Hyderabad stargazers look up as Geminid shower lights up wintry Dec sky

Hyderabadis braved record low temperatures over the weekend to observe the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks in Dec. While some watched from their terraces, many headed to the city's outskirts where darker skies helped in better observation of the Geminids, which are said to be dusty remnants of the rocky asteroid 3200 Phaethon.A group of 35-40 people from across the city gathered at a farmhouse in Chevella, 30km from the city on Sunday night for the celestial extravaganza. Professor Najam Hasan and assistant professor Priya Hasan from Maulana Azad National Urdu University, along with Mrunalinee, scientific officer, from BM Birla Science Centre, explained to the participants about meteor showers.Geminids can be seen streaking across the Dec skies at a rate of one every few minutes to a peak of more than 100 meteors per hour depending on time and local conditions.Detailing the exploits of Sunday's ‘star party' at Chevella, amateur astrophotographer Syed Vilayath Hussain, said: "Besides Geminids, which can be seen with naked eyes, we used a telescope to see the Pleiades star cluster, and planets such as Saturn, Jupiter and some of their moons. Thanks to the dark skies on the outskirts, we were able train our telescopes to observe the Orion nebula, which is usually not visible in the bright and polluted night skies of Hyderabad."Varsha, an amateur astronomer, said, "The Chevella farm location provided a perfect dark-sky view. We received excellent guidance before the viewing session about Gemini Constellation, the science behind the meteor showers, and how, and from where they can be observed. I look forward to attending more such events."At a retreat in the hills of Ananthagiri, about 80km from the city, Venugopal and his team from Stardust Hyderabad hosted over 150 participants over the weekend for observing the Geminids.Participants were able to see many deep sky objects, including the Andromeda galaxy and the Orion nebula through a 16-inch Dobsonian. "We hosted people from in and around Hyderabad for a paid event at the retreat on Saturday," said Venugopal. "In fact, we had to politely turn down many enthusiasts owing to the high demand.