“Planets, Perseid putting on meteor shower tonight - Denver Post” plus 3 more |
- Planets, Perseid putting on meteor shower tonight - Denver Post
- Meteor shower to light up skies tonight - USA Today
- Spectacular Meteor Shower Coincides with Rare Planet Alignment - Associated Content
- Meteor Shower To Light Up Tri-State's Skies Friday - msnbc.com
| Planets, Perseid putting on meteor shower tonight - Denver Post Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:02 PM PDT FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Stargazers who cast their eyes skyward tonight should enjoy two-for- one celestial treats. Three planets — Mars, Venus and Saturn — will appear after dusk above the crescent moon. Later, the Perseid meteor shower will adorn the night with up to 50 shooting stars an hour. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Meteor shower to light up skies tonight - USA Today Posted: 12 Aug 2010 12:53 PM PDT Meteor shower to light up skies tonight
Tonight and tomorrow night mark peak viewing for one of the most prolific and awe-inspiring annual meteor showers visible on Earth, the Perseids, which will rise from the northeast beginning around 10 p.m. This year's Perseids will be "a little better than average," says Cooke. "I'm looking for a good shower tonight. Normally they're about 70 to 80 an hour but tonight it could get up to over 100 an hour, that more than one a minute," he said from his office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The absolute best viewing times will be between 3 and 4 a.m. Friday morning, says Cooke. But "generally we tell people to go out, get comfy and around 10 p.m. they'll start seeing the first meteors." All times are local, as the spinning of the Earth will insure that everyone sees them. The great thing about meteor showers is that you don't need any special equipment, "just yourself and a good dark place," Cooke says. As long as you're well away from city lights, this bright shower of falling stars will be a great show free for the watching. "My advice to people is to lie flat on your back, look straight up and take in as much of the sky as you can, that's the best way to view meteors," Cooke says. Named because they come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, the meteors are actually the stream of debris cascading from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. Because there's a waxing crescent moon just now, the Perseids should be visible in most of the country where skies are clear. They will be visible across most of the planet, except in South America south of Brazil, the southern tip of Africa and southern Australia. While the eye adapts to the dark within 10 minutes, a full switch to night vision can take up to 45 minutes, so the falling stars will become brighter and more visible as the night wears on. Be careful not to place yourself where you see oncoming car headlights, which can 'reset' the eyes for light, meaning it will take another 45 minutes to get full night vision back. Cooke will hold a Web chat from 11:00 p.m. tonight to 5 a.m. EDT about the Perseids and how best to view them. Most of the meteors in the shower Americans will see tonight and tomorrow night are from a filament of dust from the comet that streamed off in 1862. The Earth passes through the tiny debris cloud that trails the comet every August. The particles of ice and dust burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, creating a beautiful shower of meteors. NASA will also be running a live feed of the shower beginning as darkness falls on the East coast. By Elizabeth Weise Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Spectacular Meteor Shower Coincides with Rare Planet Alignment - Associated Content Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:16 PM PDT The celestial show that is the Perseids meteor shower is set to peak tonight as with a rate of about 40 meteors per hour. Meanwhile, a rare tight planet alignment is also taking place. The celestial fireworks will peak Across the Northern Hemisphere, the best time to watch the spectacle will be in the pre-dawn hours local time on Friday. If weather permits, sky watchers will be able to see a shooting star about every minute or so. The only factors that could possibly put a damper on the display is bad weather or very bright moonlight. However this year the moon will not be a factor as it will be a thin crescent. Astronomers are expecting quite a show as the Perseids' characteristic fireballs and exploding meteors have already been spotted. Space.com points out that this Perseids' event is turning out to be particularly interesting because there have been more and more sighting of fireballs. Another factor making this year's Perseids show quite spectacular is a rare planet alignment that is taking place. Venus, Mars, and Saturn are clustering up tonight and Friday night with a crescent moon. Anyone with clear skies will be able to see them as soon as the sun goes down. Additionally, Jupiter will be visible in the pre-dawn hours as well. Sources: Related Articles: Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Meteor Shower To Light Up Tri-State's Skies Friday - msnbc.com Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:16 PM PDT CINCINNATI — WLWT.com Keep your eyes towards the sky Friday morning; if you want see one of space's greatest shows. The Perseids meteor shower, which started earlier this month, is expected to peak between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Friday. The shower is named Perseids because it appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus. It happens every year and never ceases to amaze the members of the Cincinnati Observatory. Dean Regas, the observatory's outreach astronomer, said estimates predict you could see anywhere from two to three meteors a minute. "Meteor showers are notoriously fickle" Regas said. "Sometimes they'll be one every minute. Sometimes you'll go 10, 15 minutes without one." The showers will take place in the southeastern sky. Regas and other members of the Cincinnati Observatory will travel 30 miles east to Stone Lick State Park to watch the event. He said the public is invited to attend the observation. It will start at dusk as long as the meteors are visible. "This is always one of the special events for astronomers, amateur astronomers and the general public because it is really a humbling moment to see how big the universe is," Regas said. If you can't travel to the park, but still want to watch the meteors, Regas has some advice: stay away from the city. He said light pollution makes it harder to see faint meteors. If you leave the city, you will be in luck. Regas said the moon will be in a slim crescent shape; less light will hinder the view of the shower. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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