TONIGHT! Dazzling Perseid Meteor Shower

Greetings,

The Perseid meteor shower provides the most dependable display of celestial pyrotechnics. 

This year's scintillation promises special dazzle.

If skies are clear Saturday-into-Sunday morning (August 11-12), it's worth getting up (or staying up) until 2:00 a.m. (August 12) when the two hour Perseid display peaks.

I strongly recommend traveling to an open field at least a mile or two out of town. (Farther if you live in a city.) 

Once you arrive at your chosen destination, spread a blanket and pillow on the ground and stretch out.

Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast. http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors

http://planetsave.com/2012/08/05/perseid-meteor-shower-2012-will-peak-on-august-12th/

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

There's a good video at http://www.chiff.com/science/perseids.htm (If you start watching the Perseids between 9 and 11 p.m. on August 11, you will -- weather permitting -- see meteors that skim across the atmosphere rather than plunge/arc downward into it.)

Excerpt (from article below): "Michael Bakrich, senior editor of Astronomy magazine, says of the meteor showers: “It has to be one of the easiest, most relaxing forms of entertainment available to backyard skygazers. There’s no need for a telescope because optical aid narrows your field of view, and you want to take in as much sky as possible. And best of all, you can observe the spectacle while lying down. Who could ask for more?”... This year in particular should allow for impressive views of the Perseid meteor shower. The moon will be in its waning crescent phase and will not wash out the meteors with its light. Additionally, the meteor shower will peak on a Saturday night, so people can stay up late to watch it without worrying about work in the morning. Combined with nice weather and the Perseid’s consistently high rate of meteors, these factors almost guarantee a remarkable show... Though the Perseids come back every year, this year’s shower promises to be one well worth staying up to see..."

Que disfruten!

Pax

Alan

Perseid meteor shower will dazzle stargazers

On the night of Saturday, August 11 when the morning crescent moon appears in the sky just hours before the Sun, the Perseids meteor shower will begin.

 Daniel Liden | Monday, August 06, 2012

The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most anticipated yearly meteor showers, begins each year in mid-July and peaks in early- to mid-August. The shower is so named because the radiant of the meteor shower, or the point from which the meteors appear to originate, is in a constellation called Perseus. This year, the shower will peak on the night of August 11-12. This means that Saturday night will be the best time to watch the night skies for numerous and bright meteors.

This year in particular should allow for impressive views of the Perseid meteor shower. The moon will be in its waning crescent phase and will not wash out the meteors with its light. Additionally, the meteor shower will peak on a Saturday night, so people can stay up late to watch it without worrying about work in the morning. Combined with nice weather and the Perseid’s consistently high rate of meteors, these factors almost guarantee a remarkable show.

The Perseids start as small dust particles trailing from a comet called 109P/Swift-Tuttle, a comet that orbits the sun every 130 years. The particles enter the atmosphere at 37 miles per second, according to Astronomy. Most of the particles burn up high in Earth’s atmosphere, between 50 and 70 miles above Earth’s surface. Some larger dust particles survive much longer and may come within 12 miles of the Earth’s surface. These larger particles tend to flare up brightly and produce some of brightest and longest-lasting meteors.

From 2 a.m. until shortly after 4 a.m. will likely be the best time to see the Perseids. The crescent moon will throw off little light and will therefore have only a minimal effect on the visibility of the meteor shower. If the conditions are right, watchers can expect to see as many as sixty to eighty meteors each hour during the peak hours. 
All indications thus far suggest that the conditions will, indeed, be right.

Michael Bakrich, senior editor of Astronomy magazine, says of the meteor showers: “It has to be one of the easiest, most relaxing forms of entertainment available to backyard skygazers. There’s no need for a telescope because optical aid narrows your field of view, and you want to take in as much sky as possible. And best of all, you can observe the spectacle while lying down. Who could ask for more?”

Though the Perseids come back every year, this year’s shower promises to be one well worth staying up to see.