Geminids, 2.0 - The 2021 Geminids Meteor Shower

Stars Above Haleakalā

Gain a new perspective on meteor showers and our planet in this mini-episode update.

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TRANSCRIPT:

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Aloha, kākou, it's Ranger Laurel again. And welcome to a... I'm gonna call this a mini episode from the Stars Above Haleakalā podcast series. Just kind of touching base on the Geminids, which are coming up again, very exciting, December 13, on Monday, they'll be peaking so if you want to go out and check those out, I highly encourage you to do so. As always, if you plan on stargazing tonight, or any night, find a dark place, put your phones away so your eyes can adjust, plug in your headphones if you want to listen to a podcast, or anything else, while you stargaze, and be sure to respect your fellow nocturnal creatures, which includes humans. Other than that, enjoy.

Today's podcast is less of an episode and more, like I said, a mini episode, an update. I wanted to share another way to think about the meteor showers that we experience, and just like our globe in general and the life that we live. Especially if you, like me, are feeling a little bit stuck. And a little bit like we are repeating ourselves over and over again and nothing is really changing. There will be more full-length podcasts in the works for 2022, so keep your eyes and ears open, but in the meantime the Geminids, 2.0 are back. Or... we're back, where the Geminids are. Or... something... something like that. So without further ado, let's get to it.

[Music: solo piano notes morph into a synth melody of chimes and bells.]

The first thing I'll say is: here we are again. We're in the depths of winter, we're about to enter another year of the pandemic. The world looks pretty much the same, and it seems like nothing has really moved or changed at all. But maybe it helps to hear that contrary to what your sense are telling you, we're actually moving at pretty incredible speeds. We're on a rollercoaster ride through our universe.

So let's start small with earth itself. Even when you're standing still, you are moving. So is everyone an everything around you, which is why it may not feel like you're moving. And even the ground that you're on is moving, its spinning, at more than a thousand miles per hour, which is the rate at which the earth rotates on its axis. It's this movement that causes the sun to appear to set, even as we're the ones doing the moving. And the constellation Gemini, well, ,that only rises because again we're spinning towards it. Our planet moves at incredible speeds every day, right, so... to start off, picture a top in perpetual motion, just spinning constantly. Most of us are aware of that, even if we can't feel it.

...and, I just want to take this moment now to apologize for the roosters, which have started to--

[rooster crows in the distance]

--cockadoodle-doo in my yard. So you're gonna hear those throughout, and they're gonna stick with us for the rest of this journey. But going on...

Most of us also know that our planet more than spins like a top. It navigates an orbit around the sun. That orbit, again, is where that dust cloud is that causes the Geminids. And our orbit is somewhat elliptic, so we move faster during certain parts of the year than others. But there you have it. At roughly sixty thousand miles per hour, we're positively zooming along around our sun. So now, picture not just a top, but a tea cup ride--spinning tea cups. Something that spins while it follows a larger track as it goes around.

But wait! There's more. While the sun represents a fixed point to our solar system, the sun too is on a journey. As the most dominant force, it's bringing our system along on an a orbit around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. So going back to our visual aid, you can imagine the teacup ride on an 18-wheeler that's cruising a very long and very fast highway. But nothing is ever straightforward, so on that 18-wheeler that teacup ride (us) is tipped up at a 60 degree angle. So you can imagine that teacup ride not quite perpendicular to the road, but almost, while it spins. And then you'll want to add in some hills to represents the bumps and the bobs our sun takes as it goes around our galaxy, and you've got a sense of how much motion is happening when you're standing still. Are you dizzy yet?

The cherry on top is that our whole galaxy is being inexorably pulled towards the closest galactic neighbor, which is the Andromeda Galaxy. So that's like the drift of continents. These two giants will collide in four billion years, which is a story for another day, but suffice to say, our spinning, rotating, orbiting, zooming, planetary theme park ride is on the move, even if you feel like you are stuck or sitting still.

[rooster crows. Narrator laughs.]

Which just tells me how extremely impressive it is that we can rely on something like the Geminids. The fact that in all this motion a system can coalesce, a planet can form, life can evolve, and today of all days we can look up and see a meteor shower... In truth, this is the work of gravity, keeping us together as we rocket around the universe. But considering how fast we're moving, literally corkscrewing through space, the fact that we can even depend on something like a meteor show is pretty incredible. And it also reminds me that when you feel stuck, there are changes underfoot. Even if you can't notice them right now.

If you have been feeling anxious about the repetition of pandemic years, if each piece of news makes you want to scream in frustration, take comfort and remember: we are still, slowly, but unyieldingly, moving forward. The most meaningful changes are often imperceptible. And in the meantime, look up! Our spinning top gives us good views and broader wonders to ponder while we make our way through this orbit, and the next one too.

[piano notes.]

It's been one year since we spent some time discovering the why and the wonder behind meteor showers, and the Geminids in particular. If you listened to the episode last year, you may have sent Haleakalā a letter to your future self, which was returned a few weeks ago, hopefully as as fun surprise.

I wanted to share with you one letter writer who was very gracious and said we could share a piece her Geminids letter and her reflection upon receiving it. So this is from Wendy, who said "Remember that beautiful fire ball, streaking across the sky? Remember dancing with an octopus on your head? Ephemeral moments matter." She went on to reflect: "it was a plush octopus, and I have indeed learned how precious it is to be present for the momentous moments that make up our lives." Wendy, I couldn't agree more with you. Keep those moments front and center, and we'll get through this.

[Music of synthetic and echoing chords slowly crescendos.]

To wrap up this very brief mini episode, I just wanted to say thanks. To everyone who tuned in to last year's Geminids episode, who wrote me a postcard, who mailed in a letter, it meant the world the know that in the depths of winter, we are hearing from each other. After all, we're all on this rollercoaster together, so it's nice to know who you're riding with.

[Music continues underneath.]

Tonight's podcast episode was a production of Haleakalā National Park, written and narrated by me, Laurel McKenzie. Special thanks to the interpretation division and park management for supporting the Stars Above Haleakalā podcast series. And a huge thank you to all of you listeners out there. Mahalo.

For more information on Haleakalā National Park and the various resources we protect. Visit www.nps.gov/hale. Hauʻoli makahiki hou, happy new year to everyone out there, and until next time, I'm wishing you clear skies and dark nights. Aloha.

[Music slowly fades out.}