Perseid Meteor Shower Tonight

KerrTexas

KerrTexas

Super Moderator
Tonight and tomorrow night( Tuesday - August 8/11/2009 // Wednesday - August 8/12/2009 ) will be a meteor shower.

Below is the link that provides the details of this event.

I will be watching for the Perseid Meteor Shower -- and if anyone else happens to witness this , would love to read about your experience of this event.

I.E., where you were ( general location ), what time, and how many meteor's ( or fireballs ) you witnessed, etc.



Details of Meteor Shower
 
KT,

Thanks for the reminder. It's a beautiful sight...until you consider the "why" of it.

As I referenced yesterday in another post, meteroids don't strike the Earth, the Earth runs into them. The Perseid shower is from the debris left by comet Tempel-Tuttle. It has an orbital period of 33 years and obviously has an orbital path that crosses the Earth orbital path. It's due back in 23 years.

The Leonid shower is also from an Earth orbital path crossing comet known as The Great Comet of 1862. It has an orbital period of 400 years. It will be back in 253 years.

At some time in the future one of the comets, assuming that it hasn't evaporated, will occupy the same spacetime coordinates as the Earth.
 
Yeah, can cause a thinking man to ponder about certain aspect's of life.

Fun to watch, but does indeed have some dire implications if certain cog's of the wheel fall into place.

Sky watching with a group does have it's opportunities.

We used that as a foundation to play pranks while on a hike in the High Sierra's years ago. As a few of us looked into the night sky watching the show, the little streaks that seemed to be headed directly for us, we would "gently" toss a pebble at someone striking them on the forehead.

Got a few laughs out of that.

I set up some blankets in the truck last night and we did see quite a show. Not intense, but were able to see a couple every few minutes. Plan on doing it again, tonight.
 
Alas,

As you well know, Kerr, I live in the "light pollution capital of the world" (almost), and it is hard enough to see the depth of the Milky Way here in the SoCal basin, much less streaks in the night sky.

But I will stick my head out around 10PM tonight to see what I can see...likely not much. Now if I were at my place in Colorado, that would be quite a different story! :eek:
RMT
 
KT,

Unfortunately for me the Santa Barbara County coastal "June Gloom" has set in and its been foggy at night. I have a very nice view of 100% grey overcast. No meteors to be seen.
 
We have been having a heat-wave and drought for several weeks. Not a drop of rain for the longest time...then go figure when the clouds roll in. Yes, that would be tonight. So, I am SOL as well.

Oh well, there is always next year at Rainman's in Colorado.

/ttiforum/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
i had clear skies, as clear as it gets. i didnt see any. /ttiforum/images/graemlins/frown.gif

i think im gonna go cry now...
 
Ruthless,

Nah. Don't cry. They will be back next August. In November we will have the Leonid Shower. The Perseids are usually the more visible because its summer in the North but in Southern California we do have many Novembers where the fall weather is clear and hot so the Leonids can be seen most of the time.
 
Well, no joy tonight. The La Brea fire's smoke (49k acres since Saturday) is causing this evening's 100% overcast. I guess there's a bright side to it. With all the fires we've had in Santa Barbara County since 2007 there's not much left to burn. Next August it will be clear skies.
 
La Brea, didn't hear about that fire. Fires seem to be as common in So Cal as the Thunderstorms here in Texas. Lived in San Clemente when Laguna Beach got torched. Almost lost a structure in Running Springs, in the San Bernardino Mountains, as well.

Hope it doesnt do any major damage. Although, fires are part of a natural process.

As far as meteor watching:

I went to bed early last night, which was too bad, as the clouds cleared off, and a friend stayed up, and got to view approx. 40 meteor's.

Don't know what I might see tonight, but will try.
 
Yep, yet another fire - now at 68,000 acres and growing. No structures lost but 14 homes have been evacuated and its within a few miles of Santa Maria city limits. 25 rotary wing, 10 fixed wing and 1850 ground attackers on line. Constant stream of helos over head where I am because my office is across the road from the helo base at Santa Ynez Airport.
 
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