Time to start watching for Perseids

mike65

Thin pickings I'm afraid and I've got to be up at 6.30. That plane I saw - was'nt! Dunno what is was. A real aircraft passed overhead complete with yellow and red flashing lights plus what looked like jet glow.

Mike.

hamster

Hmm... how about this for an idea - you could listen to a Robert A Heinlein sci-fi audiobook while you are out there! ... for those longer outdoor viewings. That and a flask of coco.

Yellow Dog

Saw the Space Station fly over Sligo at 22:04. Perfect view on what has been a fairly cloudy night.

Saw a nice Perseid soon after.

Waited for another hour but saw nothing.

Getting a bit cold now.

hamster

Yellow Dog wrote:

Saw the Space Station fly over Sligo at 22:04. Perfect view on what has been a fairly cloudy night.

Saw a nice Perseid soon after.

Waited for another hour but saw nothing.

Getting a bit cold now.

Ouch - I better read up on the likely rate/hour we can spot these. I guess 16/hour would be good. Audiobook and coffee then.

nacho libre

This is fascinating to watch!

hamster

Well, from waterford - outside about 15 miles - looking NE towards the ugly glow of the darn lights - it's starting to cloud up.

But got 20 minutes from 11:55 til now. I counted 7 shooting perseids. Two were very bright - pale yellow - ironically the best was directly right over my head and steaked - oh maybe 30-35 degrees - twice the length of Usra Major's handle anyway. One was even behind me just above Jupiter to the west. The others were near the edge of vision NE (more than likely due to the cloudy haze there now). Impressive though.
Pity it has clouded up already. Might clear up a bit later.

Trogdor

Just back from an hour and a bit in the Mountains, had to come back as my brother needed a lift, and the car had to go:(. Saw about 30 or 40 perseids, but didn't get any pictures of them. Got some really good pictures all the same, even though whenever i changed the angle of the camera it would be exactly where i just changed it from:rolleyes:...really need to get a wide-angle lense

whyulittle

Just in after about a half hour, saw a good number. Couple of impressive ones leaving trails and a truck load of satellites which always freak me out somewhat! One in particular really flared up as it went right overhead heading north.

Riamfada

Stood at the Lia Fail on Tara between 2am and 3am and seen loads. Fantastic night.

Trogdor

Just had a look back though last nights pictures and i think i may have 2 but they are very faint.

There appears to be 2 in this picture, but i think the one on the right is probably a plane, the fainter one in the centre, i think, is a perseid



Again, in this one the straight one is probably a plane and the curved one confused me, possibly a perseid. When out watching i though i saw something moving across the sky, pretty fast, doing full circles in te sky, i'd convinced myself i was imagining it though, UFO:p:rolleyes:



So is the viewing to be as good tonight as well?

Flukey

I don't think they will be. It clouded over a bit last night here, so I didn't see much.

mike65

No chance tonight its a washout

Mike.

popebenny16

whats it like for tonight?

Saw them last year and thankfully blessed with jet black skies down here in tipp

Lucas10101

When I was out last night @ 11-11.30 a saw only 3 but the night before up til 1.30am and saw 23. There was heavy cloud cover last night @ 12...don't know if it cleared. Is there going to be many, I think there won't be considering the lack since Sunday..

Also, when's the ISS Passing Ireland tonight, if it is?? Is there an Application online that shows when it does pass Ireland???

Lucas.

Flukey

The ISS just passed here in Dublin at about 21:35. There is another pass due at 23:11. The place to find out when the passes are is on the website http://www.heavens-above.com. You need to register, which is free, and then set in your location. It will then be able to tell you when the passes are. It can show up to 10 days in advance. The current phase of passes is nearly complete now, finishing on August 19th, so you've only a few more chances now for a while. The next phase of passes over Ireland is from the 5th to 22nd of October. So if you've never seen it, try over the next few nights and then make sure to be watching for it in October. Heavens Above will give you the times of the passes and where to look, once we get close to then. So stick a reminder somewhere.

As to Perseids, well it is very clear over Dublin at present, so there may be chances to see some later. The constellation of Perseus is to the northeast, under Cassiopeia, which is a W-shaped constellation. Heavens Above will help you on that one too, if you go to the whole night sky link.

mike65

You don't need to register there is link for times using country/city menus

Mike.

Flukey

It is a good site to be registered on and it saves the setting of your location each time. Anyway, enjoy the show. It's just under 20 minutes to the next pass, as I type.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

went outside to have a smoke, sat on the swing chair and looked up for ages hoping to see one.

Nothing at all, was just thinkign about geting up and going inside when a big yellow sword cut through the big dipper. I waited for a further ten, fifteen minutes ... again juust about to give up and I saw a huge one. Waited around for another twenty minutes without seeing another one, so I came in kinda bummed out that I only saw two.. but also.. I saw two shooting stars. awesome.

Flukey

As far as meteors are concerned I've not had much luck in the past week. I've heard good reports from some people on how much they saw, but I didn't see many. Part of that is my suburban location and the amount of time I spent looking. Last year I saw a fireball around this time, which was my first ever and very spectacular. The Perseids are past their peak now, but there will be chances to see more. There are still more annual showers to come too, and on any given night there is always a possibility of seeing a meteor. Showers are just an increase in the amount that can be expected to be seen, as we are passing through a dustier part of the atmosphere. This dust is usually part of the trail of a comet. The Perseids are associated with the dust trail of comet Swift-Tuttle.

While my meteor observations have been low, I did see the International Space Station on a number of occasions and some satellites. Even without the likes of meteors and satellites, there is always something to see in the night sky and it's always worth going out on a clear night, bringing a pair of binoculars if you have them. Even the naked eye is good.