ADDENDUM: I went out after 9:00p and didn't see any of them so I decided to get up early and take another look. Between 3:30a - 4:00a, I saw seven "meteors shower the sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and inspite of all the yard lights, mine included, one could still see the beautiful effects. One of them was especially, brilliant in light as it shot across the sky for that brief second of light. It was well worth getting up to see the Perseid Meteor light show. - - - Butch
I copied this article from Space Daily - Your Portal to Space, word for word because they explain this Perseid Meteor shower much better than I trying to paraphrase it or even trying to rewrite it. So, in any event, enjoy the meteor showers this evening around 9:00p, your time zone.
The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower
A Perseid meteor over Joshua Tree National Park in California, August 11, 2007. Credit: Joe Westerberg.by Dr. Tony PhillipsHuntsville AL (SPX) Jul 24, 2008Mark your calendar: The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th and it should be a good show. "The time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
"There should be plenty of meteors--perhaps one or two every minute."
The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is far away, currently located beyond the orbit of Uranus, a trail of debris from the comet stretches all the way back to Earth. Crossing the trail in August, Earth will be pelted by specks of comet dust hitting the atmosphere at 132,000 mph.
At that speed, even a flimsy speck of dust makes a vivid streak of light when it disintegrates--a meteor! Because, Swift-Tuttle's meteors streak out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."
(Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live. )
Serious meteor hunters will begin their watch early, on Monday evening, August 11th, around 9 pm when Perseus first rises in the northeast.
This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond.
"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.
A warm summer night. Bright meteors skipping overhead. And the peak is yet to come. What could be better?
The answer lies halfway up the southern sky: Jupiter and the gibbous Moon converge on August 11th and 12th for a close encounter in the constellation Sagittarius: sky map. It's a grand sight visible even from light-polluted cities.
For a while the beautiful Moon will interfere with the Perseids, lunar glare wiping out all but the brightest meteors. Yin-yang.
The situation reverses itself at 2 am on Tuesday morning, August 12th, when the Moon sets and leaves behind a dark sky for the Perseids. The shower will surge into the darkness, peppering the sky with dozens and perhaps hundreds of meteors until dawn.
For maximum effect, "get away from city lights," Cooke advises. The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. (Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.)
The Perseids are coming. Enjoy the show!
==================================================================
I agree, this should be quite a show tonight.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
I look forward to these every August and have had some fantastic viewing experiences over my lifetime. Sadly, this year may not be one of them, as we have some great stormy swirliness going on around us.
Still, I've not given up hope that I'll see residual meteors tonight or tomorrow, when our skies clear.
Greg: It was well worth getting up early this morning to see them in action. There wasn't a cloud in the sky early this morning and if I knew more about the constellations, besides a few of them I recognize, I could have spent the time naming them. Hope your skies clear up for tonight to catch the meteor show.
I've never seen them, but do have a friend who drives to Mont Megantic to watch them. I think Quebec is supposed to have one of the best look out places around, but I'm not sure.
http://www.astrolab-parc-national-mont-megantic.org/en/
Alan: Last night (this early morning) the sky was completely clear of clouds which made sky watching worth the while. Today, the clouds have come in and I doubt if there will be any view at all. ( glad I watched it last night )
If you can find an area where there are very few lights or better yet, none at all, and the skies are clear, try watching for them tonight. In an half an hour, I saw seven of them with two or three being very bright. It's worth the watch. Good luck!
Alan: I'd heard that as well, although I'm ashamed to admit that despite the fact that I live there, I've never looked... Butch: Glad you enjoyed it so much!
Though I was too sleepy when the proper time for viewing came around, the skies were clear last night and I did see a couple streaks across the sky afore falling into bed.
Looks like t'will be clear again tonight, so I'm planning to visit one of our local beach parking lots on the way home from work for a last chance look for them.
Dantallion: Thanks, it was well worth the effort. Now, I am retired, I'm catching up on many things I wanted to do but couldn't because of work, etc.
Greg: Very glad the weather cooperated to give you a window. Hopefully, tonight's show will be great not having the light around to interfere with the view. Some beaches are closed after a certain time but, if it stays open, the view should be much better.
I thought if taking the camera out but as fast as those critters travel and in a second are out, it wouldn't have worked. There is always a slight delay when my camera prepares for the picture, and it's just enough time to miss the whole event. So, I'll leave the pictures to the professionals.
Fortunately, they don't bar the way to the beaches hereabouts after dark...so you can always stop by if you've a mind, though sometimes the local constabulary might check to make sure you're not up to trouble. ; )
Sadly, however, the clouds made last night's sky opaque, so I may have to wait until next year for a proper Perseid show...
Greg: Darn . . . so sorry you weren't able to catch that show this year. Stay tuned, I'm going to post something else we can look forward to in the skies this month.
Post a Comment