Reports abound online and on social media outlets about a brilliant meteor carving a lighted path in the northeast sky tonight. The Washington Post reported eye witnesses saw the light-show move from west to east at 7:50, and that the American Meteor Society received hundreds of meteor reports from Florida to Maine. It's been an active six months for meteors and comets, and the second half of 2013 may feature some remarkable sky watching, as well. Just last month a fireball exploded over Russia, injuring people, as it crashed into a frozen lake. Scientists said it was a once-in-a-100-year …

  You'll need a telescope or binoculars to catch this comet by the tail but the naked eye might work for seeing the comet body's bright star-like shape. After making appearances for skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere, Comet Pan-STARRS will be at its brightest in the Northern Hemisphere tomorrow, Sunday, March 10, says space.com Swampscott skywatchers, who sometimes patrol the night sky with their eyes by the sun circle at Preston Beach, may be able to see the Pan-STARRS in the western sky shortly after sunset. You'll need to be there at twilight time and need good, clear sky-watching …

  A fireball that exploded over Russia Friday, injuring up to 1,000 people, was originally believed to be 50 feet in diameter before it later crashed through the ice in a frozen lake. Scientists say it was a once-in-a-100-year event, estimated to be the biggest explosion since a 130-foot meteor exploded over Siberia in 1908, according to space.com and NPR. The 1908 explosion took down 825 square miles of forest; Friday's explosion reportedly damaged hundreds of buildings. Friday's meteor was coasting along at 40,260 mph upon entering the Earth's atmosphere and, upon the blast, broke windows …

  The NASA space buggy on Mars, the rover Curiosity, on Friday, Jan. 4, moved next to a snake-like rock formation. It's a darker shade of rock called Snake River and stands out against the flatter rocks through which it winds. The formation is intriguing. And scientists positioned Curiosity for a closer look. "It's one piece of the puzzle," said the mission's project scientist, John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "It has a crosscutting relationship to the surrounding rock and appears to have formed after the deposition of the layer that it transects."  …

  Forget the Hunter's Moon in 2013. Local skywatchers might get to see a spectacular Hunter's Comet — the newly discovered comet ISON. A NASA astronomer says ISON's fiery tail may be visible to those watching the night sky from October 2013 through January 2014. And the comet may hover into view without the help of a telescope. It all depends on whether the sun's heat vaporizes ices in the comet's body, scientists say in an article posted in the Huffington Post. Comet ISON will fly within 1.2 million miles from the sun's center on Nov. 28, 2013, astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near …

The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show will begin overnight Jan. 1 into Jan. 2. NASA will be live steaming the event from its Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us …

  We wonder, where on earth would you want to spend Dec. 20 if the Large Hadron Collider scientific experiment or some such force was to tip the balance to the end of days on Dec. 21? Would it be Swampscott? Hawaii? A corn field in Iowa? We read that an online English bookmaker is offering odds for wagers on the EOW to come Friday. The standard line is 1,000,000,000 - 1. But patrons are invited to set their own line. The only item we can think of with higher odds is the Red Sox rehiring Bobby Valentine. Or Bill Belichick getting a job as a Wal-Mart greeter. Meanwhile, there are about 60 days …

  Waves splashing over the sea wall at Kings Beach seems a more common sight than the same at Fisherman's Beach. Tuesday at high tide, around 3 p.m., a steady surge of waves sent water crashing over the wall to the sidewalk at Fisherman's. Here's a 30-second clip of surging wavies.

The Geminid meteor shower will peak tonight, the night of Dec. 13/14, but will be active through the 17th. It could be the best meteor show of the year, according to Astronomy magazine. Geminid meteors are relatively slow moving, and the shower has a broad peak, offering an excellent show all night, the magazine states. The Geminids are so named because if you trace all the meteor trails backward, they would converge within the boundaries of the constellation Gemini the Twins. This point, called the radiant, lies approximately 3° northwest of the 1st-magnitude star Castor.James Keating tells …

This is the time of year when many people's heads tilt to the night sky. Even among infrequent stargazers there are many who look up when they think of the Star of Bethlehem, as described in the Bible's nativity story.  Light in general, Christmas candle light and the Festival of Lights, at Hanukkah, have people thinking about brightness. Local astronomer James Keating, who designed the sun circle at Preston Beach, has a few recommendations for people surveying the sky in the early morning hours. James says look southeast about 30 minutes before sunrise to see Mercury, Venus and Saturn. "…

