Perseid Meteor Shower Might Dazzle

[mickw]

For Northern Hemisphere observers, August is usually regarded as "meteor month," with one of the best displays of the year reaching its peak near midmonth.

That display is, of course, the annual Perseid Meteor Shower, beloved by everyone from meteor enthusiasts to summer campers. This year is expected to produce an above average number of "shooting stars" that could offer a rewarding experience to skywatchers around the globe.

There's just one problem: A bright moon will drown out fainter meteors.

More:   http://www.space.com/spacewatch/090807-perseid-meteors.html

[JohnP]

This year is expected to produce an above average number of "shooting stars"

I'm sure they say that every year & once again I'll be out freezing my 'bahookie' off & lucky to see 2 or 3 of them.....

John

[mickw]

You've actually seen 2 or 3 

[Tony G]

Are they that bright that you can see them thorough the dense grey, orange bottomed cloud sitting over my house most nights.

Tony G

[Rick]

Main thing Perseids have going for them is a fair degree of reliability, a broad maximum and not-too-cold nights round maximum, so not too bad for sleeping out under the stars. Now, if only the skies would clear...

oink! oink! flap-flap

[Mike]

Looked outside at about 1am last night and a huge meteor shot across the sky. I went outside and hung around for about 10 minute to see if I could see some more, but that was it.

[Mike]

Skygazers are getting ready to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on Wednesday.

The Perseid shower occurs when the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

As this cometary "grit" strikes our atmosphere, it burns up, often creating streaks of light across the sky.

This impressive spectacle appears to originate from a point called a "radiant" in the constellation of Perseus - hence the name Perseid.

"Earth passes through the densest part of the debris stream sometime on 12 August. Then, you could see dozens of meteors per hour," said Bill Cooke of Nasa's meteoroid environment office.

No special equipment is required to watch the sky show. Astronomers say binoculars might help, but will also restrict the view to a small part of the sky.

The Perseids can appear in any part of the sky, but their tails all point back to the radiant in the constellation Perseus.

In the UK, the best times to see the Perseids are likely to be on the morning of 12 August before dawn and from late evening on the 12th through to the early hours of the 13 August.

This year, light from the last quarter Moon will interfere significantly with the view.

The rock and dust fragments which cause the shower were left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle when it last came near the Sun.

The comet orbits the Sun once every 130 years and last swept through the inner Solar System in 1992.

More........... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8193769.stm

[Mike]

Went out last night for a bit but didn't see any at all

[Tony G]

I hope you are referring to meteor's, and not 'dogging' 

Tony G

[MarkS]

Went out last night for a bit but didn't see any at all

Me neither

[Rick]

More nattering around the matter on Radio 4 during "Today" this morning. They claim the best chance for us is tonight... 

[JohnP]

They claim the best chance for us is tonight... 

.... did they mention the cloud

[Ian]

oh well, at least we can watch the dogging...

[Rick]

[Rick]

Skygazers are observing a dazzling sky show, as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.

No special equipment is required to watch the shower, which occurs when Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

Budding astronomers are advised to lie on a blanket or a reclining chair to get the best view.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8197303.stm

(Yeah. Right. When did they actually write that? -- Rick)