An all-sky map of gamma-ray emissions made by the Fermi Space Telescope. Hundreds of the sources in the map are complete mysteries.

Of the 1,873 sources found, nearly 600 are complete mysteries. No one knows what they are.

“Fermi sees gamma rays coming from directions in the sky where there are no obvious objects likely to produce gamma rays,” said David Thompson, Fermi deputy project scientist from Goddard Space Flight Center.

Gamma rays are by their very nature heralds of great energy and violence. They are a super-energetic form of light produced by sources such as black holes and massive exploding stars.

Gamma-rays are so energetic that ordinary lenses and mirrors do not work. As a result, gamma-ray telescopes can't always get a sharp enough focus to determine exactly where the sources are.

For two thirds of the new catalog's sources the Fermi scientists can, with at least reasonable certainty, locate a known gamma ray-producing object, such as a pulsar or blazar, in the vicinity the gamma-rays are coming from.

But the remaining third – the “mystery sources” – have the researchers stumped, at least for now. And they are the most tantalizing.

“Some of the mystery sources could be clouds of dark matter – something that's never been seen before,” said Thompson.

About 85 percent of the gravitational mass of the universe is dark matter. The stuff we see makes up the rest. Dark matter is something that pulls on things with the force of its gravity but can't be detected in any other way. It doesn't shine – doesn't emit or scatter light – hence the adjective “dark.”

Astronomers cannot detect dark matter directly using optical or radio telescopes. But dark matter just might shine in gamma rays.

“We've been using Fermi to search for dark matter for a long time,” said the principal investigator for the Large Area Telescope, Peter Michelson of Stanford University.

Some researchers believe that when two dark matter antiparticles bump into each other, they will annihilate, producing gamma rays. Concentrated clouds of dark matter could form a gamma ray source at specific wavelengths detectable by Fermi.

“If we see a bump in the gamma-ray spectrum – a narrow spectral line at high energies corresponding to the energy of the annihilating particles – we could be the first to 'apprehend' dark matter,” said Michelson.

The team plans to continue observing the mystery sources. Fermi scans the entire sky ever three hours, and this ongoing sequence of observations “piles up” gamma rays for the researchers to analyze.

So far, too few gamma rays have been collected from the mystery sources to form definite conclusions.

Another, less-dark possibility for some of the mystery sources is colliding galaxy clusters.

According to Michelson and Thompson, clashes of such magnitude would generate super large scale shock waves that would accelerate particles.

Others of the sources, they say, might be some brand new phenomenon, perhaps something involving galactic black holes.

When all is said and done, many of the mystery sources could prove to be familiar. “[They] will probably turn out to be members of known source classes – things we know but haven't recognized yet, like undiscovered pulsars, binary systems, and supernova remnants,” said Michelson.

“Of course we're hoping for something really exotic like dark matter, but we have to look first at all the other options,” said Thompson. “Fermi is an ongoing mission. We'll continue to search for answers to these puzzles and perhaps turn up even more surprises.”

Will notorious dark matter finally be nabbed? Stay tuned.

Dauna Coulter works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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After announcing last year that the United States' combat mission in Iraq was ending, with the removal of 100,000 troops, on Friday Obama said that – with Iraqis taking full responsibility for their country’s security – the rest of the troops are coming home by year's end, in time for the holidays.

“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” Obama said.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who represents Lake County in the US House of Representatives, applauded the news.

“Today’s announcement that all United States troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year is overdue, but welcome news,” said Thompson.

Thompson, a Vietnam combat veteran who opposed the Iraq war from the start, is a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and has spent several years working as part of the group on intelligence and security related issues.

“Our country has sacrificed enormously in this conflict, suffering the loss of more than 4,400 brave American soldiers and spending more than $1 trillion,” he said. “More than 32,000 servicemen and women have been wounded.”

He added, “As a combat veteran, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the brave men and women who have served in Iraq, each with great distinction, and to their families. Our troops have done an outstanding job. They have done all that we asked of them and more. Now it is time to bring them home to their families and for the Iraqis to take full control of their country’s defenses.”

Obama said that as US troops prepare to come home over the next two months, they can hold their heads high and be proud of their success. “That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end.”

