perseids shower 2010

dacogawa

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering does anyone know when the peak of the perseids shower is this year, I was sure it was the night of the 12th (morning of the 13th) but a few sites I saw said it was going to be the night of the 11th ?

Hopefully the cloud will keep off this year as there will be a thin crescent moon that will set early in the evening

djhaxman

The 11th, according to this website.

http://www.universetoday.com/9799/perseids-will-peak-on-august-11/

dacogawa

Thanks djhaxman,

There is so many different opinions that I think I'll try both nights although it seems that American sites say the 11th and Ireland/England say 12th

http://earthsky.org/tonight/when-is-the-next-meteor-shower

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/aug/02/starwatch-meteors-space

dacogawa

It looks like the skys will be clear for the Perseids shower, all fingers crossed now after the last few years!


thanks to M.T. Cranium over at the weather forum: At this point, it looks as though a warmer and drier period will develop from about Wednesday to Saturday. Whether it lasts much longer than that seems uncertain with one model showing this warm ridge backing off again to the west by about Sunday allowing winds to become northerly. However, the timing is good for those who were asking about possible clear skies for the Perseids on 11-12-13 August.

Also now it seems a bit clearer that it will peak on the night of the 12th in Ireland

Seanie M

Maximum for the Perseids is predicted for the night of August 12th/morning of 13th at around 01:00hrs on the 13th...


...let's hope the skies are clear.

Seanie.

1minutepicture

How far from Dublin would I have to go to get a good view of this ? also can anyone recommend a viewing location in Louth or Wicklow, thanks

dacogawa

Here's hoping Seanie, I'll ask M.T. for a weather update tomorrow morning.

You can see the brightest ones from Dublin but the further away from city lights the better.

This map should help for the light pollution

http://earth.google.com/kmlpreview/#url=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=129936

It might take a minute or 2 to load or you can use the plugin in google earth

Flukey

No meteor shower is ever a one night show. You can see a higher than normal amount of meteors for a week or even a fortnight either side of the peak. The peak is only the high point and the days before and after have higher than normal amount of meteors. Seeing as in this country we often have a cloudy night for the peak of a shower, it is advisable to look out for them on any clear night within a week or two of the peak.

dacogawa

Yeahhhhh, M.T. over at weather has given the good news, so if you're in Dublin/Wicklow (infact pretty much everywhere) it looks like it might be un-cloudy shower

UPDATE _ Monday 6:20 p.m.
________________________

Seems too good to be true, but the models continue to show widespread clearing through late Wednesday lasting for many days, with a slow warming trend that could end up in heat wave conditions. For the specific question of sky cover Wed and Thurs nights (or early Thurs and Fri say 00-03h) I would say the chances are fairly good in almost all areas except eastern Ulster, but the chances are probably best in the central to south coast counties. The one thing that concerns me a little especially for Wednesday night is that cloud is likely to be circulating around a low over the North Sea and backing up about as far west as Monaghan to a little north of Dublin out into the Irish Sea to southwest Wales. So at this time range, it's a little dicey to promise clear skies in Dublin and Wicklow but this is what the models suggest, for the time being I would say clear intervals and plan to go as far west as might be practical (I'm not sure if your question is related to a desire to plan a meeting location or just to get the latest update, because if you have any flexibility on location I would suggest finding a location further west to be safer from the cloud risk). The current models are moving all that cloud further east through the day Thursday so that by Thursday night the chances of good viewing should be more uniformly good except perhaps near the west coast due to onshore low cloud or fog banks (and these could be very localized).

I hope this helps more than confuses, but given the large amount of cloud that has been present for much of the summer, these are the best weather patterns we've seen for clear skies since June. I would plan to dress warmly as overnight lows especially up in the hills might be 5-7 C (remember, if you look for a higher spot, valleys get the cold air drainage and a warmer spot might be on a ridge or crest -- closer to the sea or in larger towns it would be closer to 10 C). Let's just hope there isn't a stubborn streak of cloud that hangs around over your chosen location, but I would imagine you could move at least 20-30 miles at the last minute for the viewing and I think if that's the case your chances would be very good.

emo72

lads i am in lucan and last night about 2 am i went out to lock the house up.

when i looked up i was amazed that the sky was so dark and clear. no moon. no breeze. no clouds. i seen a couple of meteors, without really trying to look. i could even make out the faint glow of the milky way.

i live in badly light polluted skies near the n4, but last night was amazing and i will be prepping up over the next few nights in case it gets that good again. heres hoping.

WalterMitty

emo72 wrote: »

lads i am in lucan and last night about 2 am i went out to lock the house up.

when i looked up i was amazed that the sky was so dark and clear. no moon. no breeze. no clouds. i seen a couple of meteors, without really trying to look. i could even make out the faint glow of the milky way.

i live in badly light polluted skies near the n4, but last night was amazing and i will be prepping up over the next few nights in case it gets that good again. heres hoping.

