The Moon will be close but that won't keep us from seeing the brighter meteors as they strike the atmosphere. It is definitely a hindrance but it you see a few bright ones, then I (and others) will be happy.
Earthgrazers, meteors that skim the atmosphere and appear after sunset are bright, long and spectacular and some might appear in your location.
There also might be an extra flurry of meteors around midnight for about an hour so we shall see.
More information
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/31jul_perseids2009.htm
If you see some meteors tonight let me know . I will post my own . I might even try to take some photos.
Showing posts with label Meteors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meteors. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Saturday, November 8, 2008
All sky camera photograhs many bright meteors
I've watched meteors for many years and seen some real bright ones. However this camera does things better by capturing them in a 360 view. Look at all of them captured over a period of time.
11/08/2008
http://www.spaceweather.com/
can't find it? use the archives and go to earlier date other then this one
11/08/2008
http://www.spaceweather.com/
can't find it? use the archives and go to earlier date other then this one
Friday, December 14, 2007
Great Geminids Meteor Shower:Best since 2002 Geminids & 2001 Leonids
What a show! I headed south to Powell observatory (20 minutes away from Olathe KS ) near Kansas City ( where I could view all around from almost horizon to horizon. I was glad I did.
The sky was very clear. I camped out with my sleeping bag, deck chair and pad and red light. I surprised no one else was there. That's too bad.
I saw a -2 Geminid (brightness of Venus) right away. The meteors just started falling all around in every direction. From 1:38- 3:19 I saw 45 meteors ranging from -4 mag to 4 magnitude (it was that clear). Unfortunetly while many were bright they were almost all white which is strange because many Geminids are usually yellow.
Most were bright, without tails (trains) and were 5-15 degrees long.
Several times two would appear right after another. There was a yellow one however that left a 0.75 second train. Most (like many Geminids) were 0.5 second in duration although a few were faster.
I actually would have seen more but I always plot the information about each meteor (for the American Meteor Society) so I can send the data in. Each plot takes 30 or so seconds to turn on red light and write.
Clouds and fog moved in but stayed away. I left earlier to go back as I had school the next day to teach and I was cold even though I had bundled up and it was in 20 to 30 degrees.I wanted to stay longer but my legs were getting frozen (it was 20 degrees ) eventhough I was in a sleeping bag.
This 2007 shower ranked up with the 2002 Geminid shower when I saw 50 bright and more colorful meteors in around 2 hours. The 2001 Leonids was even better but the meteors were fainter on the average.
Probably one of the top ten showers I have ever seen (since 1963).
(see spaceweather.com for photos of Geminids including an all sky camera shot of over hundred meteors (look for 12/16 in archives if not on main page).
Next up Quadrantids January 3-4.
Dr.Eric
The sky was very clear. I camped out with my sleeping bag, deck chair and pad and red light. I surprised no one else was there. That's too bad.
I saw a -2 Geminid (brightness of Venus) right away. The meteors just started falling all around in every direction. From 1:38- 3:19 I saw 45 meteors ranging from -4 mag to 4 magnitude (it was that clear). Unfortunetly while many were bright they were almost all white which is strange because many Geminids are usually yellow.
Most were bright, without tails (trains) and were 5-15 degrees long.
Several times two would appear right after another. There was a yellow one however that left a 0.75 second train. Most (like many Geminids) were 0.5 second in duration although a few were faster.
I actually would have seen more but I always plot the information about each meteor (for the American Meteor Society) so I can send the data in. Each plot takes 30 or so seconds to turn on red light and write.
Clouds and fog moved in but stayed away. I left earlier to go back as I had school the next day to teach and I was cold even though I had bundled up and it was in 20 to 30 degrees.I wanted to stay longer but my legs were getting frozen (it was 20 degrees ) eventhough I was in a sleeping bag.
This 2007 shower ranked up with the 2002 Geminid shower when I saw 50 bright and more colorful meteors in around 2 hours. The 2001 Leonids was even better but the meteors were fainter on the average.
Probably one of the top ten showers I have ever seen (since 1963).
(see spaceweather.com for photos of Geminids including an all sky camera shot of over hundred meteors (look for 12/16 in archives if not on main page).
Next up Quadrantids January 3-4.
Dr.Eric
Friday, November 30, 2007
Geminids meteor shower 12/13/07
The Geminids is usually the best meteor shower along with the August Perseids during the year. The moon will be setting early after sunset so that will make observing more meteors. The meteor shower has many bright meteors and sometime trails called trains. Many are yellow. With bright ones and fainter ones you might see 60 per minute if you are looking at a dark sky site. (For me I never see that many no matter as I am busy writing down information about each meteor as fast as I can so I can back to watching after shutting off my red light ). I do this for research for the Meteor Society. Then I have a record of what I do too for the Meteor Observer Award for the Astronomical League.
Due to the meteor swarms orbit and orientation, the Geminid meteor shower rates rise slower than they fall (better before the peak for those in Asia it is early hours of Sat morning (where it will be the best).