The president said that as of Jan. 1, in keeping with the United States' Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, the two countries will have “a normal relationship between sovereign nations, an equal partnership based on mutual interests and mutual respect.”

Obama said the drawdown in Iraq allowed the United States to refocus its fight against al Qaeda.

“Now, even as we remove our last troops from Iraq, we’re beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, where we’ve begun a transition to Afghan security and leadership,” the president said. “When I took office, roughly 180,000 troops were deployed in both these wars. And by the end of this year that number will be cut in half, and make no mistake: It will continue to go down.”

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Mike Adams, director of facilities planning for Mendocino College (center), buries a tomato for good luck at the site of the college's new Lake Center in Lakeport, Calif., during a groundbreaking on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The next chapter in Lake County's story of higher education got started on Thursday afternoon with hard hats, ceremonial shovels and a tomato.

The hard hats and shovels were the more traditional parts of the groundbreaking for the new Mendocino College Lake Center, to be built on 31 acres at 2565 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.

The tomato was, according to Kelseyville businessman Gary Olson, a tradition from his Spanish ancestors, who buried a tomato at the start of a project for good luck.

Olson gave the bright yellow tomato to Mike Adams, another Kelseyville resident and Mendocino College's director of facilities planning, who has been with the college for nearly 30 years and helped draft its master plan, which included the new college for Lake County.

After several people in the large crowd of several dozen community members and local officials began to chant, “Tomato, tomato,” Adams dutifully turned some earth over the tomato to get the project rolling.

Mendocino College President and Superintendent Kathy Lehner explained that Measure W, passed in November 2006 had made the new campus possible in this time of difficult financial pictures.

College officials have stated that the new facility will be ready for students in January 2013.

“I've been waiting for 23 years for this to happen,” Mark Rawitsch, dean of the Lake Center as well as Mendocino College's center in Willits, told the group.

He said when he was hired 23 years ago, he was told that construction on a new Lake Center was set to start within 18 months.

Rawitsch thanked voters, community members, the private sector, the city of Lakeport, public servants and students for making it possible.

“For those of us who may think our best days are behind us, look at the Lake Center and think again,” he said.

Adams said he and his wife came to Lake County 30 years ago and began farming. He said he never dreamed he actually would be growing an institution.

He said he felt he was helping to plant the last seed of the college's master plan for Lake County.

Wilda Shock, a member of the new Lake County Friends of Mendocino College Governing Council, said the project was “all about teamwork.”

She said the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College was composed of “your friends and neighbors,” and she guaranteed the community would be hearing more from the group as it worked to support the college's work in Lake County.

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The architectural rendering of the new buildings planned for the Mendocino College Lake Center campus in Lakeport, Calif., is shown at the college site. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

Warden Brian Boyd and K-9 Phebe. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A California Department of Fish and Game K-9 and her handler have proven to be a great asset in the war against drugs in Northern California.

Belgian Malinois Phebe and her handler, Warden Brian Boyd, have been responsible for the apprehension of 40 fleeing marijuana cultivation suspects on grow sites hidden deep in forestland.

“Apprehension of marijuana cultivation suspects is some of the most dangerous work wardens do,” said Lt. Lynette Shimek, the Lake County-based coordinator of DFG’s K-9 program.

“Marijuana cultivation suspects are actively engaged in the commission of a felony, usually armed, extremely physically fit, and know the area better than their pursuers,” said Shimek. “Although most initial contacts with suspects result in foot pursuits, they can’t outrun Phebe.”

DFG has eight K-9s that are trained to detect illegal substances and objects, protect their handlers and apprehend fleeing suspects.

Phebe and Warden Boyd, who have been partnered for three and a half years, have fine-tuned their apprehension strategy with great success.

Phebe apprehended 13 of the 40 suspects with a bite, while the rest gave up under the threat of being bitten.

Phebe’s recent successes include a July 25 police raid on a known grow site in Mendocino County resulted in a foot pursuit after two suspects fled.

One suspect was quickly apprehended by Phebe and detained by the law enforcement team. Warden Boyd immediately put Phebe on the trail of the second suspect, who called out “Don’t let that dog bite me!” before surrendering to officers.

Phebe was commanded to hold the suspect without biting him, which she did.

