Wow, meteors from comet Halley! From SpaceWeather.com:
...Space Weather News for May 4, 2009
METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a stream of dusty debris from Halley's Comet, the source of the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Wednesday, May 6th, with as many as 85 meteors per hour over the southern hemisphere. Rates in the northern hemisphere will be less, 20 to 30 per hour. The best time to look is during the dark hour before local sunrise on Wednesday morning. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and details...
In the Northeast, we are completely rained in. Maybe some of my southern readers can catch a few meteors Wednesday night!
Showing posts with label meteor shower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meteor shower. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Meteors, and planets!
Very nice display, courteous nature. From SpaceWeather.com:
EVENING PLANETS: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southwest. The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, are shining through the twilight side by side. You'll want to keep an eye on these two because they are drawing noticeably closer together every night. Venus and Jupiter are converging on a patch of sky in Sagittarius where they will have a spectacular double-conjunction with the Moon at the end of the month. Don't wait until then, though. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and start watching now.
LEONID METEOR WATCH: The Leonid meteor shower peaks this year on Nov. 17th and 18th. Bright moonlight will probably spoil the show, but not necessarily. Researchers who study Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the source of the Leonids, say Earth is going to pass through one or two of the comet's dusty filaments. Peak rates of 20 to 100 meteors per hour are possible during the early hours of Nov. 17th (especially 0000-0200 UT) and again during the waning hours of Nov. 18th (around 2130 UT). These times favor sky watchers in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Smaller numbers of Leonids could appear between the anticipated peak times. Meteor enthusiasts everywhere should monitor the sky on Nov. 17th and 18th; the hours before local dawn are usually best.
Friday, August 8, 2008
08' Perseid Meteor Shower
From Spaceweather.com:
...COUNTDOWN TO THE PERSEIDS: The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks one week from today, on Tuesday, August 12th. The best time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday morning when forecasters expect 50 to 100 meteors per hour. Get away from city lights if you can; plan a camping trip! The darker the sky, the more meteors you will see...The source of the Perseids is Comet Swift-Tuttle, which has littered the August portion of Earth's orbit with space dust. The dusty zone is broad and Earth is already in its outskirts. As a result, even before the peak on August 12th, you may see some "early Perseids" streaking across the night sky...
Driving home from our Lammas Sabbat/UUA vigil the other night, Aug 3rd, I saw a very bright meteor. It was a very clear and beautiful night and Jupiter had been holding court. The meteor appeared fairly high up and too my left (I was traveling due south). There was a distinct arch to it's trajectory, which seemed to grow steeper as it fell to earth. I have the impression it may have landed somewhere, or at least it dipped below the southwestern horizon. But the most remarkable thing about it was that it developed a emerald glow just before I lost sight of it.
...COUNTDOWN TO THE PERSEIDS: The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks one week from today, on Tuesday, August 12th. The best time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday morning when forecasters expect 50 to 100 meteors per hour. Get away from city lights if you can; plan a camping trip! The darker the sky, the more meteors you will see...The source of the Perseids is Comet Swift-Tuttle, which has littered the August portion of Earth's orbit with space dust. The dusty zone is broad and Earth is already in its outskirts. As a result, even before the peak on August 12th, you may see some "early Perseids" streaking across the night sky...
Driving home from our Lammas Sabbat/UUA vigil the other night, Aug 3rd, I saw a very bright meteor. It was a very clear and beautiful night and Jupiter had been holding court. The meteor appeared fairly high up and too my left (I was traveling due south). There was a distinct arch to it's trajectory, which seemed to grow steeper as it fell to earth. I have the impression it may have landed somewhere, or at least it dipped below the southwestern horizon. But the most remarkable thing about it was that it developed a emerald glow just before I lost sight of it.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Perseid Meteor Shower
From Spaceweather.com:
...The Perseid meteor shower has begun. Although the display will not peak until August 12th and 13th, sky watchers are already counting as many as a dozen meteors per hour (including some nice fireballs) during the darkest hours before dawn. Rates could increase 5- to 10-fold when the shower reaches maximum on Sunday night and Monday morning. Advice: Get away from city lights. While many Perseids will be bright enough to see from light-polluted urban areas, the shower's full grandeur is reserved for places with dark and starry skies. This is a good weekend to go camping...
For skymaps and observing hints, go to spaceweather.com for all the info.
...The Perseid meteor shower has begun. Although the display will not peak until August 12th and 13th, sky watchers are already counting as many as a dozen meteors per hour (including some nice fireballs) during the darkest hours before dawn. Rates could increase 5- to 10-fold when the shower reaches maximum on Sunday night and Monday morning. Advice: Get away from city lights. While many Perseids will be bright enough to see from light-polluted urban areas, the shower's full grandeur is reserved for places with dark and starry skies. This is a good weekend to go camping...
For skymaps and observing hints, go to spaceweather.com for all the info.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
What the Moon brings...
January's full moon has many names. "Wolf Moon", "Quiet Moon", and the "Moon After Yule" are just some of the names attributed to the first full moon in January.
The evening of Jan 3/4 also marks the peak of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. This shower tends to be brief, with a sharply defined peak. If lucky, sometimes you can see a mini-burst of meteors--up to 100/hr. I like the Quadrantids, because they fall almost smack-dab on my birthday! But for my location, this shower is a bit of a challenge, usually because it's rather cold outside. Also this year, the full moon comes pretty close to the peak, making observation even more a challenge.
For an excellent summary of this months astronomical events, check out Dick Cookman's feature in Cloudy Nights.
The evening of Jan 3/4 also marks the peak of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. This shower tends to be brief, with a sharply defined peak. If lucky, sometimes you can see a mini-burst of meteors--up to 100/hr. I like the Quadrantids, because they fall almost smack-dab on my birthday! But for my location, this shower is a bit of a challenge, usually because it's rather cold outside. Also this year, the full moon comes pretty close to the peak, making observation even more a challenge.
For an excellent summary of this months astronomical events, check out Dick Cookman's feature in Cloudy Nights.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Geminid Meteor Shower
The best meteor shower of the year peaks this week on Dec. 13th and 14th.
In my area in the NE USA, looks like we might be rained out. :(
"It's the Geminid meteor shower," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office in Huntsville, Alabama. "Start watching on Wednesday evening, Dec. 13th, around 9 p.m. local time," he advises.
In my area in the NE USA, looks like we might be rained out. :(
"It's the Geminid meteor shower," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office in Huntsville, Alabama. "Start watching on Wednesday evening, Dec. 13th, around 9 p.m. local time," he advises.
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