the year, but I always thought that the Perseid shower in August was the best.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I was moving a motorcycle inside tonight (snowstorm tomorrow in Boston) when I saw one of these zip by! You don’t necessarily need a dark sky to see them…
December 12th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Having read this post 2 hours ago, i went outside with some cool beer and a pair of binoculars. I have just got back inside, it was awesome! even being in the middle of the city i was able to see about 14 big ones. mosquitoes ate me alive, but it was worth it.
hi from the other hemisphere, phil! (and thanks for the post. i though the peak was tomorrow)
December 13th, 2007 at 4:59 am
This is a test post to see if it is being reported as spam
BTW England and clouds go together quite well, especially around the time of astronomical events.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:32 am
According to a news program here in Argentina, the meteor shower is caused by the earth going through the remains of the constellation of Sagittarius. I didn’t know it was broken.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Hey. If anyone gets pictures of the Geminids, why not send them to the Guardian’s science blog. It would cool to compare them
December 13th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
If defending science from creationists is bad, I don’t wanna be right. Bad Astronomer, you go, man, go.
Probably crappy cloudy here, too, tonight. I used to have a good pair of binoculars, but I’ve lost or misplaced them.
I did ask for a new pair for Giftmas because of reading your blog. Thanks, Phil!