Then, during a July 28 a police raid of a site in Tehama County, the team contacted five suspects who subsequently ignored the officers’ commands and fled.

One officer apprehended a suspect with his Tazer and two additional suspects were captured immediately.

Warden Boyd, Phebe and partner Warden Aaron Galwey set off after the other two. After pushing through extremely dense foliage for 400 yards upstream, Phebe located a suspect and apprehended him.

Over an hour later, when Phebe was searching the area for evidence, she sniffed out the fifth suspect hiding in thick cover. Warden Boyd was able to detain the suspect without injury. Phebe then went on to locate the suspects’ ammunition stores hidden in a plastic bag in heavy brush.

Two of Phebe’s apprehensions have been filmed for “Wild Justice,” National Geographic’s reality television series highlighting the work of California game wardens.

Videographers from Original Productions, the producers of the series, attached a camera to Phebe’s collar to give viewers a never-before-seen view point of an apprehension.

One of the apprehensions was aired during the first season of “Wild Justice,” which began in November 2010. The other apprehension will be shown on the upcoming second season. The air date of the season premiere has not yet been announced.

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K-9 Phebe and her partners, Warden Brian Boyd, during a search in the field. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.

The 4,036-acre easement, located east of and adjacent to the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, allows for sustainable commercial timber harvesting, grazing and hunting, but restricts future development, subdivision and conversion to other uses such as vineyards.

Additionally, the Baxter family wished to protect 38 acres known as the “Otis Grove” from commercial harvest. The grove includes redwoods over 600 years old and over 11 feet in diameter.

Permanent conservation measures will be taken to the portions of the Wheatfield fork of the Gualala River, Strawberry Creek and Rancheria Creek within the easement.

“We are pleased that our goal of permanently protecting our ranch has finally been accomplished,” said Barbara Baxter, who has lived on this ranch since 1947. “The outcome is certainly worth the time and effort the process took.”

Jeff Calvert, Forest Legacy Program (FLP) coordinator for Cal Fire, said, “The Baxter family should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. The family can to continue manage their ranch in the manner they desire while providing tremendous, permanent resource protection values to the public.”

Federal USDA Forest Service FLP funding, Proposition 12 grant funding through the California Wildlife Conservation Board, and a substantial landowner donation made purchase of the easement possible.

Also important was the considerable effort by attorney Ellen Fred of the law firm of Conservation Partners who partnered with the San Francisco law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass in representing the Baxter family.

CAL FIRE will hold the conservation easement and monitor compliance with it over time.

For more information on CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program visit http://www.fire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_forestryassistance_legacy.php.

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On Oct. 6, detectives secured a search warrant for a large scale outdoor marijuana cultivation operation on Daly Place in Jerusalem Valley after several large marijuana gardens had been observed during an aerial overflight, according to Capt. James Bauman.

On Oct. 11, the Marijuana Suppression Unit executed the warrant with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force and the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail, Bauman said.

When detectives entered the property, they immediately detained 47-year-old Odalys Angeles Lopez of Middletown and 55-year-old Alfredo Eugenio Fernandez of Castro Valley. Bauman said both subjects were located near a dwelling on the property and Fernandez was found actively processing marijuana at the time.

Detectives located a locked barn on the property, which appeared to be occupied. Upon forcing entry into the barn, detectives located and detained 23-year-old Osvaldo Gamalier Negronaponte, a transient; 27-year-old Pablo Andres Garcia Hernandez of Lower Lake; 19-year-old Rafael Ortiz Chavez of Middletown; and a 17-year-old juvenile transient from Pomona, Bauman said.

He said the barn contained large quantities of processed marijuana and the four men were actively processing more marijuana when detectives entered the structure.

As a search of the property continued, detectives located two large grow sites and a large outdoor marijuana processing “station.” Bauman said the partially harvested grow sites appeared to have been the source of all the processed marijuana found inside of the barn and at the outdoor processing station.

During the search of the Daly Place property, detectives identified another active marijuana cultivation operation on an adjacent property on Jerusalem Grade Road, Bauman said. Upon further investigation of the second cultivation operation, detectives located a garage that also appeared to be occupied.

After announcing their presence, detectives entered the garage and discovered it contained several more subjects actively manicuring large amounts of processed marijuana, he said.

