Meteor Show May Be Spectacular

[Mike]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3548960.stm

[Rick]

See also the BAA e-circular I've copied into the Astronomical discussion forum...

[Sue]

Space Weather News for August 10, 2004
http://spaceweather.com

PERSEID METEORS:  The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week. Look for rare
but lovely Perseid Earthgrazers when the sun goes down on Wednesday,
August 11th. Then, before dawn on Thursday, August 12th, go outside for
the main event: as many as 60 meteors per hour. Getting away from city
lights is a good idea: dark skies reveal more meteors.

VENUS AND THE MOON: Early Thursday morning just before dawn when the
Perseid meteor shower is supposed to be most intense, Venus and the
crescent moon will appear side-by-side in the eastern sky.  This lovely
pair would be worth waking up for even if there were no meteor shower.
Check SpaceWeather.com for a sky map.

BIG SUNSPOT:  Sunspot 649, which unleashed several powerful solar flares
in July, is back and it's growing again.   The large spot has a complex
magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares.