“Meteor shower will wow gazers overnight - CNN” plus 1 more |
| Meteor shower will wow gazers overnight - CNN Posted: 13 Aug 2010 12:13 AM PDT Meteors fill the sky in this long-exposure shot of the sky over Nevada during the Perseid meteor shower in August 2008. STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Share your meteor-watching experiences and images on CNN iReport. NASA chat Web page: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/perseids_2010.html (CNN) -- There's still time to charge that laptop and brew some coffee before the Perseid meteor shower peaks predawn Friday. OK, it's easy to understand why the coffee will come in handy during the long watch overnight. But the laptop? Meteor gazers can join a NASA live chat with astronomer Bill Cooke. The Marshall Space Flight Center astronomer will answer questions beginning around 11 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday. NASA also is broadcasting live the hums of the meteors as they whiz by. With a waxing crescent moon expected to set beforehand, and hence less moonlight in the way, forecasters are expecting one of the best celestial shows of the year, weather in your neighborhood permitting. With good viewing conditions, stargazers might be able to catch at least 40 meteors per hour, Space.com said. "The August Perseids are among the strongest of the readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity nominally yields 90 to 100 meteors per hour," Space.com columnist Joe Rao said in his column. "Anyone in a city or near bright suburban lights will see far fewer." NASA advises viewers that "the Perseids shower will begin around 10 p.m. YOUR local time. However, the best times to view are after midnight and before dawn, with the best activity around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. local time. Best conditions are a clear, dark sky away from city lights. Go outside and look straight up at the sky." The Perseids can be seen all over the sky, but the best viewing opportunities will be across the Northern Hemisphere. Those with sharp eyes will see that the meteors radiate from the direction of the constellation Perseus. The Perseids have been observed for at least 2,000 years and are associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years, NASA says. Each year in August, the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet's debris. These bits of ice and dust burn up in the Earth's atmosphere to create one of the best meteor showers of the year. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Perseid Meteor Shower Draws Desert Fans - KESQ News Posted: 13 Aug 2010 10:00 AM PDT PALM DESERT -- Star-gazers had their eyes glued to the sky overnight Thursday for one of the most stunning meteor showers of the year, the Perseid Meteor Shower.Astronomers were expecting to see between 60 and 100 meteors each hour between midnight and around 4 in the morning.Click here for more information on where to look for the Perseid Meteor Shower in the sky The meteor shower is made of debris from the Swift-Tuttle Comet burning up in the Earth's atmosphere, creating a meteor shower in the northern hemisphere.People around the desert stayed up late last night to watch the eye candy.The shower is visible in mid-July each year, but the peak activity usually falls between August 9 and 14 depending on the particular location of the stream.This year's viewing was made even more spectacular by the crescent moon, which made it darker for people to see the meteors.The Perseid Meteor Shower has been observed for about 2,000 years. Copyright 2010 KESQ. All rights reserved. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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