The Perseid Meteor Shower

ScrubsfanChris

Clear enough skies for the past couple of hours, just as it starts to get really dark......huge banks of clouds roll in.
Sky now just looks like a big dark grey blob :mad:

skeleton_boy

What direction should we be looking for the space station?

ps200306

123 LC wrote: »

is there a particular time, is now too early to go out?

The later the better, because Perseus gets higher as the night wears on. After midnight preferably, but doesn't mean you'll see nothing earlier. Here it is about now...



Find the big 'W' (Cassiopeia) ... follow the second stroke down about three stroke lengths, to the big 'K' (Perseus). Radiant is just above the 'K'. Still fairly low down at the mo, but getting better.

MrJoeSoap

ps200306 wrote: »

The later the better, because Perseus gets higher as the night wears on. After midnight preferably, but doesn't mean you'll see nothing earlier. Here it is about now...



Find the big 'W' (Cassiopeia) ... follow the second stroke down about three stroke lengths, to the big 'K' (Perseus). Radiant is just above the 'K'. Still fairly low down at the mo, but getting better.

Or use the Google Sky Map app...

ps200306

skeleton_boy wrote: »

What direction should we be looking for the space station?

Starts in the West at 11pm on the dot. Takes four minutes to cross the sky (it'll disappear before reaching east because it'll fly out of the sunlight). Three minutes past eleven for highest point which will be just south of directly overhead. Brightness = planet Venus at its brightest.

smcgiff

skeleton_boy wrote: »

What direction should we be looking for the space station?

Up?

jfSDAS

Hi all,

Some nice reports and photos on this thread ... many thanks for posting the results so far.

Use http://www.heavens-above.com to get the ISS predictions for your location - click the Select your Location from Database option and follow the instructions. Once you've your site selected return to the home page. From there, click the ISS option. Each pass listed in the table shown can be clicked on to show an all-sky chart with the path of the ISS for that time. HTH.

Here's a short piece I sent to the reporter who wrote up the article in today's Indo ... there's a couple of useful links mentioned.

Off to visit CERN v. early in the morning so will grab a few zeds in the next few mins :-) Might count meteors in my mind instead of sheep to get to sleep!

Clear skies everyone and good luck with the Perseids!

John


A brilliant shooting star speeding across the sky always brings gasps of delight. More properly termed a meteor, that spark of light is a piece of space dust being vaporised on its dash through our atmosphere.

At certain times of the year we can get what is termed a meteor shower. These occur when the Earth ploughs through a swarm of debris laid down by a comet as it circles the Sun. Over time this material spreads out along the comet's orbit. The occasions the Earth fords these streams give rise to increased rates and what we call a meteor shower.

One of the best known of the annual meteor showers are the Perseids. Their peak falls around August 11/12 but a member can be seen for a week or so either side of this date. A meteor shower is named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to radiate. If you trace back the path of each meteor it will appear to have originated from a point in the constellation. The effect is just one of perspective though, just like parallel railway lines converge on a point in the distance. A meteor shower calendar for the year, along with highlights of other astronomical phenomena, can be found in the Sky-High 2013 almanac that can be download free by following the link at http://www.irishastrosoc.org

On night of Perseid maximum you should find a location away from streetlights with a good clear horizon. Plan to watch for at least 30 minutes to catch at least a few meteors and wrap up well against the evening chill. Perseus is low in the northeast as darkness falls but the later you leave to watch the better as the constellation gains in altitude throughout the night. This means more meteors will be seen. Planetarium software on your PC or smart phone will let you get orientated or check out the observing feature on the Perseids at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/ which has a good chart.

Expect to see one meteor every couple of minutes on average on the night of Perseid maximum. That's a bit lower than the rates quoted in most shower tables which give a theoretical value known as the Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR). The International Meteor Organisation's web site at http://www.imo.net explains this and they also have a Perseid activity graph that updates in real-time.

Historically, the Perseids were the first shower to be positively linked to a comet when computations in the middle of the nineteenth century showed a similarity between the orbits of the Perseids and comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle which has a period of 133 years and last returned to the inner solar system in 1992.

