The Perseid Meteor Shower: 12th|13th

I created this thread to remind people about the upcoming Perseid Meteor Shower

So if you see something in the sky, ain't no UFO.... keep looking as you should see more.





Some more reading:
Wikipedia Article
Nasa 2004
2005
2006
2007



[edit on 10-8-2007 by Dulcimer]

Thanks a ton man. I knew it was coming up but didn't know the exact dates. Gonna have my eyes on the skies!

cool thx i almost forgot and we are 10 today...cool havent missed it

The 2007 Perseid Meteor Shower has been nothing short of "amazing".


I viewed the Perseids on the consecutive nights Fri/Sat, Sat/Sun (August 10th - 12th ) from an excellent vantage point, Kettle Point, Ontario on the shores of Lake Huron which provided me with clear, unobstructed panoramic views.

The skies were ideal for viewing on Sat/Sun, August 11th - 12th. The weather was perfect. The moon was waxing -- nearly a New Moon. Thus, the sky was very dark. Coupled with negligible ambient light at my viewing locale one couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to see this annual heavenly display.

Though many astronomy sites reported that Sun/Mon, August 13th would be the "peak" for the Perseids, I certainly was not disappointed at all. Frankly, I would say that the Perseids peaked early. At one point, before midnight,I counted 10 meteors in an hour with one of them being a brilliant "earth grazer" which seemed to drag across the sky! It was beautiful. By 4am - 5am, I counted 39 meteorites.

For those interested in viewing the Perseids, it's certainly not too late. Yes, the shower may have peaked but one can still have an excellent opportunity to see them throughout this week. Of course the frequency will gradually diminish as will the viewing conditions as the moon waxes (Full Moon on August 28th).

Here is a Meteorite "Flux-o-meter". You can set the flux-o-meter for viewing the Persieds and it will graph a the expected frequency of meteorites per hour over the coming week. The site also has an applet you can use to help determine the best viewing locations in your area, away from city lights.

[edit on 8/13/2007 by benevolent tyrant]

This shower was absolutely gorgeous. I stayed out all night to make the best of it. I saw about 20 of them altogether (fell asleep a lot, haha). I got really lucky though and witnessed two of them that dragged clear across the entire sky -- they were bright enough that I could see orange and red in them. Way cool.

Originally posted by Siblin
This shower was absolutely gorgeous.

You have no argument from me on that point. Indeed, this years' shower was one of the best that I've had the pleasure of seeing. And I've been consciously watching the skies for over two decades.

Seeing a shooting star or, if your prefer, a meteorite always seems to excite me. I'm made aware of the vastness of the universe whenever I see one flash across the sky.

I watched Fri/Sat and had a very good viewing experience. The next day was raining and not very good at all. I only seen one ( ) that day.


While watching around 2 am Saturday I saw something.... else.

A white light starting moving slowly and I thought, this is some strange meteor.... but it then made a small "C" shape in the sky... as it made this small move it became brighter and brighter... easily the brightest object in the sky. I am not sure how to gauge magnitude.. but it was strange.

Very different than when the ISS passes over. This did not sweep the sky... It was just strange.

My guess is something to do with a satellite.

I think I will watch the sky again tonight. Nice and clear for me.