[meteorite-list] Planets Align for the Perseid Meteor Shower

From: Stuart McDaniel <actionshooting_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 08:53:01 -0400
Message-ID: <BB31D079D2734558B05617F6C3787E92_at_toshibauser>

I will be at a Inter-Club star party at a "blue zone" dark sky site in the
mountains of VA. Ought to be something to see if the weather cooperates.
Kind of a multiple of happenings for us.................It's Friday the
13th, my first time camping in 20 years, my first official star party, my
first time at a true dark sky site, the planets are conjuncting (is that a
word), Perseids are happening, man what a night!! Maybe I need to buy a
lottery ticket!!! LOL!!



Stuart McDaniel
Lawndale, NC
Secr.,
Cleve. Co. Astronomical Society
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Baalke" <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Friday, August 06, 2010 8:48 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Planets Align for the Perseid Meteor Shower


>
> http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/05aug_perseids/
>
> Planets Align for the Perseid Meteor Shower
> NASA Science News
>
> August 5, 2010: You know it's a good night when a beautiful alignment
> of planets is the /second/ best thing that's going to happen.
>
> Thursday, August 12th, is such a night.
>
> The show begins at sundown when Venus, Saturn, Mars and the crescent
> Moon pop out of the western twilight in tight conjunction. All four
> heavenly objects will fit within a circle about 10 degrees in diameter,
> beaming together through the dusky colors of sunset. No telescope is
> required to enjoy this naked-eye event: sky map
> <http://heliophysics.org/headlines/y2010/images/perseids/skymap_12aug10.gif>.
>
> The planets will hang together in the western sky until 10 pm or so.
> When they leave, following the sun below the horizon, you should stay,
> because that is when the Perseid meteor shower begins. From 10 pm until
> dawn, meteors will flit across the starry sky in a display that's even
> more exciting than a planetary get-together.
>
> The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.
> Every 133 years the huge comet swings through the inner solar system and
> leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel. When Earth passes through the
> debris, specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and
> disintegrate in flashes of light. These meteors are called Perseids
> because they fly out of the constellation Perseus.
>
> Swift-Tuttle's debris zone is so wide, Earth spends weeks inside it.
> Indeed, we are in the outskirts now, and sky watchers are already
> reporting a trickle of late-night Perseids. The trickle could turn into
> a torrent between August 11th and 13th when Earth passes through the
> heart of the debris trail.
>
> 2010 is a good year for Perseids because the Moon won't be up during the
> midnight-to-dawn hours of greatest activity. Lunar glare can wipe out a
> good meteor shower, but that won't be the case this time.
>
> As Perseus rises and the night deepens, meteor rates will increase. For
> sheer numbers, the best time to look is during the darkest hours before
> dawn on Friday morning, Aug. 13th, when most observers will see dozens
> of Perseids per hour.
>
> For best results, get away from city lights. The darkness of the
> countryside multiplies the visible meteor rate 3- to 10-fold. A good
> dark sky will even improve the planetary alignment, allowing faint Mars
> and Saturn to make their full contribution to the display. Many families
> plan camping trips to coincide with the Perseids. The Milky Way arching
> over a mountain campground provides the perfect backdrop for a meteor
> shower.
>
> Enjoy the show!
>
> Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science at NASA
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Received on Sat 07 Aug 2010 08:53:01 AM PDT