Great Perseids this weekend

[MichaelB]

Meteor shower this weekend Great Perseids - NASA Science.

Quote:

Got a calendar? Circle this date: Sunday, August 12th. Next to the circle write "all night" and "Meteors!" Attach the above to your refrigerator in plain view so you won't miss the 2007 Perseid meteor shower."It's going to be a great show," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The Moon is new on August 12th--which means no moonlight, dark skies and plenty of meteors." How many? Cooke estimates one or two Perseids per minute at the shower's peak.

Not sure what visibility we will have in Chicagoland or the best time to be looking. Advice welcome!

[GrayHare]

It's 2007? Wow, never expected to get a second chance to sell out of stocks at such a good time. ;-)

[donheff]

It's Saturday night, into Sunday this year. We long ago lent out our weekend house to a group who won it at an auction for a nonprofit. Too bad, the place has great viewing. I got a nice seat for the awesome Leonids about a decade ago. I will remind my guests to go outside after midnight.

[mickeyd]

Quote:

Great Perseids this weekend

Thanks for the heads up. I always enjoy the show. Since it never rains/cloudy in South Tx in August...A lounge chair on the back deck with a tall cool long neck of Shiner Black Lager is in my plans.

[LOL!]

Sorry, but one or two per minute does not get me excited because they are also over a big area of the sky.

But let me know when it gets to one or two per second. Then I'll be interested.

[RunningBum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOL! Sorry, but one or two per minute does not get me excited because they are also over a big area of the sky. But let me know when it gets to one or two per second. Then I'll be interested.

I'm retired. What else do I have to do? I like mickeyd's idea:

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A lounge chair on the back deck with a tall cool long neck of Shiner Black Lager is in my plans.

though maybe with a good Belgian beer.

[Animorph]

Moonrise around 2am, so Saturday night from 12am to 2am should be pretty good.

[Nodak]

I am heading home for this. I'm part of a group that has gotten together for the Perseids every year since about 1977. We have a location where the nearest light bulb is at least 2 miles away and the sky is nice and dark.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrayHare It's 2007? Wow, never expected to get a second chance to sell out of stocks at such a good time. ;-)

Didn't mean to confuse you. I found the NASA link gave helpful advice.
EarthSky's meteor shower guide for 2012 | Astronomy Essentials | EarthSky

Quote:

As of August 7, 2012, the International Meteor Organization is reporting a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) for Perseid meteor shower of 16 meteors per hour (+ or – 2). That’s the highest for summer 2012, and it’s going to get higher still as the Perseid meteor shower moves toward its peak on the mornings of August 11, 12 and 13. The full moon in early August interfered with this year’s northern summer meteor showers. But the moon is waning now. And clearly many people are seeing meteors! The Delta Aquarid and Perseid meteor showers combine in late July and August to create what most consider the best and most reliable meteor display for Northern Hemisphere observers. As always, after midnight is the best time for meteor-watching. The moon will be there, but getting thinner every morning. On the mornings (not the evenings) of August 11, 12 and 13, the moon will be a waning crescent, and the meteors should be flying at a rate closer to their peak of 50 or 60 meteors per hour. As an added treat – on August 11, 12 and 13 – the moon will be sweeping past the brightest planets Venus and Jupiter in the eastern predawn sky. You can’t ask for more!

I'm thinking along the same lines as mickeyd and RunningBum.

[davemartin88]

I'm hoping to take a look Saturday night, we have nice, dark skies here but they are calling for clouds/rain so may not work out. I prefer the Leonid shower in November because it is usually cold enough to lay in the hot tub and wait for the show.

[JonnyM]

Don't forget the simple pleasures. Go outside about an hour before sunrise or 5am, whatever works, and just marvel at Venus and Jupiter in the same frame. Amazing, I never get tired of seeing actual planets with the naked eye. Venus is extremely bright right now, look up and slight right and there is Jupiter holding court. Beautiful, and the shine well into the early sunrise.

[GalaxyBoy]

The Geminids can be more impressive, although with the cold temperatures of December 13/14 you might prefer a Russian Imperial Stout, somewhere around 10% alcohol, to the Shiner Black Lager.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOL! Sorry, but one or two per minute does not get me excited because they are also over a big area of the sky. But let me know when it gets to one or two per second. Then I'll be interested.

My mom talked about seeing such a shower. Folks thought it was the end of the world. IIRC, it was in the same time frame as the 1918 flue pandemic, but I may be mixing up stories.

In the "for what it's worth dept.", you don't have to look "over a big area of the sky" for a meteor shower. The meteors will appear to originate from a "point" and they may even radiate in all directions from there. So, if you see one, all you have to do is watch that area for the rest of them. I have seen showers in which there are several almost simultaneously, though the average may well only be 2 per minute. If you have never seen a meteor shower, it's worth a look. Once in a while, they are truly spectacular - and you can't ever guess when that will be.

[Animorph]

A long time ago I was up at Glacier Point in Yosemite. We were trying to listen to a ranger talk after dark. But about every minute a big colorful meteor would light up and everyone would go "ohhhhhh!". He was pretty annoyed. That was the Perseids. I've tried to catch someting like that ever since, but I've never been in a dark enough place with no moon.

[Nodak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau My mom talked about seeing such a shower. Folks thought it was the end of the world. IIRC, it was in the same time frame as the 1918 flue pandemic, but I may be mixing up stories. In the "for what it's worth dept.", you don't have to look "over a big area of the sky" for a meteor shower. The meteors will appear to originate from a "point" and they may even radiate in all directions from there. So, if you see one, all you have to do is watch that area for the rest of them. I have seen showers in which there are several almost simultaneously, though the average may well only be 2 per minute. If you have never seen a meteor shower, it's worth a look. Once in a while, they are truly spectacular - and you can't ever guess when that will be.

If you were to plot the meteor paths against the sky the perseids would appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus that's where the name comes from. The Geminids radiate from Gemini and so on.

[Telly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nodak If you were to plot the meteor paths against the sky the perseids would appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus that's where the name comes from. The Geminids radiate from Gemini and so on.

Where do the Hominids radiate from? There has been a problem with some of them not showering at all.

I will be staying inside at and after dusk, as the West Nile Virus is rampant here this year. Should be OK for the Leonids in November... I hope!

[RTR2006]

The Perseids should be quite nice this year without interference from an older moon rising at around 2AM.

Anywhere without street or city lights lighting the sky will be great. Bring a lawn chair or blanket because you'll wanting to be laying down.

It's always a treat, and 1-2 per minute may be a bit enthusiastic, but that's a lot when you think about it...

Enjoy the show.

RTR

[Free To Canoe]

Missing the meteor shower again this year. Socked in with rain clouds!

Enjoy the show for me.

[ERD50]

Mostly clear sky tonight here, just a few wisps of clouds, but I only saw faint flashes for my 10 minute investment - will try again a bit later. Cool, no mosquitoes, so nice conditions.

Thought I saw a satellite, but checked the heavens-above site, no listing at that time/direction. Either a plane or an out-of-control satellite that they can't predict so easily.

-ERD50

[RunningBum]

Saturday night was too hazy around here, but last night was crisp. I went out at about 11:30, knowing it was probably too early but I was ready to go to sleep. I saw nothing in 5 minutes. I woke up around 3:30 and went out again and even with the quarter moon rising, saw some good streaks generally faster than 1 per minute. I only watched for about 10 minutes, then there was either a longer stretch without them, or I was missing them as my eyes were starting to shut.