If the sky is clear on Monday night then do take the opportunity to venture out and enjoy nature's celestial fireworks.

greenpilot

Lashing rain here in Westport....bummer.

123 LC

ps200306 wrote: »

The later the better, because Perseus gets higher as the night wears on. After midnight preferably, but doesn't mean you'll see nothing earlier. Here it is about now...

Find the big 'W' (Cassiopeia) ... follow the second stroke down about three stroke lengths, to the big 'K' (Perseus). Radiant is just above the 'K'. Still fairly low down at the mo, but getting better.

If the sky clears up this will be useful but can't see any stars at the moment, damn clouds!

jamie72

In dundalk right now, between mild light pollution and mildly cloudy skies, it's impossible to see anything right now.

Carroller

Having a look out now no stars but did see the ISS

Knifey Spoony

And it's cloudy in Cork now. Those clear skies earlier where just a tease

TrevSmyth147

Just been watching the space station. Woo Hoo!!

It started in the West, just as ps200306 describes, and moved across the sky in a few minutes.

keano_afc

Not much in Bray. Few flashes but a hit too cloudy.

Simply Red

Nice clearing in the clouds in Dublin 15 just as the ISS was passing over, also saw 1 shooting star just as the station disappeared behind cloud

Odelay

lying on garden bench, can't see any metorites but knowing my luck I'll get hit by one of the dam thin

TrevSmyth147

I'm a little West of Dublin City and had a perfect view of the station for a few minutes. Haven't seen any shooting stars yet though!

Helpneeded86

West Waterford/East Cork here. Spotted 10 in a half hour period. Sky is very clear.

Can anyone tell me what the slow moving lights are in the sky? I seen one or two that move slowly across the sky and they are not as bright as the stars.

Helpneeded86

West Waterford/East Cork here. Spotted 10 in a half hour period. Sky is very clear.

Can anyone tell me what the slow moving lights are in the sky? I seen one or two that move slowly across the sky and they are not as bright as the stars.

laros

Down in Offaly just outside Tullamore...Light cloud cover, just seen the ISS and then 5 meteorites in the past 10 mins

G3467

Helpneeded86 wrote: »

West Waterford/East Cork here. Spotted 10 in a half hour period. Sky is very clear.

Can anyone tell me what the slow moving lights are in the sky? I seen one or two that move slowly across the sky and they are not as bright as the stars.

Probably satellites.

Clear skies here in the mid-west . Saw the ISS passing and then 3 shooting stars in quick succession.

JackieChan

G3467 wrote: »

Probably satellites.

Clear skies here in the mid-west . Saw the ISS passing and then 3 shooting stars in quick succession.

I think I saw one on a course perpendicular to the ISS a few mins after it had passed. It seemed to get very bright and then dim again over a few seconds, I'm assuming this was the solar panels or some other part of it reflecting some light back at me ? (!)

EireIceMan

laros wrote: »

Down in Offaly just outside Tullamore...Light cloud cover, just seen the ISS and then 5 meteorites in the past 10 mins

Couple of mile outsideTullamore myself, clouds seem to be rollin in now:(

Amused051

Way too much cloud cover in Kildare...saw two and the iss in a 30 minute period

polydactyl

I saw the ISS and about 5 Chinese lanterns.... Think that's as close to meteors as I will get with the clouds

Helpneeded86

JackieChan wrote: »

I think I saw one on a course perpendicular to the ISS a few mins after it had passed. It seemed to get very bright and then dim again over a few seconds, I'm assuming this was the solar panels or some other part of it reflecting some light back at me ? (!)

Ya saw that one as well. Now the ones I originally referred to were different. That one was pretty weird almost similar to a Chinese lantern.

markc91

Looking out towards howth the last half hour all ive seen are planes circling howth head too cloudy for anything else

mockingjay

On Hill of Howth for the past hour and nothing there, cloud thickening, sea lovely and calm.

Kersh

Crystal here in Wexford.

Saw ISS, and about 10-12 meteors. Some leaving trails.

Stokolan

Getting ready for the cycle home from work shortly. Hopefully might get to see some while avoiding potholes.