Guest guest Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Perseids meteors to light up skies midweek David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor Sunday, August 9, 2009 -- The rocky debris from a wandering comet is filling the sky with shooting stars these nights, just as scribes in ancient China saw them 2,000 years ago and modern stargazers see them every August. .. -- They are the Perseids, an annual meteor shower that makes a brilliant show wherever the viewing is good and the night sky is dark and clear. This year, the bright streaks and occasional blazing fireballs of the meteors should reach their peak well before dawn Wednesday and after sunset that night. But Tuesday night should offer a better view as the waning gibbous moon doesn't rise until 11 p.m and the sky will be darkest before the moonlight interferes, says Andrew Fraknoi, chairman of astronomy at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. " My advice is to give your eyes time to adapt to the dark before you start looking - 15 or 20 minutes is about right, " says Fraknoi, who has watched the Perseids for years. " Pick someone you like to sit in the dark with, get as far away as you can from city lights and try to look at the entire sky - with no binoculars or telescopes; your eyes will see a much wider space of sky. " The Perseid meteors are the debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which flies from deep space into the inner solar system every 130 years on its long, looping orbit around the sun, where it remains for several years. And each year in August, while the comet is flying inside our solar system, the solar wind and the sun's heat scatter the comet's tail of dust, ice and rocks widely across the sky. Then, as the debris particles hit the Earth's upper atmosphere, shock waves from their impact cause them to flare into brightness and they show as long streaks of light - and sometimes as brilliant fireballs. Their meteor tails all seem to radiate from one point, known as the radiant, within the constellation Perseus - hence their name. Archaeologists have found Chinese records of the Perseids from an unknown scribe writing in A.D. 36, and the comet itself was discovered in 1862 by astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle. E-mail David Perlman at dperlman. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/08/BA75195H52.DTL#ixzz0\ NjEdgcOf " Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009  A couple of years ago we drove out to a local hill and spent a couple of hours watching the meteors. It was lovely. Jo - fraggle vegan chat Monday, August 10, 2009 3:59 AM Perseids meteors to light up skies midweek Perseids meteors to light up skies midweekDavid Perlman, Chronicle Science EditorSunday, August 9, 2009-------------------------The rocky debris from a wandering comet is filling the sky withshooting stars these nights, just as scribes in ancient China saw them2,000 years ago and modern stargazers see them every August..-------------------------They are the Perseids, an annual meteor shower that makes a brilliantshow wherever the viewing is good and the night sky is dark and clear.This year, the bright streaks and occasional blazing fireballs of themeteors should reach their peak well before dawn Wednesday and aftersunset that night.But Tuesday night should offer a better view as the waning gibbousmoon doesn't rise until 11 p.m and the sky will be darkest before themoonlight interferes, says Andrew Fraknoi, chairman of astronomy atFoothill College in Los Altos Hills."My advice is to give your eyes time to adapt to the dark before youstart looking - 15 or 20 minutes is about right," says Fraknoi, whohas watched the Perseids for years. "Pick someone you like to sit inthe dark with, get as far away as you can from city lights and try tolook at the entire sky - with no binoculars or telescopes; your eyeswill see a much wider space of sky."The Perseid meteors are the debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, whichflies from deep space into the inner solar system every 130 years onits long, looping orbit around the sun, where it remains for severalyears. And each year in August, while the comet is flying inside oursolar system, the solar wind and the sun's heat scatter the comet'stail of dust, ice and rocks widely across the sky.Then, as the debris particles hit the Earth's upper atmosphere, shockwaves from their impact cause them to flare into brightness and theyshow as long streaks of light - and sometimes as brilliant fireballs.Their meteor tails all seem to radiate from one point, known as theradiant, within the constellation Perseus - hence their name.Archaeologists have found Chinese records of the Perseids from anunknown scribe writing in A.D. 36, and the comet itself was discoveredin 1862 by astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle.E-mail David Perlman at dperlman (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/08/BA75195H52.DTL#ixzz0NjEdgcOf"Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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