In N .America , the Geminids will peak on 9-10 pm Thursday Dec 13th and onward through the night to dawn on Friday morning (12am-6am).Friday evening (if you want to try) will start well early in evening then decline as it goes towards later part of the evening and morning.
During the early evening you might also see some meteors called Earthgrazers that show early and skim through the tops of the atmosphere. These are usually very bright and long. I saw a very bright Perseid earthgrazer a couple of years ago during the Perseids and it rose from the East like a big orange firecracker , sparkling along its path
Many meteor showers are associated with comets which have left the meteoroids in their wake and "shower " us at certain times of the year. This one however is known to associated with not a comet but an asteroid called Phaethon. It is possibly an ancient dead comet that has and keep leaving more particles in its wake easy December.
The weather can still be mild so it is a great time to see some bright meteors. Use a lawn chair and take a sleeping bag and also bundle up with sweater, jacket etc
? let know
Good luck.
Due to the meteor swarms orbit and orientation, the Geminid meteor shower rates rise slower than they fall (better before the peak for those in Asia it is early hours of Sat morning (where it will be the best).
In N .America , the Geminids will peak on 9-10 pm Thursday Dec 13th and onward through the night to dawn on Friday morning (12am-6am).Friday evening (if you want to try) will start well early in evening then decline as it goes towards later part of the evening and morning.
During the early evening you might also see some meteors called Earthgrazers that show early and skim through the tops of the atmosphere. These are usually very bright and long. I saw a very bright Perseid earthgrazer a couple of years ago during the Perseids and it rose from the East like a big orange firecracker , sparkling along its path
Many meteor showers are associated with comets which have left the meteoroids in their wake and "shower " us at certain times of the year. This one however is known to associated with not a comet but an asteroid called Phaethon. It is possibly an ancient dead comet that has and keep leaving more particles in its wake easy December.
The weather can still be mild so it is a great time to see some bright meteors. Use a lawn chair and take a sleeping bag and also bundle up with sweater, jacket etc
? let know
Good luck.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Leonid Meteor shower Sunday 11/18 morning
The famous Leonid meteor shower will appear this Sunday morning.
Look for meteors streaming out from the sickle in the constellation Leo s it rises from the NE.
This will not be a great year as the Earth will not hit the major meteoric parts of the stream but it is supposed to be better in Asia.
You may see some bright ones however with trails called "trains."
I will post what I see. If anyone takes photos or see some good fireballs let me know .
Look for meteors streaming out from the sickle in the constellation Leo s it rises from the NE.
This will not be a great year as the Earth will not hit the major meteoric parts of the stream but it is supposed to be better in Asia.
You may see some bright ones however with trails called "trains."
I will post what I see. If anyone takes photos or see some good fireballs let me know .
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Perseid meteor observations near Kansas City
I started observing the Perseids 11:57pm after arriving at Powell Observatory, Louisbourg (20 minutes south of Kansas City) around 11:30.
Sky a little hazy, nice Milky Way and at least 6th magnitude.
Can't ask for a better observing night warm. Started out humid but when the humidity and temperature dropped a bit, it was even more comfortable, downright a great way to observe the Perseids laying on my lawnchair.
No moon helped.
This was the nicest year of Perseids for last 3-4 years (last years I have felt the shower has been on the putrid side).
Two days before maximum, I saw 10 Perseids, 8 sporadics (2 possible Kappa Cygnids).
No fireballs but there were two -1 magnitudes.
12 of them were 2nd magnitude or better.
6 were under 3rd magnitude.
11 were white and 6 yellow. 1 was white-blue.
One had a train (trail).
So things look good for good Perseid shower Sat and Sunday night and mornings.
Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: Lat 38.834, Lon -94.778: Russian Eclipse Tour 2008: Eclipse sightings > http://eclipse-sightings.blogspot.com/: E.O.A.S. (Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere and Space) Blog -
Sky a little hazy, nice Milky Way and at least 6th magnitude.
Can't ask for a better observing night warm. Started out humid but when the humidity and temperature dropped a bit, it was even more comfortable, downright a great way to observe the Perseids laying on my lawnchair.
No moon helped.
This was the nicest year of Perseids for last 3-4 years (last years I have felt the shower has been on the putrid side).
Two days before maximum, I saw 10 Perseids, 8 sporadics (2 possible Kappa Cygnids).
No fireballs but there were two -1 magnitudes.
12 of them were 2nd magnitude or better.
6 were under 3rd magnitude.
11 were white and 6 yellow. 1 was white-blue.
One had a train (trail).
So things look good for good Perseid shower Sat and Sunday night and mornings.
Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: Lat 38.834, Lon -94.778: Russian Eclipse Tour 2008: Eclipse sightings > http://eclipse-sightings.blogspot.com/: E.O.A.S. (Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere and Space) Blog -
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The Perseids are coming in August
The best nights for this annual major meteor shower will be for August 11-13. The moon won't hinder the viewing but it is still best to find a dark sky site. However you might see meteors starting August 1 to the 20th.
