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Sky-watchers await celestial show
The Earth is to make its annual rendezvous with the Perseid meteors this weekend.
The meteor shower will peak on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, producing as many as 100 shooting stars an hour.
The Perseids are tiny particles, ranging in size from a match-head to a dried pea, shed by the comet Swift-Tuttle.
Sky-watchers should look north-east, where the sky will be darkest, to get the best chance of seeing them.
Claire Gilby, from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, London, said that unlike many astronomical objects, meteors are visible to the naked eye and observers need no special equipment to view them.
"Weather permitting, the sensitivity and wide field of view of the human eye are perfect for watching the Perseids," she said.
"So, to see the Perseids, all you need to do is sit back and watch the night sky."
This year there is a chance that the bright Moon will drown out the glow from the fainter Perseids, as has happened in previous years.
Saint's 'tears'
Meteors are streaks of light in the sky caused by blazing pieces of dust drawn into the Earth's atmosphere from near space.
The Perseids are caused when the Earth passes through debris shed by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. This comet travels through the inner planets every 130 years, most recently in 1992.
The Perseids are so called because tracing their tails back in the night sky mostly leads to the constellation Perseus.
This contains a point called the Perseus radiant - the perspective point from which the meteors would appear to come if they could be seen approaching from interplanetary space.
The Perseids are sometimes called the Tears of St Lawrence because the Saint's feast day falls on 10 August.
The dust itself consists of particles that are travelling at around 50km (31 miles) per second.
As they enter the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up with a short-lived burst of light, heat and ionisation.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4784645.stm
The Earth is to make its annual rendezvous with the Perseid meteors this weekend.
The meteor shower will peak on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, producing as many as 100 shooting stars an hour.
The Perseids are tiny particles, ranging in size from a match-head to a dried pea, shed by the comet Swift-Tuttle.
Sky-watchers should look north-east, where the sky will be darkest, to get the best chance of seeing them.
Claire Gilby, from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, London, said that unlike many astronomical objects, meteors are visible to the naked eye and observers need no special equipment to view them.
"Weather permitting, the sensitivity and wide field of view of the human eye are perfect for watching the Perseids," she said.
"So, to see the Perseids, all you need to do is sit back and watch the night sky."
This year there is a chance that the bright Moon will drown out the glow from the fainter Perseids, as has happened in previous years.
Saint's 'tears'
Meteors are streaks of light in the sky caused by blazing pieces of dust drawn into the Earth's atmosphere from near space.
The Perseids are caused when the Earth passes through debris shed by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. This comet travels through the inner planets every 130 years, most recently in 1992.
The Perseids are so called because tracing their tails back in the night sky mostly leads to the constellation Perseus.
This contains a point called the Perseus radiant - the perspective point from which the meteors would appear to come if they could be seen approaching from interplanetary space.
The Perseids are sometimes called the Tears of St Lawrence because the Saint's feast day falls on 10 August.
The dust itself consists of particles that are travelling at around 50km (31 miles) per second.
As they enter the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up with a short-lived burst of light, heat and ionisation.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4784645.stm
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Re: Perseid Meteors
Sun, August 13, 2006 - 11:46 AMLovely :)
Went out last night to watch, brought some blankets and pillows.
Unfortunately, I live really close to a city, so all we saw were the brightest ones hitting the atmosphere.
I can't wait to be in the middle of nowhere when there are no lights to dim the starlight.
Thanks for the info :) we saw 10 or so in an hour. better than none at all :) -
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Re: Perseid Meteors
Sun, August 13, 2006 - 11:53 AMUnfortunately I don't get to see any as the light pollution here is so bad living only a couple of miles from a major international airport's landing lights. Like you, I'd love to go to the back of beyond and get a chance to see the heavens as they should be seen..... one day..... on my list of things 'to do'!
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Re: Perseid Meteors
Tue, August 11, 2009 - 1:45 PMIt's that time of year again!
Skygazers are preparing for the high point of the annual Perseid meteor shower.
The shower, which reaches its peak on Wednesday, occurs when the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.
As this cometary "grit" strikes our atmosphere, it burns up, often creating streaks of light across the sky.
The meteors appear to come from a point called a "radiant" in the constellation of Perseus - hence the name Perseid.
"Earth passes through the densest part of the debris stream sometime on 12 August. Then, you could see dozens of meteors per hour," said Bill Cooke of Nasa's meteoroid environment office.
No special equipment is required to watch the sky show. Astronomers say binoculars might help, but will also restrict the view to a small part of the sky.
The Perseids can appear in any part of the sky, but their tails all point back to the radiant in the constellation Perseus.
Stargazers are advised to lie on a blanket or a reclining chair to get the best view.
Budding astronomers are being urged to take part in the first "Twitter Meteorwatch". Astronomers from around the world will be live-tweeting images of the meteors, as well as pictures of the Moon, Jupiter and other celestial objects.
The "48-hour Twitter marathon" will form part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009).
In the UK, the best times to see the Perseids are likely to be on the morning of 12 August before dawn and from late evening on the 12th through to the early hours of the 13 August.
This year, light from the last quarter Moon will interfere significantly with the view.
The National Trust has published online guides to seven top Perseid viewing sites, including coastal spots, nature reserves and national parks.
Jo Burgon, head of access and recreation at the Trust, said: "Light pollution from our towns and cities has increased so much in recent years, but head out to the countryside for the perfect place to explore the beauty of the night sky, away from the intrusive glow."
The rock and dust fragments which cause the shower were left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle when it last came near the Sun.
The comet orbits the Sun once every 130 years and last swept through the inner Solar System in 1992.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8193769.stm
