Perseid Meteor Shower (August 13th 2007)

Best time 00:00 - 04:00

[Excerpt Sunday Times June 3rd by Mark Hodson]
How to catch the falling stars
The Perseids on clear nights from about August 10 to August 15, peaking on August 13. .... The second half of the night, between midnight and dawn, should provide the best of the action with two or three meteors every minute. The meteors will appear to radiate from a single point in the sky - The constellation of Perseus - well above the horizon, towards the Northeast. ........ Viewing conditions won't be this good again until 2015.


Where To See The Show (Paraphrased)
Astronomical events are being planned accross the country over the four days of galactic activity. .... Joderell Bank has a party Aug. 11, tkts only.
The Observation Science Centre, Herstmonceux Aug. 11, with Guest speaker and barbie £19:50.
Dalby Forest, also Aug 11 - with owl and bat spotting thrown in.
Aug 11 & 12, Cairngorms, up on the plateau with rangers - from £20, experience necessary !
Aug 13 Roseland Obs, Cornwall, Star Party and barbie, can camp on site - from £12:50
and others !

No doubt LeeKay will keep us posted with more info and links

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OK,so we are getting nearer to the main event of the Perseids.Some activity is already being reported and also fireballs have been seen over the last few nights.

More info here
Meteor Activity from Britain (August)

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Thanks for the heads up. I am in Cornwall during that period and to me there is no better place to observe the sky. A distinct lack of light pollution means you see so much more than you would here in the Midlands. I hope we get some clear nights during the meteor shower.

Could be interesting - lets hope my cable release arrives in time and the skies stay clear.

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Heres a little bit more info about the Perseid meteors:

**Where to look!**



The meteors are cast-offs from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 135 years and last swept through the inner solar system in 1992.

Earth's orbit takes it through the tail of the comet every summer in the northern hemisphere, bombarding the planet with meteors. Most are no bigger than a grain of sand, but they burn spectacularly as they shoot through our atmosphere at 60 kilometers per second.

The Earth is now on its way through comet Swift-Tuttle's tail, so Perseid meteors are already visible in the night sky. The shower will be at its best, however, on 12 August.

The spectacle begins as Perseus rises in the northeastern sky around 2100 (9 pm) in every time zone. That is the best time to look for dazzling "earthgrazers": meteors that emerge from the horizon and glide overhead. Observers will be lucky to spot a few of these in an hour, Cooke says, but "they are among the most beautiful of meteors".

vides here of what to look out for 3.5Mb first link.

http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/...uggscooke1.avi


Youtube worth a look at if you are still not sure of where to view, also good for other things to see!



Thanks to

Perseid meteors set to dazzle - space - 01 August 2007 - New Scientist Space
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

Now I'm a little confused - the pic you show is East before dawn, but all text says late evening / early hours Northeast !

Please lighten my darkness, as if it is the NE(ish) aspect, I might be able to to see the astral spectacle for once !

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The best way to observe them is to look towards the northeast after dark. They appear to originate from the constellation of Perseus, which at midnight lies just below the easily recognisable ‘W’ of Cassiopeia.
The highest frequency of meteors is likely just before dawn.

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Thanks... Lets hope for clear skies !

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Dont forget about the perseids tonight and over the weekend.As usual the cloud has come in.

Also there is an Aurora alert so some northern parts of the UK could get to see something a little special tonight.

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Tonight should see the peak of the Perseids.Heres hoping for clear skies.

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