Perseid Meteor Shower

[Rob]

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.



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

The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is nowhere near Earth, the comet's tail does intersect Earth's orbit. We glide through it every year in August. Tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's atmosphere traveling 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a smidgen of dust makes a vivid streak of light--a meteor--when it disintegrates. Because Swift-Tuttle's meteors fly out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live.


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The show begins between 9:00 and 10:00 pm on Sunday, August 12th, when Perseus rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping the surface of a pond.

"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these--"at most"--but seeing even one makes the long night worthwhile.

As the night unfolds, Perseus climbs higher and the meteor rate will increase many-fold. "By 2 am on Monday morning, August 13th, dozens of Perseids may be flitting across the sky every hour." The crescendo comes before dawn when rates could exceed a meteor a minute.

For maximum effect, Cooke advises, "get away from city lights." The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.





Above: The eastern sky, viewed during the hours before sunrise on Monday, Aug. 13, 2007.

And there's a bonus: Mars. In the constellation Taurus, just below Perseus, Mars shines like a bright red star. Many of the Perseids you see on August 12th and 13th will flit right past it. Instead of following the meteor, you may find you have a hard time taking your eyes off Mars. There's something bewitching about it, maybe the red color or perhaps the fact that it doesn't twinkle like a true star. You stare at Mars and it stares right back.

Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter in December 2007. NASA is taking advantage by launching a new mission to Mars--the Phoenix Lander. Phoenix will touch down on an arctic plain where it can dig into the ground and investigate layers of soil and ice, searching for, among other things, a habitable zone for primitive microbes. The launch window opens on August 3rd, so by the time the Perseids arrive Phoenix may be hurtling toward the Red Planet. Landing: late Spring 2008.

It's something to think about at four in the morning, with Mars rising in the east, meteors flitting across the sky, and a summer breeze rustling the legs of your pajamas.

[Hoosierdaddy]

Thanks for the heads up! If you've never seen a meteor shower (not you Rob) go check it out, it's quite an awesome site.

I saw this show on the beginning of the Universe and they said for every grain of sand on the Earth there is one million stars. Kind of hard to believe, but I guess it's possible.

Jeff

[carbonman]

Thanks for the info, they are always fun to watch.

[Schecky]

I generally go watch this shower every year (and the one in Nov. too).
The best place to go is Joshua, but it will be very crowded.
The top of Ortega isn't bad either.
Anybody up for a late night ride on Sunday? Maybe Blackstar or up to Old Camp?

[gurp13]

I'm camping that weekend at Shaver Lake! Awesome! I'll be sure to stay up late that night!!! Thanks for the heads up.

[Letyrides]

Cool!!!

[Rob]

Bump, this is tonight!!

[bobzrag]

anyone see any yet? pretty hard w/so many lites

[foofighter]

do i hear a night ride to check this out out

[Break n Bones]

Ive checked at 10 and 12pm and spent a half hour outside both times saw 1 shootinng star

Ill go check again 130am

[pollu_sean]

just got in from the top of the 2 freeway...too many to count!

[CalEpic]

I saw a couple at around 10:30 pm. Woke my kids up at 2:00 am and didn't see any.

C

[JoeTruth]

I happened to be in Frazier Park, near Mt. Pinos all week and although I missed Sunday night, the show up above was nothing short of amazing. I sat out there in complete darkness with no lights anywhere near to hinder the clear view and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The Milky way was right there and the meteor showers was surreal. Living in LA we NEVER get skies that clear. Tons of folks with motor homes and gigantic telescopes were atop of Mt. Pinos (or near the top) all weekend. The place was packed.

Thanks for the informative post!

[Endo Verendo]

I drove out to a nice turnout on Mullholland Hwy deep in the Santa Monicas. Perfect night, dark sky, milky way, animals rustling in the bushes. Not long after I settled onto my car hood, about 12:20, the show seemed to start peaking. Saw 4 really huge ones, the kind that break up into pieces and leave a tail that lasts for a while. The show slowed down around 1am.

[mtnbikerdude87]

Headed out last night to the top of el moro. It was pretty dark there looking towards the ocean and we saw a lot of meteors.

[Red Ryder]

Thanks for the reminder, I forgot about.

[Letyrides]

I missed it.

[Schecky]

It doesn't just go on and off. You should be able to see some tonight too.

[Shu]

We went to Apple Valley sat nite to see the start...it was pretty cool...last nite we laid in the backyad(Orange) and saw 8-10 form 11-1am....sat nite we saw a satelite cruising across the sky...then today we found out the space shuttle and space station could be seen by the nekkid eye sat nite...we may have seen it...or not...

[Schecky]

The shuttle/station is generally pretty easy to spot, if you know where to look in the sky.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata...ion=California

Looks like Wednesday will be easiest to see.