The Geminid meteor shower will peak the night of Dec. 13/14, but will be active from now through the 17th. It could be the best meteor show of the year, according to Astronomy magazine. Geminid meteors are relatively slow moving, and the shower has a broad peak, offering an excellent show all night, the magazine states. The Geminids are so named because if you trace all the meteor trails backward, they would converge within the boundaries of the constellation Gemini the Twins. This point, called the radiant, lies approximately 3° northwest of the 1st-magnitude star Castor.James Keating tells …

  This is the time of year when many people tend to look up at the sky. Even among those who do not regularly eye the night sky there are many Christians who look up when they think of the Star of Bethlehem, as described in the Bible's nativity story.  Light in general, Christmas candle light and the Festival of Lights, at Hanukkah, have people thinking about brightness. Local astronomer James Keating, who designed the sun circle at Preston Beach, has a few recommendations for people surveying the sky in the early morning hours. James says look southeast about 30 minutes before sunrise to see…

  The prediction has loomed as a popular culture milestone the past several years now.  The kind of milestone that marks no more miles. A coming attraction to end all coming attractions. The big unplug. The world ends on Dec. 21, 2012. The apocalyptic forecast points to, among other things, the Mayan calendar, and its supposed end. Poppycock, says the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. "Their (the Mayan) calendar does not end on Dec. 21, 2012," a lab spokesman said earlier this year. "It's just the end of the cycle and the beginning of a new one. "It's just …

  Keep your eyes on the sky during the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 17-20, because that's when the famous Leonid meteor shower is expected to peak. These meteors are fast (about 40 miles per second) and can leave trails of smoke, according to Astronomy.com. They will appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion and can vary in color. "Many Leonids are also bright. Usually, the meteors are white or bluish-white, but in recent years some observers reported yellow-pink and copper-colored ones," according to Astronomy.com.  Last time we checked with astronomer James Keating about star-gazing …

  Here are photos of opposing rainbows in the sky above Salem about 4 pm on Saturday. We've never seen rainbows stacked in opposite directions. It's probably the last we will see of clear skies for days. Also in the mix is a shot from George Allen above Fisherman's Beach at night. The streak of light is likely from a small plane, the trail of light a product of the extended photo exposure. Sign up for Swampscott Patch’s daily newsletter, “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter to get news, blogs, announcements and events. Want to share your opinions with your community? Start your …

The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on a show.Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Oct. 15, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower—though you probably won't see much until a bit later. Local astronomer James Keating has seen seen the Orionids shower. "The best place to watch is anywhere the sky is dark, but remember there are no guarantees that you will see any," James told us. "So one should always have a chair, blanket, etc. to enable one to sit back, look up and enjoy the night sky and maybe be lucky enough to …

  The Adam Sandler movie Grown Ups 2 is due to open in theaters in nine months, July 2013. But just two months ago the loyal set watchers known as the "fan family" were saying bye to a favorite and one of the most accommodating Grown Ups 2 cast members, Alexander Ludwig. Here the Canadian complies with requests for a piggyback ride and other final requests. Here they are in a YouTube at the entrance to Bondelevitch Way at Phillips Park on the last day of Grown Ups 2. The fan family included Julie Russell, Leila Slakovic and other stargazing youth. They came from Swampscott and Tewksbury, …

  Here is a rainbow photo from Sept. 4, at daybreak, taken by George Allen's house cam. Pictured is Swampscott Harbor.  George's twin Olympus house cameras take sweeping shots of the harbor every 15 minutes. They document haze and offer grand views. Thanks George. For a look at the latest harbor shot in Swampscott visit http://hazecam.net/images/main/boston_right.jpg Sign up for Swampscott Patch’s daily newsletter, “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter to get news, blogs, announcements and events. Want to share your opinions with your community? Start your own blog here.

  The casting company for Grown Ups 2 , Sande Alessi, is casting double positions for a movie by Larry David. The film will shoot on the North Shore in September and October. The locations have yet to be announced. Below are the casting descriptions and announcement from Sande Alessi Casting Boston, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sande-Alessi-Casting-Boston/235721989839509, which filled hundreds of positions for Grown Ups 2, including many that went to people from Swampscott.   CASTING NOTICE: Shoots September/October assorted days. RATE SAG OR NON UNION: 160/8. YOU HAVE TO MATCH THE …

  The casting company for Grown Ups 2 , Sande Alessi, will be looking to fill casting postions for an as yet untitled movie by Larry David. The HBO movie, according to an on location website, On Location Vacations, will star Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton, and filming on the North Shore will start Sept. 17. Below are some recent casting announcement from Sande Alessi Casting Boston, which filled hundreds of positions for Grown Ups 2, including many that went to people from Swampscott.   From Aug. 22: Hello everyone! We now have two shows starting in Mass in September and possibly a third in …