[LM_NET] Meteor Shower time

[Mary Ludwick <ludwick@SWBELL.NET>]

The Perseids are among the year's best-known meteor showers,  especially  for 
mid-northern latitudes. Here's why: The show begins  ramping up in  late July 
and hits its peak around Aug. 12-13, when it's  usually  pleasant to hang around 
outdoors in the northern hemisphere.  Perseid  meteors appear to radiate from 
the constellation Perseus, which  is high  up in the sky at about 3:30 a.m. in 
northern latitudes - prime  time  for meteor watching.

But the big attraction comes down to how many shooting stars you can   see: 
During this time of year, Earth plows through the trails of   space grit that 
have been laid down by Comet Swift-Tuttle as it makes   its 130-year orbit 
around the sun. When those particles of grit zip   through the upper atmosphere, 
they heat up and create those bright   streaks we all know and love.
Fortunately for meteor-watchers, there's a lot of grit out there.............

The sky conditions are nearly ideal for this year's show, because the   moon 
will be just a few days past its new phase. When the moon is full,   its glare 
overwhelms the meteor flashes in the night sky, making   viewing problematic. 
But this year's crescent moon will be far below the   horizon by midnight, when 
the meteor show enters prime time..........

If viewing conditions are absolutely perfect, you could see a meteor   every 
minute at the height of the shower, which generally comes around   3:30 
to 5:30 a.m., depending on your latitude. Is that past your   bedtime? Don't 
sweat it; there's actually a lot to be said for watching   the skies in the 
early evening. During that time frame, the Perseid   meteors streak at a narrow 
angle through the atmosphere. "You don't get   as many meteors, but you get 
these long streaks - very nice!"  Jenniskens  said..............

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/06/4833501-get-the-most-out-of-the-meteor-show?GT1=43001




 Mary Croix Ludwick
ludwick@swbell.net (home)
Dallas, Texas

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