Those detained were 33-year-old Toribio Raygoza Andrade of Kelseyville, 26-year-old Alfonso Hernandez Guzman of Kelseyville, 25-year-old Juan Manuel Raygoza of Kelseyville and 53-year-old Efren Medina Andrade of Kelseyville.

While checking the property for additional suspects, detectives located another structure near the garage that also contained another large quantity of processed marijuana. Bauman said detectives held the Jerusalem Grade property for several hours while a second search warrant was secured for further investigation.

During a search of the dwelling on Daly Place, detectives located a semi-automatic SKS assault rifle with a high-capacity detachable magazine concealed beneath a bed, Bauman said. In that same bedroom, detectives located a briefcase containing $6,967 in US currency and several documents belonging to Odalys Lopez and Alfredo Fernandez.

Bauman said the assault rifle was seized as a banned weapon in California and the currency was seized as the suspected profits of drug trafficking.

When detectives returned with the second search warrant for the property on Jerusalem Grade Road, they located and seized more than 200 marijuana plants and large quantities of processed marijuana from two indoor cultivation operations and another outdoor grow, Bauman said.

Some medical marijuana recommendations were found posted among the grow sites on both properties. However, Bauman said the recommendations were found to be either insufficient for the amount of marijuana located or were not issued to any of the subjects detained on either property.

A total of 10 felony arrests resulted from the 11-hour warrant execution and eradication operation, Bauman said.

He said Lopez was arrested for cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sales, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of an assault weapon. Andrade, Hernandez Guzman, Raygoza, Garcia Hernandez, Fernandez, Negronaponte, Chavez, Medina Andrade, and the 17-year old juvenile were all arrested for cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sales.

All adult arrestees were booked at the Hill Road Correctional Facility and the juvenile was booked at the Lake County Juvenile Hall, Bauman said. Immigration holds were additionally placed on Andrade, Garcia Hernandez, and Chavez.

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Glenn Neasham, 51, of Hidden Valley Lake was charged and tried for a a 2008 case in which he was alleged to have sold an annuity to an elderly woman who the prosecution alleged wasn't mentally competent.

Neasham's attorney, Mitchell Hauptman, did not return a call seeking comment.

Neasham was arrested last December following a California Department of Insurance investigation that was handed over to the Lake County District Attorney's Office and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson, as Lake County News has reported.

While the jury on Friday found Neasham guilty of the principal charge of theft from an elder, jurors did not convict him of two special allegations – one that more than $65,000 had been taken from the elderly victim, and the second that more than $100,000 had been taken, Abelson said.

The trial, presided over by Judge Richard Martin, began on Sept. 21, lasted 10 days and saw 10 witnesses take the stand, Abelson said.

Deliberations started Thursday afternoon, and the verdict was handed in shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, she said.

Abelson said Neasham is due to return to court for sentencing on Dec. 20.

Based on state sentencing guidelines, Neasham could receive probation with up to a year in jail, or as much as four years in prison, which he would serve locally due to the state's prison realignment plan, Abelson explained.

She added that, in her experience prosecuting such elder theft cases, there usually is some jail time for those convicted.

According to the California Department of Insurance's December report on the investigation, it was the Savings Bank of Mendocino that originally alerted investigators to the annuity sale.

Neasham was charged with selling a $175,000 annuity to the then-83-year-old victim, who the prosecution alleged didn't have the mental capacity to enter into the contract. Neasham received a commission on the sale.

Abelson said the victim took money from a CD and put it into the annuity, which would have taken 15 years to fully mature.

“The theory was that she was deprived of a major enjoyment of her property,” Abelson said.

She added, “Dealing with elder abuse, it's easy for me to see that as theft.”

Abelson wasn't sure the jury would see it the same way, “but obviously they did.”

The case wasn't an easy one and had multiple complicated issues, Abelson said.

The female victim did not take the stand, as she wasn't mentally competent to do so, said Abelson. The woman was placed under conservatorship within the last few weeks.

Abelson said insurance expert Neil Granger gave important testimony in the case, and volunteered to testify. She said Granger is an advocate for seniors. His online resume says he specializes in the area of elder financial abuse.

She also credited the work of Department of Insurance investigators in bringing the case together.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Drugs are illegal, dangerous, and addicting for youth and adults alike. The California Highway Patrol invites the community to take a stand against drugs during National Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 22-30.