Remember
(1) Eventhough it is considered one the best meteor shower (mostly because of the numbers and nice weather for viewing ) , don't expect meteors "to rain down over the sky." If you see 1 or 2 each minutes or every few minutes that is not bad
(2) It might be warm weather but it is best to get a lawn chair and even a blanket just in case to look upward and keep yourself comfortable Best to face NE towards constellation Perseus where the meteors seem to stream from.
(3) Use your eyes NOT binoculars (if you do you scan the skies you will miss meteors!).
(4) Meteors may be seen in any part of the sky. If they are Perseids, the "tail" will point back toward Perseus. If they are sporadics, not from this meteor shower, they may non shower oriented or part of other minor meteor showers in the sky at that time.
(5) Best time to see the meteors when the constellation Perseus (looks like a big letter K) rises higher out of the NE. Buy there is an exception (see #6)
(6) (in this url article read above) Earthgrazers are meteors that skim through the higher parts of the atmosphere and don't really plunge downward. They are usually very long, bright and spectacular. A couple of years ago I waited to see if I could observe them in August. Around 9:30 pm, a firecracker like yellow meteor called a fireball (brighter then -3 - like Venus currently) rose up from the East , glowing and almost like throwing off sparks. It traveled for 15 to 20 degrees and then evaportaed. I wrote about it in Sky & Telescope column.
Hope skies are clear for you all. ? let me know
Remember
(1) Eventhough it is considered one the best meteor shower (mostly because of the numbers and nice weather for viewing ) , don't expect meteors "to rain down over the sky." If you see 1 or 2 each minutes or every few minutes that is not bad
(2) It might be warm weather but it is best to get a lawn chair and even a blanket just in case to look upward and keep yourself comfortable Best to face NE towards constellation Perseus where the meteors seem to stream from.
(3) Use your eyes NOT binoculars (if you do you scan the skies you will miss meteors!).
(4) Meteors may be seen in any part of the sky. If they are Perseids, the "tail" will point back toward Perseus. If they are sporadics, not from this meteor shower, they may non shower oriented or part of other minor meteor showers in the sky at that time.
(5) Best time to see the meteors when the constellation Perseus (looks like a big letter K) rises higher out of the NE. Buy there is an exception (see #6)
(6) (in this url article read above) Earthgrazers are meteors that skim through the higher parts of the atmosphere and don't really plunge downward. They are usually very long, bright and spectacular. A couple of years ago I waited to see if I could observe them in August. Around 9:30 pm, a firecracker like yellow meteor called a fireball (brighter then -3 - like Venus currently) rose up from the East , glowing and almost like throwing off sparks. It traveled for 15 to 20 degrees and then evaportaed. I wrote about it in Sky & Telescope column.
Hope skies are clear for you all. ? let me know
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tunguska mystery crater might be found
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070626_st_tunguska_crater.html
------------ -------- -------- -------- -------- ---
"Crater Could Solve 1908 Tunguska Meteor Mystery"
(Source: space.com. 6/26/07)
In late June of 1908, a fireball exploded above the remote Russian
forests of Tunguska, Siberia, flattening more than 800 square miles of
trees. Researchers think a meteor was responsible for the devastation,
but neither its fragments nor any impact craters have been discovered.
Astronomers have been left to guess whether the object was an asteroid
or a comet, and figuring out what it was would allow better modeling
of potential future calamities.
Italian researchers now think they've found a smoking gun: The
164-foot-deep Lake Cheko, located just 5 miles northwest of the
epicenter of destruction.
Students will
(E.O.A.S.1) Compare the explosion results of the June 1908 Tunguska, result of Meteor Crater in AZ, and the Krakatoa volcanic explosion in the 1800's.
------------ -------- -------- -------- -------- ---
"Crater Could Solve 1908 Tunguska Meteor Mystery"
(Source: space.com. 6/26/07)
In late June of 1908, a fireball exploded above the remote Russian
forests of Tunguska, Siberia, flattening more than 800 square miles of
trees. Researchers think a meteor was responsible for the devastation,
but neither its fragments nor any impact craters have been discovered.
Astronomers have been left to guess whether the object was an asteroid
or a comet, and figuring out what it was would allow better modeling
of potential future calamities.
Italian researchers now think they've found a smoking gun: The
164-foot-deep Lake Cheko, located just 5 miles northwest of the
epicenter of destruction.
Students will
(E.O.A.S.1) Compare the explosion results of the June 1908 Tunguska, result of Meteor Crater in AZ, and the Krakatoa volcanic explosion in the 1800's.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Very interesting new information about meteorite investigation study from India
Very interesting new information about meteorite investigation study from India
A meteorite that fell in Piplia Kalan, a western Rajasthan village, has changed the way scientists think about the birth of the solar system.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20070223001109000.htm
A meteorite that fell in Piplia Kalan, a western Rajasthan village, has changed the way scientists think about the birth of the solar system.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20070223001109000.htm
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