Last night i drove to bull island in Dublin at around 2am . It was amazing to see the sky there. I havent seen such a clear sky in Dublin ever and last time i seen such a detailed sky was in Tramore in 1990. Anyway there must be some sort of dark spot on bull island near st annes park because ive never seen it like that in Dublin City. I had forgot how much you could see with the naked eye and a few huge perseids went by.

emo72

WalterMitty wrote: »

Last night i drove to bull island in Dublin at around 2am . It was amazing to see the sky there. I havent seen such a clear sky in Dublin ever and last time i seen such a detailed sky was in Tramore in 1990. Anyway there must be some sort of dark spot on bull island near st annes park because ive never seen it like that in Dublin City. I had forgot how much you could see with the naked eye and a few huge perseids went by.

it was a bit special, wasn't it?

tricky D

Yup, last night was very clear. Reckon I could make out the Milky Way in the east which doesn't happen much. Saw 1 meteor too even though I wasn't trying.

Fyi the perseids usually begin 25th July, peak 12th August and end 18 August*, but most sightings are on the 3/4 days around the peak.

A good spot near Dublin would be the Howth Summit car park down the cliff walk a few yards away from the car park lights.



*Guinness Book of Astronomy

WalterMitty

tricky D wrote: »

Yup, last night was very clear. Reckon I could make out the Milky Way in the east which doesn't happen much. Saw 1 meteor too even though I wasn't trying.

Fyi the perseids usually begin 25th July, peak 12th August and end 18 August*, but most sightings are on the 3/4 days around the peak.

A good spot near Dublin would be the Howth Summit car park down the cliff walk a few yards away from the car park lights.



*Guinness Book of Astronomy

yeah saw the milky way in south east i think.

thecommander

Whats the forecast for tonight? Recon there will be more?

Ilyushin76

I'm out sitting in the car for the last 20 minutes and haven't seen 1 yet.:mad:

Edit-Just seen one , I had the sunroof closed by accident.

Ghost Train

Was out in the garden for half an hour, saw 2

So can't be too unhappy about that, no big ones though

Just seen 4 in the space of 5 minutes

6stringmaniac

I'm a bit new to this whole thing and just got a few questions .
What time should it be at?
What general direction should I be looking?
Will it be visible tomorrow too?
Thanks :pac:

Not too bad at all tonight, now in the last 35 minutes I've seen 17 :cool:

ynotdu

hellboy99 wrote: »

Just seen 4 in the space of 5 minutes

hellboy You inspired Me to go and check reading that!
No luck,now being threated for hypothermia,but even before eyes adjusted Venus is Stunning at the moment.
those who are into Astronomy in a big way and don't live in this filthy Light polluted part of Ireland May have already seen this,but if not it signaled the start of the shower as early as Aug 3rd.



A Perseid meteor, about 1 inch in diameter and moving at a speed of 134,000 mph, entered the atmosphere 70 miles above the town of Paint Rock, Ala., on August 3 at 9:56 p.m. Credit: NASA/MSFC /FONT][URL="http://www.space.com/spacewatch/perseid-meteor-shower-bright-fireball-100809.html"][FONT=Arial][COLOR=#800080]Full Story[/COLOR][/FONT][/URL][FONT=Arial

6stringmaniac

6stringmaniac wrote: »

I'm a bit new to this whole thing and just got a few questions .

What time should it be at?
Time wise, as soon as it gets dark, but from 12am - 3am seems to be a good time.

What general direction should I be looking?
WSW to NE

Will it be visible tomorrow too?
Yes.

ynotdu wrote: »

Venus is Stunning at the moment.

You not mean Jupiter ?

ynotdu

hellboy99 wrote: »

What time should it be at?
Time wise, as soon as it gets dark, but from 12am - 3am seems to be a good time.

What general direction should I be looking?
WSW to NE

Will it be visible tomorrow too?
Yes.


You not mean Jupiter ?

Yes i think i DO, have been going through the threads and it seems it is going to get even brighter!

With thanks to Backboiler:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=67271354&postcount=6

ynotdu

ynotdu wrote: »

Yes i think i DO, have been going through the threads and it seems it is going to get even brighter!

Nice one, I'm heading out now with my telescope to get a closer view of it.

dacogawa

Here's an update from M.T. about the weather/cloud tonight & tomorrow night, happy viewing

TONIGHT ... clear intervals will develop but the best chances for good viewing of the night sky will be in counties like Offaly, Kildare, Laois and the western parts of Dublin and Wicklow. Rural lows could drop to 5-7 C here, and remain near 10 C in coastal southeast Ireland where more cloud is possible. Further west and north, more extensive cloud is likely with patchy drizzle, but also some clear breaks, lows 8-10 C on average. Winds will drop off to NNW 5-10 mph.

THURSDAY NIGHT ... extensive clearing should develop during the evening, eastern Ulster and the west coast are more likely to retain cloud cover. It may be quite a chilly night in rural central locations with lows 4-7 C. Elsewhere it will hold at about 8-10 C.

johnmcdnl

seen about 10 last night and some little ones that could have been ones or just my immmagination - it's my first time out looking for meteors so I'll use that as an excuse

best part was when i seen 2 of the brightest of the whole night with about 5 secs in between them - quite a pretty sight

I'm more of a photographer and was attempting to try to get a shot of at least 1 meteor - but I failed miserably lol - but I had a good time watching the show at the same time...

gonna try again tonight but this time I'll stick on an extra couple of jackets lol - i'm feeling the effects somewhat now lol

dacogawa

Weather Update from M.T.

