Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight!

[SIRR1]

FYI THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER IS UNDERWAY:

Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

Worldwide observers are now reporting more than 30 Perseids per hour, a number that could triple during the weekend when Earth reaches the heart of the debris zone.

Forecasters recommend looking during the dark hours before dawn, especially Sunday morning, August 12th, when activity is expected to be highest

Got clouds? Tune into SpaceWeather Radio for live echoes from Perseid meteors flying over the US Space Surveillance Radar in Texas.

The multi-station Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar, sponsored by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, is also monitoring the Perseids.

Live data are available here. Bright spots in this sample radar sky map show the radiants of currently active showers:

Clearly, the Perseids are not the only meteors in the sky this weekend. The Northern and Southern Delta Aquarids (NDA and SDA) are also active.

These showers, which are minor compared to the Perseids, spring from 96P/Machholz, a comet that some researchers suspect is a visitor from another star system.

This is a great weekend for watching meteors--but that's not all. Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon are lining up in the pre-dawn sky right in the middle of the Perseid display.

The conjunction of planets guarantees that you will see something beautiful even in the unlikely event that the shower fizzles.

http://www.spaceweather.com/


I am going to warm up the hot tub today so I can watch the show early Sunday morning while I listen to C2C am...

Hope I remember to set the alarm clock...

SIRR1

[Firebird]

All we have seen at night for the past month and a half is clouds and rain. Doubt we will get to see squat.

[mercyangel]

All we have seen at night for the past month and a half is clouds and rain. Doubt we will get to see squat.

Same here.

[SIRR1]

All we have seen at night for the past month and a half is clouds and rain. Doubt we will get to see squat.

For the first time since the July 4th holiday the day time temps are not over 100 degrees, last night a strong cold fromt pushed through and it was actually cool enough to turn off the attic fan.

Today we have blue skies and temps in the lower to mid 80s, yea! SIRR1

[Vicki]

For the first time since the July 4th holiday the day time temps are not over 100 degrees, last night a strong cold fromt pushed through and it was actually cool enough to turn off the attic fan.

Today we have blue skies and temps in the lower to mid 80s, yea! SIRR1

Same here SIRR1, what a beautiful day today is. Thanks for the reminder on the Perseids. I'll try to get a glimpse of them sometime after midnight.

[MtnGal]

All we have seen at night for the past month and a half is clouds and rain. Doubt we will get to see squat.

Same here. Sure hope it clears for tonight

[blueridge]

So. New Mexico was lucky early this morning - after midnight things picked up nicely, saw about 10 decent meteors, several leaving nice trails behind them.

It was pleasantly warm with a moderate breeze, but slightly hazy - not ideal viewing, but good enough to see quite a show.

Looking forward to observing even better tonite - late. Best show is usually after 3AM.

Anyone ever see a meteor 'storm'? You'll know it instantly if you're ever lucky enough to see it - it puts the ordinary 'showers' to shame...there are
too many to count.

[mourningdove]

Yes I have seen a meteor storm. It was quite a few years ago for the Leonids. It was awesome.

We watched some last night and saw about 10 in an hour. Going back out tonight. Praying for no clouds!

[Be Well]

Hub saw a huge one last night, it was between him and the mountains (they're only 4000 ft there), he said it looked half as big as the moon (and he is not an exaggerator), had a trail, and then exploded into sparks, must have been not too far from the ground at that point.

[Abdon]

looks clear tonight in north east Wisconsin.

[MichaelUK]

thanks for the reminder its 23:20 here will be going outside soon to take a look.