Happy New Year

Geminids meteor shower

The Geminids meteor shower should reach peak activity around the 13th and 14th December. Conditions this year are not ideal with the presence of a waning gibbous moon, but it may still be possible to spot some shooting stars. Geminid meteors are often slow and bright with coloured trails which can linger for a while after the meteor has burned up. The object that created the stream of debris associated with the Geminids is not a comet, but a rocky asteroid called Phaethon 3200, part of a group of asteroids whose orbits cross that of the Earth.

New planet found in hunt for earth's twin

A planet within the "habitable zone" of a star has been discovered. Named Kepler-22b, it has a radius that is roughly 2.4 times that of earth and is positioned in a 290-day orbit of a star, which means water - and possibly life - could exist on its surface. Scientists have yet to explore the planet's surface to find it is made of rock, liquid or gas. Douglas Hudgins, Kepler program scienists at NASA, called the discovery "a major milestone on the road to finding Earth's twin." The Kepler mission has found more than 1,000 new potential planets, ten of which are near earth size and orbit in the habitable zone of their host star.

11.11.11 events prompt Great Pyramid closure

Egypt's antiquities authority temporarily closed the Great Pyramid of Giza to the public, following concerns over spiritual groups holding unauthorised gatherings at the site to mark 11.11.11. The official reason given for the partial closure of the pyramid, the tomb of the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu, was essential maintenance work. The pyramid is set to reopen as normal at the weekend.

Leonids meteor shower

On the night of 17 - 18 November 2011 the Leonids meteor shower reaches its peak. This is associated with comet Temple-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun once every 33 years, leaving a trail of debris in its wake. The earth passes through this trail once a year, and we see a meteor shower.

Asteroid ahead

An asteroid is set to pass relatively close to the earth this evening. Named 2005 YU55, the giant rock, about 400 metres (1,3000 feet) in diameter, will pass the closest it has ever been in the past 200 years, but still far enough away to avoid any danger of impact. The asteroid is estimated to be travelling at about 29,000 mph and will be about 201,700 miles (324,600 kilometers) away — closer than the moon, which orbits at an average 384,499 km (238,864 miles) from the earth.

Seven billion people on earth

Acording to the United Nations, the earth's population has just reached seven billion. However, the United States Census Bureau estimates that, with the world’s population increasing by 215,120 a day, the figure of seven billion will be reached in about four months' time. The discrepancy in these two calculations shows how difficult it is to predict the entire population of the world accurately - it is impossible to say on what day we actually reach that figure, although it is safe to say we are nearing the seven billion mark, give or take a few million.