Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend (be on the lookout late Sunday into dawn Monday)

ap on San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | 8/10/07 | Alicia Chang - ap

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES – Summer's annual meteor shower promises to put on a dazzling show when it peaks this weekend – provided you're far from city lights.

With no moon in sight to interfere with the Perseid meteor shower, skygazers can expect to spot streaking fireballs late Sunday into dawn Monday regardless of time zone. Astronomers estimate as many as 60 meteors per hour could flit across the sky at the shower's peak.

This year's sky show comes with an added bonus: Mars will be visible as a bright red dot in the northeastern sky.

“We have front-row seats this year,” said Kelly Beatty, executive editor of Sky & Telescope magazine.

Last year's Perseid shower was somewhat of a dud because the moon's glare washed out many of the faint meteors. This weekend's meteor shower coincides with a new moon, which means the skies will be dark and perfect for viewing meteors.

Experts offer some tips to get the most out of nature's fireworks: Since Perseid meteors can be seen from any direction in the sky, viewers should pick out a dark patch of sky free of light pollution and wait for the meteors to appear.

Dim meteors appear as a momentary flash of light while the brighter ones leave a glowing streak. The number of Perseids zipping across the sky should increase steadily through the night, peaking just before sunrise. Although the peak occurs this weekend, the Perseids are visible for several nights after that.

Unlike other celestial sightings that require a telescope or binoculars, the best way to watch a meteor shower is with the naked eye.

The Perseids are perhaps the most beloved of all meteor showers because of their predictability. The August shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus because the meteors appear to originate there.

The annual Perseid shower occurs when the Earth's orbit crosses the path of debris thrown off by Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the cosmic junk – many the size of a grain of sand – enters the atmosphere, it burns up in a flash, appearing as “shooting stars” across the sky.

In the past, the Perseid showers have produced such spectacular displays that people swamped radio stations with reports of a mysterious light in the sky.

[NormsRevenge]

Sky & Telescope magazine: http://www.skyandtelescope.com

Prepare for the Perseids

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the new-Moon night of Sunday–Monday, August 12–13, but it’s strong for several nights before and after that. On any given night, activity starts slowly in the evening and increases steadily to the hours before dawn.

[NormsRevenge]

The meteor rate increases to roughly 30 per hour in the predawn hours on Saturday, 45 per hour on Sunday morning, and 80 per hour before the sky starts to get light on Monday morning. That’s for a single observer at a dark-sky site in the north temperate latitudes.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Should be great viewing in New Hampshire... clear, cool night. Now if I can just stay awake until 2 AM...

[MaxMax]

The shower is supposed to be peaked from 2-4AM EST Sat-&-Sun.

I've been viewing some very nice meteors since 11:PM over the Chesapeake Bay
from Virginia Beach.

[NormsRevenge]

Sounds good! It’s just getting nice and dark out here on the west coast.

[metmom]

Reminder bump

[NormsRevenge]

I hope I stay awake long enough to see some..

if not tonighhh..,, zzzZZZZzz.

In this photo released by SkyandTelescope.com a Perseid meteor flashes across the constellation Andromeda on Aug. 12, 1997, in this 8-minute exposure taken in Florence Junction, Ariz. With no moon in sight to interfere with the Perseid meteor shower, skygazers can expect to spot streaking fireballs late Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007, into dawn Monday regardless of time zone. Astronomers estimate as many as 60 meteors per hour could flit across the sky at the shower's peak. (AP Photo/SkyandTelescope.com, Rick Scott and Joe Orman)

[MaxMax]

This shower has a history. Here's a link below with an excerpt.

St. Lawrence's "fiery tears."

The event is also known as "The Tears of St. Lawrence."

Laurentius, a Christian deacon, is said to have been martyred by the Romans in 258
AD on an iron outdoor stove. It was in the midst of this
torture that Laurentius cried out:

"I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked,
it is time to turn me on the other."

The saint's death was commemorated on his feast day, Aug. 10.
King Phillip II of Spain built his monastery place the "Escorial,"
on the plan of the holy gridiron. And the abundance of shooting stars
seen annually between approximately Aug. 8 and 14 have come to be known as
St. Lawrence's "fiery tears."

/Salute and God Bless

[metmom]

I saw some spectacular ones many years ago but mot much since then.

[NormsRevenge]

Here are some shots for this year’s Perseid showers so far, some folks are snapping long exposure shots and getting great results.

http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/gallery_12aug07.htm

[NormsRevenge]

also a
Nasa link

Great Perseids
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11jul_greatperseids.htm

July 11, 2007: 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.

[NormsRevenge]

A Perseid fireball photographed August 12, 2006,
by Pierre Martin of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.

[NormsRevenge]

Thank you for sharing that tidbit of history... or ‘Well done’ as St. Lawrence might have offered. ;-)

[MaxMax]

Well done indeed. /Cheerz

[TornadoAlley3]

bump

[metmom]

Great!

As expected, the clouds have rolled in. They’re in front of a cold front so could be clearing later. I’ll check about midnight.

[metmom]

Still cloudy and not even the rain the radar showed. >:(

[MarineBrat]

We observed from 3:00am to 4:30am PDT on Sunday morning (Sat night) from a dark sky site in California. I saw about 50 meteors in that window.

Last night I went out at 4:00am and observed for 5 minutes but saw no meteors. The cold, and lack of a meteor storm, chased me back inside.

[MarineBrat]

Silly me, I just realized that your Perseid post is a YEAR OLD! :) Sorry...