Perseid Metor Showers

It's that time of year again, time for the Perseid meteor shower. This year the full moon may interfere with some viewing. But it's usually a pretty good show.

Anyone else planning on watching? If you do will you have to travel to avoid local light pollution? I have to get about 10-15 miles either east or west to get decent dark sky.

Here an article from Space.com-



This week marks the annual return of the Perseid meteor shower, the most reliable meteor shower of the year, though the full moon may interfere with this year's display.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week in the overnight hours of Friday and Saturday (Aug. 12 and 13) just before the full moon hits its maximum brightness. If you're preparing to try to catch the light show, here are some meteor basics to get you started:
As the Earth travels in its orbit around the sun, it passes through various streams of interplanetary debris, known as meteoroids. Most of these are left in the wake of comets. Whenever a comet comes near the sun, it gets warmed and sheds material: gas and dust. The gas forms its characteristic tail, and the dust is left behind.

When the Earth passes through a trail of dust, the dust particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, and heat it to incandescence. The rapid bright streaks that result are called meteors. [Amazing Perseid Meteor Shower Photos]
You can go out any night and observe meteors. Most of these are just random particles of interplanetary dust that the Earth happens to encounter, and are known as sporadic meteors.
When the Earth encounters a more concentrated patch of material, we get what is called a meteor shower. A few times in a century, we encounter a major field of meteoroids; the result is called a meteor storm.
It helps to think of these in terms of rainfall. Most of the time, there is no meteor rain, but at certain times, we experience a rain shower: a fine sprinkling of raindrops. On much rarer occasions, we get a full scale rain storm, with large quantities of meteors falling.

 

Try to catch it every year

 

Thank you .. thank you for the reminder

I Will try to catch it.

10 years ago, my friend Lucinda and I decided to view them. Travelled to a good open place ... dark.

Unfortunatley, overcast and raining. We hung on in case it cleared up. It did now, and as time passed, our frustration at not seeing them was turned into celebrating the fact that 'we were there' ... waiting for them, even though there were clouds between us. One of my most unforgettable meteor gazing experiences.
/nostalgia

 

Yeah I use to head out east of Bend in the high desert and watch with some friends. Up and far away from any city or town is best. One year the group ended up being larger then normal. One man, never seen him before, set up a camera connected to a rather large telescope. Another friend showed up late, couldn't get off work in time to join us earlier. Anyway when he and his wife showed up he opened his car door with out disabling the dome light. I thought the guy with the camera was going to try hurt him (I say try because I'd worked with other guy for years and had seen him drop loggers twice his size with one move.) The whole episode lasted a good hour while this guy pretty much cussed out everyone then finally loaded is gear in to his van and left... swearing to never to return with us. Our hearts were deeply saddened by his announcement.

 

I used to usually be in Martha's Vineyard when the Perseid's happened and it was nice heading out to a dark'ish beach location there to watch. This year we'll be heading away from the light polluted skies around Philadelphia, heading northwest for about 30 miles to get a half decently dark view.

Tully,
your story about the dome light reminds me of "mandatory protocol" at star parties ...where amateur astronomers bring out their scopes to a field and let everybody look through all the equipment. To prevent destroying dark-adapted eyes, all lights have to be red.

 

I'll be in a perfect place to watch them this weekend, but it's so late..or early, depending on your persepective, and I generally end up missing them. Can't they schedule them earlier so I can be awake for them? Though this does give me a good reason to hang out by the campfire with some beverages.

 

I live at 8600' in a fairly undeveloped area. I'll be sitting on the back porch with a few cold ones watching it.

 

Do you have to be at a certain latitude or longitude?
I've never seen these. The beach isn't far from us, so we can get away from light pollution.

 

Since I live in the city, it may not be possible, but I know a few people living in the middle of nowhere that won't mind me hanging out in their yards this weekend.

 

The first link in the OP has a table... let's see if I can hotlink it here.

 

My fiancee lives out in the middle of nowhere. I think I will make him watch this with me.

 

ooo - i'm heading up north this weekend - hopefully it's clear!

 

So it's not so late where I live. I can stay up a little later to see that. Thanks for grabbing the table, Redlemon.

 

Thanks for reminding us, Tully! I try to catch these every year, but some years are better than others.

There's too much light pollution where we are, but it's better out where Eden's parents live. If I can float in the pool and watch meteors, I will be a happy, happy girl.

 

Damn full moon...ruining my fun...still a good excuse to sit out on the patio after work whilst having a beverage or two.

 

We ended up going to the back part of the airport last night... less lights there. Unfortunately, I think there was ONE GIANT CLOUD covering the entire state of NC. We got one break where there was a small patch of sky visible, but that was it.

I saw two meteors, though. Better than none, eh?

 

It's been raining every night. After Final Destination 5 last night, around 9:30, we pondered trying to stay up, but ended up crashing after watching The Beaver. It's actually pouring again now.

 

I managed to see one meteor, but the moon was pretty darn bright.

 

Same here, Friday we saw maybe two but with the full moon it was just too bright. Saturday was overcast.