Check out asteroid Hebe
Just outside the orbit of Mars, an asteroid large enough to be observed this month with binoculars or a small telescope is emerging into view.
Asteroid Hebe may be the birthplace of a quite populated class of metallic and stony meteorites called the H-chondrites - many of which have fallen to Earth to be placed in astronomers' collections all over the world. About 40 percent of all known meteorites are H-chondrites.
German amateur astronomer Karl Ludwig Hencke discovered Hebe on July 1, 1847. At 120 miles in diameter, Hebe orbits the sun once every 3.8 years and is one of the larger asteroids, making the top 40 in the main belt.
It will reach magnitude 8.2 in early December before fading slightly by mid-month to 8.5, and then 8.9 on Dec. 31 as it loops across an area west of Orion. Magnitude 6 is the limit for naked-eye observation. The farther a celestial object gets from magnitude zero, the dimmer it is. Negative magnitude numbers, however, mean blazing brightness - the sun's magnitude is -26.74.
Spotting Hebe will require some time with a star map, but some very familiar constellations, including Orion, wait nearby to guide you. Visit www.bit.ly/asteroidhebe to learn more and see a star map and a photo of a meteorite that likely originated from Hebe.
localuniverse@msn.com
SKY CALENDAR
Lots going on this month, including two meteor showers.
Dec. 6: The full moon occurred yesterday at 7:27 a.m. local time. Early Native American tribes called the first full moon in December the Full Cold Moon because the air became cold and the nights grew long and dark. Other names for this moon are the Moon Before Yule and the Full Long Nights Moon.
Dec. 13, 14: Geminids meteor shower peaks. The Geminids is considered the most active of the meteor showers with up to 120 colorful meteors per hour during peak. Geminid shooting stars are debris left behind by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, discovered in 1982. The shower peaks this year as late-night Dec. 13 becomes early-morning
Dec. 14. A waning gibbous moon will block out some of the meteors this year. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. The radiant point is in the Gemini constellation, but meteors can cross anywhere in the sky. The shower itself spans about 10 days; stray meteors can be spotted for a few days on either side of this peak.
Dec. 21: The December solstice occurs at 6:03 p.m. local time. At that moment, the South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky. This is the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Yes, our Aussie counterparts get to work on their tans at the beach every Christmas.
Dec. 22: A new moon hits at 8:36 p.m. local time, which means there is going to be zero moonlight that night. Bundle up and get your head in the clouds. (Well, hopefully there won't be any clouds.)
Dec. 22, 23: Ursids meteor shower peaks, but this one averages only about five to 10 meteors per hour. The shooting stars here are dust grains from comet Tuttle burning up in our atmosphere as Earth intersects with Tuttle's orbital path. This will be one of the best years to observe the Ursids thanks to the hours-old new moon. Meteors come from the constellation Ursa Minor.
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