Does everyone know about the perseids meteor shower peaking on August 12-13?
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Yes I do, though I don’t think I’ll get a good view. We do have a telescope.
I was thinking about you the other day. Hi!
I’m told it should be visible overnight tonight (Aug 11–12) about 2 am Mountain
, well, mountain time it peaks from 2–3 am but right now I’ve been able to see a few
hmmm maybe so, im just going by what the site said. I tried going outside just now, but its super cloudy, so i couldnt tell.
Its sooooo cloudy outside tonight! Its very sad! I went out to try to see, but the very small area of sky that wasn’t covered wasn’t very exciting.
Yes but I’m too sleepy/lazy to go outside •_•
Yup- going to see some tonight and tomorrow night too if I’m lucky.
well, right now the moon is too bright, but I’m on the outskirts of kinda
I didn’t! Thanks for the information. :)
Can you see it without a telescope?
Several years ago I took my three (then) little grandsons out to the Astronomy Club meeting so we could watch it, along with our lounge chairs and sleeping bags. It was really fun. My oldest grandson took my van and a bunch of his friends this year, and I felt a little jealous.
I’ve been wishing for an Orion Skyquest XT8 for so long now that it hurts. :(
I don’t have a telescope, but gosh darnit, when I have the cash, I will buy that one!
The Perseid meteor shower is about to peak. The show begins after sunset on Tuesday, August 11th, and continues until the sun rises on Wednesday, August 12th. A time of particular interest is 0800–0900 GMT (1–2 a.m. PDT) on the 12th. That’s when Earth is expected to pass through a denser-than-usual filament of dust from Perseid parent Comet Swift-Tuttle. Forecasters are unsure what will happen, but some have speculated that meteor rates could surge as high as 200 per hour. Bright moonlight will blot out many of those Perseids, but even a fraction of 200 is a good show.
Our weather didn’t look like it was cooperating, so I slept last night. If they predict clear skies tonight, I may set my alarm…
@uberbatman: Where are you going to watch where there’s little light pollution?
@hearkat going to drive out to one of the many blueberry farms in my town :P
@uberbatman: Mmmmmm… blueberries. I just had a bunch on my frosted mini-wheats – Yum!!
Yeah; since I’m further north, the places with less light have a lot of trees, which isn’t good for skywatching. I don’t want to have to drive an hour away at that time of night, either, since I do have work tomorrow. Grrrr…
@hearkat boooo. No open fields up there?
Having and setting up a telescope is a waste of time. Meteror showers are best viewed from a deck chair in the darkest spot you can find. (Have insect repellent at hand).
Meteors will radiate from Perseus (east of Cassiopeia) but you can see them while facing any direction.
I have always found it to be a disappointing meteor shower, particularly compared to the Leonids in Nov. of 2002.
@uberbatman I get all my news and information from Here about this type of thing and other space related stuff.
If thats any help to you . And for those who can’t see them use the radio linked above and in this link .
@gailcalled thanks. Im now looking forward to Dec 14th :)
@gailcalled You are correct about the telescope. The only reason they have one at the viewing near us is to look at the other wonders in the sky and to attract the largest number of people. The best way to view a meteor shower is to have the widest view of the sky.
Our viewing area is out in the country, about an hour drive from here.
The one thing to look at in the telescope is the double star cluster in Hercules, between Perseus and Cassiopeia. It is visible in dark skies and clear air using one’s peripheral vision. It looks like a blurry mothball. Greatly magnified, M 13
Sky map for August in latitudes around NY. http://www.aaa.org/s932/images/0908allsky.gif
@uberbatman: just golf courses and parking lots (which are surrounded by light sources), and corn fields.
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