Meteor Showers

Meteor Shower

The Perseids Meteor Shower is still active until August 24th. Interestingly, when I was observing the Perseids I noticed a few meteors that didn’t seem to match the normal path of Perseids or their regular description. After further investigation I believe that I witnessed a few meteors from the South Aquariids that peaked in July and ends August 19th. However, after even a more in depth review I’m still scratching my head thinking did I see meteors from the minor meteor shower the Kappa Cygnids?

The Kappa Cygnids (κ-Cygnids) meteor shower started August 3rd and will continue to be active until August 25th along side the Perseids. The peak date for the κ-Cygnids where activity will be very minimal occurs on August 18th. Viewers can expect about three to four extra meteors an hour during the peak. Which obviously isn’t much.

I suggest that if you do plan to observe meteor shower activity for the rest of the August you should try to determine whether you have seen a straggling Perseid meteor or a κ-Cygnid Meteor. The κ-Cygnids are described as being a light blue to white in color where the Perseids are somewhat orangey to yellow and are much faster. κ-Cygnids meteors will seem to come from the constellation Cygnus. The κ-Cygnids Meteor Shower is also more likely to produce fireballs than the Perseids but the κ-Cygnids are a much weaker meteor shower so don’t expect too much from it.

Now I’m sure I saw a κ-Cygnid meteor just last night. Oh! The drama! Keep visiting the site and join the mailing list. I update this blog frequently and will certainly let you know when the next meteor shower will occur.

Keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark

The Perseids Meteor Shower, active since July 17th, will be even stronger this August. When I began studying meteor showers and writing about them in this blog, I thought that meteor showers were events solely witnessed at night. I’ve since come to realize that these events are far more difficult to predict and are in fact more likely “morning events”, best seen before dawn and after midnight.

This year the Perseids Meteor Shower will hopefully be one of the best meteor showers of 2010 due to a couple of facts; a stronger stream of meteoroids and minimal light in the sky from the Moon.

I’ve had a few questions on the site as I always do about the best time to view the Perseids this year. I always feel a little stressed over making promises about meteor showers because I don’t want anyone to miss the prime-time action. Since these events remain one of the most difficult astronomical occurrences to predict in science today, it is with guarded trepidation that I will state the best viewing times for this years Perseids Meteor Shower as follows:

The first “best” time to get out there and look will be between 12:01 AM and dawn on August 12th and the second time will be between August 12th 18:00 Universal Time and August 13th 07:00 Universal Time.

Perseids Meteor Shower Radiant

I find that the times leading up to the peak in the morning are always stronger. For some of you the peak times will occur when it is light outside, so my best advice is to look in the morning of August 12th, a few hours before dawn and then again in the evening of August 12th into the morning of August 13th. There are some good things going for viewing the Perseids Meteor Shower in the morning of August 12th. One in particular is that the Constellation Perseus (the radiant located in the northeast for most of us) will be at it’s highest in the sky just before dawn and the moon will be a small crescent shape. The best part about viewing in the morning of August 12th is that, if for some reason, you don’t see as many meteors as you would like, you’ll have a another chance later in the evening to have a second go round at viewing.

Believe it or not Perseids meteors are active and visible in the sky right now through August 24th. The meteor shower will be at it’s strongest between August 11th until August 13th, so these are the best times to view this shower. I’m hoping for a great display this year and I’m urging everyone to get out and view the Perseids in their glory! If you like this blog and you want to buy me a cup of coffee to keep me awake while watching meteors you can do so by using the “A Coffee for Meteor Mark” section on the site that is located on the right underneath the newsletter sign up box.

In the meantime, keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark
Perseids Meteor Shower August 2010

Perseids Meteor Shower Radiant

Right now, the Earth is passing through fragments and dust trails created by the Comet Swift-Tuttle and this means the Perseids Meteor Shower has started and will be getting stronger each day until its peak on August 12th. Lewis Swift and Horace Parnell-Tuttle discovered the Swift-Tuttle Comet in July of 1862. The comet passed by Earth in 1992 and will not return again until 2126, however the dust that follows this comet creates a dependable annual meteor shower, the Perseids.

The Perseids is named after constellation Perseus because meteors seem to spread out from an area surrounding the constellation, this is called the radiant. The Perseids Meteor Shower is one of the world’s most famous astronomical summertime events and is called “Ole Reliable” because the Perseids always seems to be an enjoyable strong August meteor shower. The reason for its popularity is that people living in the northern hemisphere are usually treated to warmer weather which makes viewing much more enjoyable. Trust me, I know from years of experience and have been known to stand out in the freezing cold for hours (warm weather is better).

The Perseids Meteor Shower will peak in the morning of August 12 where meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky. The main thing to viewing any meteor shower is to find a safe, dark place away from man-made lights and lean back in a relaxing position looking toward the darkest part of the sky. Sometimes the Moon can be a hindrance, but this year the Moon will not be shedding much light, as during the peak it will be a waxing crescent Moon phase, so this means more visible meteors.

As a general rule for this meteor shower I say look to the northeast, but no one ever really knows where meteors will appear. I’d like to give you an exact time to view the shower, but meteor shower observation still remains one of the most complicated astronomical events to foresee, so having said that, try observing in the late evening of August 11th into the early morning of August 12th.  Meteor showers are misunderstood, a lot of people think they are nighttime events, they’re actually better seen closer to dawn and I’ve heard this year some scientists believe that the Perseids could produce up to 100 or more meteors per hour so there will be no lack of chances to see meteors skipping across the sky.

The Perseids Meteor Shower consists of meteoroids mostly as small as a grain of sand but occasionally softball size meteoroids will create large fireballs. I truly don’t know what to expect and for me that’s part of the excitement. Additionally, Perseids meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at amazingly fast speeds as high as 133,000 mile per hour and even though most are the size of a grain of sand you’ll still see them glowing and whizzing through the air. Perseids are not usually known for massive fireballs, but anything is possible.

Your questions and comments are always welcome. Please bookmark the site, join the mailing list and if you have enjoyed my articles please consider buying me a cup of coffee to keep me alert for meteor shower viewing in the morning!

Keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark

Perseids Meteor Shower Radiant

The Perseids Meteor Shower could be one of the best meteor showers of the year. Every year in August the Perseids ignite the air and create spectacular streaks of light all across the morning and night skies. One of the biggest problems when viewing a meteor shower is man-made light or light pollution. Our city lights do not only cause light in our skies, the Moon can cause it too. So how will the Moon affect the Perseids Meteor Shower? Well, I have good news; very little light from the Moon will be shed because the phase of the Moon on the 12th of August during the peak of the Perseids Meteor Shower will be a waxing crescent phase with just about 10% of the Moon illuminated! This means meteor gazers will be able to see more meteors than usual. Shooting stars from the Perseids will hopefully be skipping through the sky at about the rate of one or two a minute!

Don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy seeing the Moon in the sky, but on this occasion I’m glad it won’t be stealing the show. Visit this site for a few more blogs and posts leading up to the peak of the Perseids Meteor Shower and if you’ve enjoyed my articles on this blog, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee, as I will need a few to stay sharp, awake and observe all the meteors in the night and morning skies. In the meantime bookmark the site, join the mailing list and keep your head up.

- Meteor Mark