The intent of Red Ribbon Week is to raise awareness of illegal drug use and the problems related to drugs facing our community.

The CHP encourages parents, educators, business owners, and other community organizations to promote drug-free lifestyles.

“We encourage Californians to build healthy, drug-free communities and lifestyles. During Red Ribbon Week, we can take this opportunity to be vocal and visible in our efforts to achieve a drug-free community,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

The red ribbon symbolizes a commitment to reduce illicit drugs in our communities. In 1985, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique S. “Kiki” Camarena was killed by drug traffickers.

Shortly after Camarena's death, citizens from his hometown of Calexico, Calif., began wearing red ribbons to remember him and commemorate his sacrifice.

The U.S. Congress established Red Ribbon Week in 1988.

Red Ribbon Week is observed in cities across the country the last week of October every year. During Red Ribbon Week, millions of Americans pledge to live a drug-free lifestyle by wearing red ribbons and participating in community-wide, anti-drug events.

“Taking part in Red Ribbon Week is a unified way for communities to take a stand against drugs and show intolerance for illegal drug use and its consequences,” added Commissioner Farrow.

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On Wednesday afternoon, officers from the Lakeport Police Department and the California Highway Patrol conducted a public awareness driver education operation at the Clear Lake High School campus to raise teen driver awareness regarding the California Vehicle Code restrictions for new drivers during their first year of driving, according to Lakeport Police Sgt. Kevin Odom.

Odom said California law restricts new teenage drivers from transporting passengers under the age of 20 years for the first 12 months of driving.

Officers contacted more than 20 teenage drivers during the operation and provided educational information related to their driving restriction, he said.

The Lakeport Police Department will be taking enforcement action regarding teen driver restriction violation whenever it's discovered, Odom said.

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Paul Anthony Neuman, 33, was sentenced on Monday to aggregate 25 year sentences for the crimes of rape and robbery committed in Meridian, Idaho, at the Herb Tree Store on Dec. 10, 2010.

Judge Thomas Neville ordered that Neuman serve a minimum of 15 years before any parole consideration, according to a report from the prosecutor's office of Ada County, Idaho.

Neuman had been arrested by Lake County Sheriff's deputies in March on a $2 million Idaho warrant, as Lake County News has reported.

He pleaded guilty to the rape and robbery charges on Aug. 18, the Ada County Prosecutor's Office said.

Prosecutors said Neuman – who had worn a ski mask during the commission of the crimes – was unknown to the victim.

A sexual assault kit was immediately obtained after the crime was reported and a DNA profile was placed into the national CODIS data bank, the prosecutor's office reported.

In January, a cold hit was generated out of California identifying Neuman as a possible match. Officials said Neuman's DNA was on file in California for the crime of burglary.

Idaho State forensic scientists were able to confirm the DNA to Neuman, who then was extradited to Ada County.

In addition to serving his prison sentence, Neuman will have to register as a sex offender for life, officials reported.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A south county man died when his work truck went off an embankment at The Geysers geothermal steamfield just inside the Sonoma County line on Thursday.

Eugene “Corky” Bracisco, 57, an operating specialist with Calpine, was confirmed as the crash victim, according to Norma Dunn, Calpine's vice president of corporate communications.

“The cause of death is not known at this time, and we are working closely with local authorities to investigate the incident,” Dunn said in an e-mail message to Lake County News. “We do not comment further on matters under investigation.”

California Highway Patrol incident reports said the single-vehicle collision occurred in Sonoma County, in the area of Burned Mountain at Big Sulpher Creek, while Bracisco was driving a work truck. An exact time of the crash was not given, but reports indicate it happened sometime on Thursday.

When contacted for additional information, the Santa Rosa CHP office referred questions to Cal OSHA, which the agency said is handling the investigation because it happened on private property.

Cal OSHA spokesperson Patricia Ortiz told Lake County News late Friday afternoon that the report on the crash came into the agency's Santa Rosa district office at approximately 8:47 a.m. Friday. The report was submitted by the human resources director at The Geysers.

“Our inspectors are out and Cal OHSA has opened an investigation,” Ortiz said.

