Source: NASA Science News
This week, Earth passes through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Forecasters say the show could be especially good because the Moon is nearly new when the shower peaks on Aug. 12-13.
Source: NASA Science Casts
New research by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office shows that one annual meteor shower produces more fireballs than any other--the Perseids. This year's Perseid peak is just around the corner on August 12-13.
The Perseid meteor shower is underway. There's more to see than meteors, however, when the shower peaks on August 11th through 13th. The brightest planets in the solar system are lining up in the middle of the display.
Source: NASA Science Casts
A key ingredient of Earth's strangest clouds does not come from Earth. New data from NASA's AIM spacecraft shows that "meteor smoke" is essential to the formation of noctilucent clouds.
The Geminid meteor shower peaks on Dec. 13th and 14th. Bright moonlight will interfere with the display, but not obliterate it. Forecasters expect observers with clear skies to see as many as 40 meteors per hour.
Source: NASA Science News
A fireball crosses the sky. Image credit: Simon Filatroult.
Earth is about to pass through a stream of debris from Halley's comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Saturday morning, Oct. 22nd, with more than 15 meteors per hour. Earth isn't the only world in the debris stream; NASA researchers will also be watching for meteoroid strikes on the Moon. (read more)
Source: NASA Science News
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner in Nov. 1998.
Image credits: N.A.Sharp/NOAO/AURA/NSF
Forecasters say Earth is heading for a stream of dust from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. A close encounter with the comet's fragile debris could spark a meteor outburst over parts of our planet on October 8th.(read more)
Video credit: Meteorwatch Trailer 2011
This year, the Perseid meteor shower, that usually peaks on August 12-13, will be hard for skywatchers' observation, becuase the full Moon will coincide with these dates. Since the Perseids are normally bright and active for some days you will be able to see Perseids in the two or three days before the peak if your skies are dark.
A drawing of the night sky in Durrus Co Cork n Persei to a Cyg
August 17th /18th 2010
Time : 23:45 UT - 00:45 UT
August 2010 I was staying in a cute house close to the village of Durrus in Co Cork. This little place is the gateway to exploring the outstanding Sheeps Head peninsula. The night sky down there was seriously beautiful to the eye; one did not need a telescope to enjoy it.
Earlier in the evening I had a look into Sagittarius before it got too low, then as the night followed on I was inspired to do a naked eye drawing of the sky above my head.
To give me the best option for a sketch I retreated to the back garden, away from the car park lights. I turned off the lights in the house; the village light pollution was minimal. Dark adaption came to me in about 25 minutes, and death would come to anybody who turned on a light.
Bliss greeted my eyes as the wonders of the summer sky opened up for me, the seeing was good.
We had brought along comfy canvas beach chairs, one of these was fine to sink into and observe. My tools for the drawing were a sheet of black paper, a clip board, a white gel pen, finely grated white pastel, blending stick ,cotton wool, and a red head light.
My working area was the star n Persei and from that visualy along the galaxy to a Cyg. I carefully added the stars in each visible constellation . Larger brighter dots according to magnitude and so on and so forth till I had a star map on my paper which mirrored the sky above my head and toward the North East. The Double Cluster and Andromeda were crystal clear naked eye objects, not usual from my home garden at all. The placement of these objects was very helpful in lining up significant stars like alpha Cyg ie Deneb in the constellation Cygnus and all the stars that made paths in the sky to each other.
A small wad of cotton wool loaded carefully with finely grated white pastel was how I added the magnificent Milky Way and all its visible star laden tendrils. When my drawing was almost finished a long trailing Perseid shot from n Persei, went flying past Cassiopeia and ended its journey just short of delta Cep . At its leading end for a nano second I noticed a sickle shaped flick of white. This meteor and its unusual flick was added into my drawing . It was a few weeks before I could look this up and discover that some Perseids produce visible bow shocks in front of themselves as they enter our atmosphere. However so far I have only come across records of Perseids bow shocks that were caught on film, so would love to know if anyone has seen one by eye while observing. skysketcher@gmail.com
What's Up for August 2011 Windy Worlds and JUNO to Jupiter
Source: NASA Science News
A Southern Delta Aquarid fireball streaks over one of the
network cameras in July 2010: see movie. Credits: NASA.
Have you ever seen a fireball streak through the night sky and gone to bed wondering, "What was that?" NASA is deploying a network of smart cameras that could have an answer waiting for you when you wake up. (read more)
Quadrantid meteor is bright enough to be seen at twilight.
Image credit: Mila Zinkova
New year brings us the Quandrantids meteor shower. The shower has its maximum on January 3rd and 4th, but some meteors will probably be visible during all the period between January 1st and January 5th as Earth passes through the radiant.
