Every year for at least 2,000 years, the Northern Hemisphere has been treated to the sight of the Perseids meteor shower. The display is so named because it appears to radiate from the Perseus constellation.
In fact, the meteors themselves are debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, traveling through the sky on its 130-year orbit.
This weekend, on the night of August 11 (Saturday night), the Perseid meteor shower will peak. The sky will be nearly moonless, so step outside under the blanket of the Milky Way to enjoy the show, and to ponder the possibilities the universe has in store for you.
The following three minute long ScienceCast from NASA is an excellent reference for Perseid watchers. It clearly shows what to expect and where to look in the sky for some other familiar objects as reference. It points out that there are three nights of the broad peak of meteor numbers. Saturday night and early Sunday morning are the best times. But, you might have clouds at that time. Pick 24 hours before or after to look for them if the weather requires.
Please come below for a chart of the eastern sky.
Sky Charts
Prime viewing will be in the pre-dawn hours of August 11, 12, 13. The 12th is the peak of activity, but the other days are okay, too. The graphic below is for August 12 at 4:00 AM and is looking toward the east. Bright Venus is low in the sky. The crescent Moon is between it and Jupiter. Look up high for a constellation shaped a little like a 3. That is Cassiopeia. Perseus is below that and is the radiant for the fast meteors.
Be patient. Let your eyes have about 15 minutes to dark-adapt. If you come out of a lighted room and look up expecting to see meteors, you probably won't see any. Dress accordingly for the weather and any mosquitoes or other pests. Get the recliner lawn chair. Use the back of the pickup truck bed. Or lie flat on the sidewalk, as Melanie and I did a couple of years ago. Make yourself comfortable so you can gaze in that direction without getting a neck ache.
If you would rather not get up so early and instead stay up late, below is a graphic for 11 PM looking toward the northeast. Perseus is much lower toward the horizon. The meteors radiating from there will be less visible, but they will be visible. Notice where the north star, Polaris, is in the upper left, and Cassiopeia just above. It looks like a sideways W, or a tilted 3.
Photo Tips
Thanks to amateur astronomer
Jim Saugus for some tips on photographing meteors.
• Use a sturdy tripod, cable release, auto timer, or remote trigger if available.
• Set F stop settings just short of wide open such as f2.8.
• Use the manual mode on the camera to have full control.
• Use manual focus on infinity or focus on the Moon first. This is important.
• Set camera for 10-15 sec to avoid star streaking and CCD noise.
• Lots of exposures are better than a long one.
• Set up in an area where skies are VERY dark, away from city lights.
• Use a wider angle lens or wide setting with zooms.
• Use a lower ISO settings to minimize unwanted noise and hot pixels
This lovely
time exposure from NASA shows a meteor during the 2007 Perseids shower over Joshua Tree National Park in California.
(Joe Westerberg, photographer.)
For more information see:
http://earthsky.org/...
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/...
http://www.space.com/...
{{{Hugs}}} to Melanie in IA for suggesting this diary and writing it with me.
Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 5:27 AM PT (Melanie in IA): We left the house this morning just after 4am, heading to a dark parking lot about a mile away. The moon was just a crescent but bright. We were able to find Casseopeia easily, as well the Perseus. Over about a half hour we spotted perhaps 10 meteors. We were a little disappointed by the count, but we wanted to get out this morning, as tomorrow morning it may be clouded over here. (YAY rain!) ~Melanie in IA
Sat Aug 11, 2012 at 5:36 AM PT: We might try again after 10 tonight if the skies remain clear enough. Speaking of clear skies, the astronauts on the ISS are able to see meteors, too. Here is a picture from August 13, 2011 in a recent Astronomy Picture of the Day. Click the picture for the link. I hope it works in this update.