It's that time of year again, my friends. The most reliable meteor shower of the year reaches its peak Tuesday and Wednesday night, August 11 and 12. A waning moon will provide some interference, but there is good news as well. Earth will pass through some significant debris trails this year and skywatchers could see upwards of 200 meteors per hour at these times.Although the hours of midnight to dawn usually make for good viewing, these times may offer a spectacular display, especially in North America:
Night of August 11/12, midnight to 4:00 AM, EDT; and
Night of August 12/13, 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM, EDT.
Gather family and friends, find an open sky away from city lights, bring blankets or lawn chairs, insect repellent, and food, then enjoy the show.
For more information, check this page from NASA, this page from the American Meteor Society or this site from MSNBC's science and technology pages.
Photo: Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Antonio Canova, c. 1800, Vatican Museum.
P.S. OTR loves puns.
2 comments:
OMG HECK YES. You'd better start planning now.
I sense a bit less interest than your enthusiastic response might suggest.
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