The name Quadrantids comes from Quadrans Muralis, an obsolete constellation that is now part of Boötes. It lies between the end of the handle of the Big Dipper and the quadrilateral of stars marking the head of the constellation Draco.
The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak, but some people have said that they have counted up to 120 per hour in dark sky locations. Of course best viewing will be from a dark location an the time will be after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes.
The night of December 13th and morning of the 14th will probably host the best meteor shower in the heavens this year. This meteor shower, the Geminids, is known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak.
Geminid meteor. Image credit: Wally Pacholka, TWAN
Some estimates say there could be as many as 120 meteors an hour can be visible from dark-sky locations. The radiant point for this shower, that gives the meteor shower its name, is in the constellation Gemini. This year the Moon will set early in the evening setting the sky up for a spectacular show.
Best viewing will probably occur after midnight.
There are several major meteor showers to enjoy every year at various times, with some more active than others. The 2010 Leonid meteor shower peaks the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 17.
If you're viewing in dark conditions, the best viewing time will be after midnight, in the hours just before dawn. But don't expect too much. While the annual shower has been spectacular in the past, this year's 85% full moon will obstruct viewing for most backyard astronomers. At most, expect to see approximately 15 meteors per hour.
Whether you're watching from a downtown area or the dark countryside, here are some tips to help you enjoy these celestial shows of shooting stars. Those streaks of light are really caused by tiny specks of comet-stuff hitting Earth's atmosphere at very high speed and disintegrating in flashes of light.
Get Comfy the Perseids are Coming By Deirdre Kelleghan
Skellig Rocks image Bernard Kelleghan
About 24 years ago we had a holiday in a remote location in the west of Ireland. The house was high on a grassy ridge on Bolus Head looking over St Finian’s Bay in Co Kerry. From this vantage point the 350 million year old Skellig Rocks rose like stegosaurus plates from the Atlantic Ocean. They were 16 kilometres out to sea but their jagged presence dominated the view to the South. It was early August and when darkness fell the predicable blinking of a distant lighthouse was the only manmade object discernable at sea level in the blackness.
One moonless evening, the sky was crystal clear, the summer triangle was dramatically intersected by our galaxies river of stars, so much more touchable than the suburban view. I lay on the sun -dried grass looking for Perseids, one, two, three, four, five, six, plus several in the corner of my eye within a few minutes.
Time to take action, I went into the house and dragged out several mattresses, and encouraged (made) my family and our guests come outside, lie down and look up. I have a vague memory of sofa cushions being shoved through windows at one point to help the nest building.
As usual they thought I was mad, but soon they were seeing one of the year’s wonders in perhaps the darkest place on our island. We watched for satellites and my mattress guests (two families, four adults, four children) had never seen them either, so in between meteors we looked at these metal objects orbiting about 200 miles up.
A perfect viewing spot, we watched on a slight incline toward Perseus in North East, but the meteors came from what seemed like every direction. We watched many many meteors sizzling into our atmosphere in dots and dashes with long gaps and differing lengths. The Perseids are the result of tiny cast - off particles from Comet Swift Tuttle, shed as it passed through our solar system on its 130 year orbit of our sun. Once a year the Earth’s journey round our sun brings our atmosphere and these remnants into contact with each other .These particles hit the atmosphere at huge speeds and burn up thereby offering the observer natural fireworks. Ancient elements revealed by their colours as they vaporise in front of our eyes.
I will never forget the perfection of the viewing, the WOW’s, the laughter, the joy of my family seeing this beautiful meteor shower for the first time ever.
Over the years since I have watched the Perseids from a deck chair in my garden, some escape the eye under hazy lights in suburbia. It is always the most exciting shower of the year and rarely disappoints. If you are lucky to have clear skies between now and mid August, no equipment is needed, just you and your eyeballs. If you want to fill out an observing sheet to record, the colour, length, duration, direction, location, hourly rate of your Perseids then they are easy to find and fill.
Post midnight is the best time to view. The Earth has left the Belt of Venus long behind and has rolled toward the night were other suns populate the soft deep cloak of space. The Perseids bring nano seconds, and multi seconds of wispy joy to all who take the time to look up from mattresses or other comfy viewing places. My apologies, to holiday homes everywhere.
Introducing Meteorwatch 2010 Check this out , contribute your observations , images, learn a little and most of all have fun.
The Perseids in association with ,The British Astronomical Association lots of good informaton on observing, imaging , and you can contribute your own observations and enjoy The Perseids even more . You can follow Meteorwatch on Twitter via @VirtualAstro
Hope it is clear and you all have a lovely time lookng up.
What\'s Up for August 2010 - The Perseids from Jane Houston Jones
Star trails and a Geminid meteor over Brasstown Bald mountain, Georgia, in 1985.
Image Credit and Copyright: Jimmy Westlake
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