The CHP reported that conditions in the area were foggy on Friday morning. Two tow trucks were needed to pull Bracisco's truck up the embankment where it left the roadway. The CHP report said the vehicle was 200 feet down an embankment.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies were dispatched to Calpine on Socrates Mine Road in Middletown at 1:45 a.m. Friday after Bracisco's wife reported him missing.

Bracisco's wife said he had left for work at 5:30 a.m. Thursday and when he hadn't returned by 11 p.m. she called Calpine, according to the sheriff's office's Friday afternoon report.

Calpine officials told the woman that Bracisco had missed a 3 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office said that when deputies arrived at Calpine, they met with the lead operator, who confirmed that Bracisco's personal vehicle was still at the site, but his work truck was missing.

The lead operator said Calpine had notified the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as the Calpine property straddled the Lake and Sonoma County lines, and that he had 10 Calpine employees already out searching, the sheriff's report noted.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office informed a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy involved in the investigation that they believed the Calpine employee was somewhere in Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff's office said another of its deputies immediately was dispatched to the area to assist in the search.

Sonoma County was waiting for the fog to lift, so they could commence a helicopter fly over to aid in the search, the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported.

The search eventually located Bracisco's work truck, which had slipped down into a ravine on Calpine property just over the Sonoma County line. The Lake County Sheriff's report said Bracisco had died by the time he was found.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s office is handling the coroner’s investigation. A message left for Sonoma County Sheriff's officials was not immediately returned.

Ortiz said Cal OSHA investigations can take up to six months, but typically last three to four months, she said.

Cal OSHA was involved because the fatal collision occurred on Calpine's private property. “Had it been a public road we wouldn't be involved,” Ortiz said.

Dunn said Calpine was offering its sincere sympathies and condolences to Bracisco’s family. “We are working to assist the family through this very difficult time.”

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A map of the morning sky on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at 5:30 a.m., viewed facing southeast. Courtesy of NASA.

Earth is about to pass through a stream of debris from Halley's comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

Forecasters expect more than 15 meteors per hour to fly across the sky on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 22, when the shower peaks.

“Although this isn't the biggest meteor shower of the year, it's definitely worth waking up for,” said Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. “The setting is dynamite.”

Orionids are framed by some of the brightest and most beautiful constellations in the night sky.

The meteors emerge from mighty Orion, the shower's glittering namesake.

From there they streak through Taurus the Bull, the twins of Gemini, Leo the Lion and Canis Major – home to Sirius, the most brilliant star of all.

This year, the Moon and Mars are part of the show. They'll form two vertices of a celestial triangle in the eastern sky on Saturday morning while the shower is most active; Regulus is the third vertex.

Blue Regulus and red Mars are both approximately of first magnitude, so they are easy to see alongside the 35-percent crescent Moon. Many Orionids will be diving through the triangle in the hours before dawn.

Cooke's team at the Meteoroid Environment Office will be watching for Orionids that actually hit the Moon.

Cometary debris streams like Halley's are so wide, the whole Earth-Moon system fits inside. So when there is a meteor shower on Earth, there's usually one on the Moon, too.

Unlike Earth, however, the Moon has no atmosphere to intercept meteoroids. Pieces of debris fall all the way to the surface and explode where they hit.

Flashes of light caused by thermal heating of lunar rocks and moondust are so bright, they can sometimes be seen through backyard-class telescopes.

“Since we began our monitoring program in 2005, our group has detected more than 250 lunar meteors,” said Cooke. “Some explode with energies exceeding hundreds of pounds of TNT.”

So far, they've seen 15 Orionids hitting the Moon – “two in 2007, four in 2008 and nine in 2009,” recalled Cooke.

This year they hope to add to the haul. About 25 percent of the Moon's dark terrain will be exposed to Halley's debris stream, giving the team millions of square miles to scan for explosions.

Watching meteoroids hit the Moon is a good way to learn about the structure of comet debris streams and the energy of the particles therein.

It also allows Cooke and colleagues to calculate risk factors for astronauts who, someday, will walk on the lunar surface again.

“Going outside to watch the Orionids might not be a good idea for a moonwalker,” said Cooke.

But it is a good idea for the rest of us.

Set your alarm for a few hours before dawn on Saturday morning and enjoy the show.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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