It's been a pretty good couple of months for star-gazing in the Rockford area. We just finished up with the Geminid Meteor Showers last week, now we move on to what's sometimes referred to as The Christmas Comet.
The Geminids are usually one of the best meteor showers of the year, capable of producing 150 or more meteors per hour at a dark site. Another really cool aspect is that the meteors are often bright and colorful.
Depending on your age, the term "Blackout Wednesday" might be something that you've never heard before. How about "Drinksgiving?" Or, maybe "Thanksgiving Eve?"
While the shortages of electronics, toys, and other holiday gifts have captured shoppers’ attention, even Christmas trees aren’t safe from this year’s shortages...or are they?
The Leonid Meteor Shower going on right now should offer up clear-sky meteor rates of about 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour, but has been known to put on a spectacular show of up to (and over) 1000 shooting stars per hour.
It's great to see that after adjusting the festivities to an online virtual format last year due to the pandemic, this year’s event will be completely in-person, filled with holiday magic and decked out with decorations and lights.
The other day, as I was watching my wife carry in a metric ton or two of Halloween candy from the garage, I happened upon an article that was talking about the hard line being drawn on Halloween trick-or-treaters by the city of Roanoke, Virginia.