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Bright Green Geminid Meteor Over Topaz Lake

Fireball During the Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminids are the year’s most active meteor shower, but they’re not known for producing a lot of fireball meteors. However, if you’re out shooting them, you might still catch some! As the saying goes, “you must be present to win!”  The trajectory of this one doesn’t point to the radiant point of the Geminids, so it’s probably from the Chi Orionids, with a radiant point just above Orion the hunter, which is known to produce fireball meteors.

The best viewing summary I’ve found for the 2017 Geminid meteor shower is by Robert Lunsford, on the American Meteor Society Web site:
https://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/12/viewing-the-geminid-meteor-shower-in-2017/

Here are a few of my shots of the Geminids from recent years:

2016:
The moon was full for the 2016 Geminids, and the skies were cloudy as well:
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve: Stormy Morning
2015:
night photography

2014:
Geminid Meteor Shower 2014

2012:
Geminid Meteor Shower 2012

2011:

2010:
Geminid Meteor Shower 2010

www.JeffSullivanPhotography.com

Comments

53 thoughts on “Bright Green Geminid Meteor Over Topaz Lake”

  1. Amazing photo! I don't believe it's a "lucky" shot, I believe your vigilance and love for what you do payed-off in a big way. This really is a great shot!
    I assume the seemingly growing size of the meteor is because of it's closeness to earth. I would love to hear why it (the meteor) gets so bright as it comes close to earth.

  2. +Joshua Cantu It's hard to tell because it's so low in the sky. It's not a Geminid because it's not coming form the same radiant point in the constellation Gemini. It's unlikely to be a meteor since it's horizontal so close to the horizon (would have to come from a radiant point there, and the air is so thick in that direction only the brightest objects can be seen).

    It's probably an aircraft in Smith Valley or south of Yerington, Nevada. In that direction and at that distance it's not far from the large Flying M Ranch owned by the Hilton Family (northeast of Bodie, on the East Walker River), where Steve Fossey flew out of before his disappearance. (The Hilton Family recently gave a nice donation to the Bodie Foundation to benefit building stabilization at Bodie State Historic Park.)

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