The Astro Night project, with the support of Roscosmos, will launch the first-ever special flight to observe the Geminid meteor shower. On the night of December 13-14, from a height of 10,000 meters, passengers on the special flight will be able to see up to 150 yellow, green, red, and blue meteors per hour.
The stream can be observed with the naked eye from the Earth's surface, but high cloud cover is likely in December. Participants of the special flight will be able to see a unique astronomical phenomenon in comfortable conditions with special cabin lighting.
We are always ready to support projects that help popularize space. One of the tasks of our corporation is to show that the Universe, and what happens in it, is actually closer to all of us than it seems.
Along with the passengers, there will be active cosmonauts on board the plane who will share interesting facts about working in space, Glazkov noted.
The flight plan for viewing the Geminid meteor shower is calculated taking into account the greatest chance of combining observation of the meteor shower with the probability of the appearance of the northern lights in the sky. Since meteors will fly all over the sky, passengers from both sides of the plane will see them.
In the first half of the flight, the meteor shower will be visible from the right side, and in the second half from the left side, so all passengers will have equal opportunities for observation.
The plane will also head strictly north, towards the Arctic Circle, which will increase the chances of catching not only the Geminids in the lenses, but also the northern lights, if geomagnetic activity is sufficient.
To truly captivate with science, lectures are not enough - you need to let a person see something amazing for themselves. We create conditions where everyone can truly feel the scale of cosmic phenomena. I am sure that it is impossible to forget a stream of meteors seen at an altitude of 10 thousand meters in almost complete darkness. Such moments inspire people to learn more about the Universe.
Astro Night is the only company in Russia that organizes flights to observe rare astronomical phenomena. Thus, in 2015, a special flight was implemented to observe a total solar eclipse. And on September 7 of this year, a flight to a total lunar eclipse took place: more than 300 people, 4 liners, including the aircraft of the Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, flew from Vnukovo International Airport, flew to the Northern Urals, turned around above the Arctic Circle, and returned to Moscow. During the four-hour flight, passengers witnessed all phases of the total lunar eclipse.
Read more materials on the topic:
- They will see a total lunar eclipse and aurora: 8 aircraft within the Astro Night special flight will rise for 4 hours above the Arctic Circle
- The Moon may interfere with the observation of the Perseid meteor shower
- The Eta-Aquarid meteor shower will peak on the night of May 6: what is the best time to watch
