Perseid Meteor shower peaks this weekend

[hagansp]

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer Sat Aug 11, 2:09 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - Summer's annual meteor shower promises to put on a dazzling show when it peaks this weekend — provided you're far from city lights. With no moon in sight to interfere with the Perseid meteor shower, skygazers can expect to spot streaking fireballs late Sunday into dawn Monday regardless of time zone. Astronomers estimate as many as 60 meteors per hour could flit across the sky at the shower's peak.


This year's sky show comes with an added bonus: Mars will be visible as a bright red dot in the northeastern sky.
"We have front-row seats this year," said Kelly Beatty, executive editor of Sky & Telescope magazine.
Last year's Perseid shower was somewhat of a dud because the moon's glare washed out many of the faint meteors. This weekend's meteor shower coincides with a new moon, which means the skies will be dark and perfect for viewing meteors.
Experts offer some tips to get the most out of nature's fireworks: Since Perseid meteors can be seen from any direction in the sky, viewers should pick out a dark patch of sky free of light pollution and wait for the meteors to appear.
Dim meteors appear as a momentary flash of light while the brighter ones leave a glowing streak. The number of Perseids zipping across the sky should increase steadily through the night, peaking just before sunrise. Although the peak occurs this weekend, the Perseids are visible for several nights after that.
Unlike other celestial sightings that require a telescope or binoculars, the best way to watch a meteor shower is with the naked eye.
The Perseids are perhaps the most beloved of all meteor showers because of their predictability. The August shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus because the meteors appear to originate there.
The annual Perseid shower occurs when the Earth's orbit crosses the path of debris thrown off by Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the cosmic junk — many the size of a grain of sand — enters the atmosphere, it burns up in a flash, appearing as "shooting stars" across the sky.
In the past, the Perseid showers have produced such spectacular displays that people swamped radio stations with reports of a mysterious light in the sky.



Perseid Meteor shower peaks this weekend - Yahoo! News

[Shayne1911]

wow. that sounds pretty cool. i'm gonna have to go out and try to see some. i've never seen one.

thanks for posting!!

[hagansp]

ya neither have I...it sounds pretty cool...these are the times I regret not having a gf

[Bondsaway]

May take the boys out to Milford Lake to watch them. Talk about no lighting!
Should be a great show!

[Shayne1911]

My mom said something about 2AM tonight. soo we're going out about that time to see if we see anything. im excited.

[hagansp]

2 am EST is supposed to be the BEST of BEST times but all night u should be able to see stuff...I went out about an hour ago...very cloudy and the sky is bright from surrounding places...ugh

[ashley832]

Shayne and mom woke me up around 2. They both saw one but I missed it. I couldnt stay awake so I just went back to bed. lol I'll catch them next time.

Ashley=)

[randallcards]

ya neither have I...it sounds pretty cool...these are the times I regret not having a gf

you dont have one Sean? what happend to the Crazy Obssesed one you were always hidding on AOL from?

[Shayne1911]

I woke my mom up at 2 and we went out. There were a lot of clouds, but there was one section of the sky that had none. The first one I saw was pretty bright. Then I saw several smaller ones that weren't as bright. Mom saw only 2. But I saw about 5. :)

[hagansp]

ya it was totally cloud covered here...i didnt see anything!!