UPDATE _ Wednesday, 7 p.m.
_________________________

Cloud cover is about 70-80 per cent across Ireland at this hour with most of the showers in Munster although a few light sprinkles showing up northwest of Dublin. The trend does look slightly encouraging for sky watchers in the Dublin area as a few breaks have developed upstream in the NNW air flow, but I will post around 9 p.m. with an assessment for your interest there.

Anyway, look for an update at 9 p.m. on the potential for clear skies 10 p.m. to 0100h. I still think tomorrow evening looks promising with generally less cloud around than this evening.

If you want to check his update after 9 it will be on his page on the weather forum http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055579971&page=91 or you can look at the cloud radar map here http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/satpics/latest_uk_ir.html

amacachi

When's best, tonight or tomorrow night? Few of us gonna have some drinks tomorrow outside if it's clear, be a pity if it turned out the peak was tonight.

Flukey

Any night this week is fine. As I mentioned earlier, and as observations by people here have proved, there is potential to see a lot on the nights before and after the peak. So the best night to look out is a clear night. Stick your head outside the door every so often and see what the cloud cover is like. If it is reasonably clear, then go out and start looking for meteors, plus all the other wonders to be enjoyed. August is usually a good month for seeing satellites too. I saw a few passing overhead a few nights ago, within a few minutes of each other. If you are really lucky, you might even see a fireball. I saw one in August a few years ago, while looking out for meteors.

Im in Lucan and Ive just saw a huge meteorite travelling west. My first time. It was red/orange big and beautiful. Im beyond excited.

plonk

Any chance of us getting to see anything in galway. Still pretty overcast outside

Poly

Beautiful night in Trim.
I've cracked open a beer and I'm headin for the deck chair for some celestial entertaiment.

Edit: back in for me coat!, 10 mins nothing yet.

dacogawa

Starting to look good in Dublin south

M.T.'s update

There seems to be a slow clearing trend underway in the Dublin region now, and with any luck this will accelerate after sunset with possibly large breaks in the overcast to the southwest as well. Prospects may be better for the midnight to 0200h Perseids than the 10 p.m. planet viewing, and early in the night it may be a case of having to find some clear patches more than later on when they may become more extensive.

emo72

in lucan too and i had a great night last night. its clear out there now but will wrap up and wait till the match highlights are over.

i dunno how some of you lads can have a beer and watch for meteors!! i mean, i love me beers too, but me eyesight would become too blurry.

gbee

With some saying tonight Wednesday into Thursday morning and other saying Thursday into Friday morning, why should there be a difference between the USA and Europe?

gerrycorrigan

emo72 wrote: »

in lucan too and i had a great night last night. its clear out there now but will wrap up and wait till the match highlights are over.

i dunno how some of you lads can have a beer and watch for meteors!! i mean, i love me beers too, but me eyesight would become too blurry.

Am in Lucan too, and have been out for last 20mins and have seen nothing. In which direction should I be lookimg. The sky has totally cleared. I can see the plough easily - in relation to the plough where should I look?

Sponge Bob

plough is NE , look NW

vallo

Smallies are in bed now all disappointed. Nothing to be seen in wicklow yet but it is nice and clear. Back out with a glass of vino in a minute!

thecommander

Sponge Bob wrote: »

plough is NE , look NW

Plough is NW from where I am.

dacogawa

gbee tomorrow is our "peak" according to http://www.astronomy.ie/perseids2010.html

gerry look north east, if you're in lucan look towards Dublin airport

emo72

we were seeing them all over the sky last night, basically just sit back and relax. its when you look away from the sky they start! and then you start to get paranoid, imagining you just saw a faint streak from the corner of your eye!!! they dont count!

JohnCleary

Hi folks. Going to be in rural Galway on Fri/Sat night (On Lough Corrib, close to Cong to be exact, 2miles SW of Cong). IF it's clear on Fri night, where should I be looking? Sorry but i've no clue about astronomy. Thanks

peterako

Clouds

At least I'll get to bed before Midnight tonight!

Sykk

Light pollution and clouds in Rathmines.. Arrrggghhh! /Nerdrage

Mr Benevolent

JohnCleary wrote: »

Hi folks. Going to be in rural Galway on Fri/Sat night (On Lough Corrib, close to Cong to be exact, 2miles SW of Cong). IF it's clear on Fri night, where should I be looking? Sorry but i've no clue about astronomy. Thanks

Northeast, about halfway up.

dacogawa

A few nice ones so far tonight, cant wait till tomorrow to get out of the light pollution.

emo, god the amount of ones I saw at 11:07, did you see them ? oh, you were on the computer so you must have missed them, dont get paranoid

John, if you're SW of Cong, look NE towards Cong, thats where they will be coming from. here's a picture to help you know what to look for.
http://www.astronomy.ie/images/perseids2010.jpg

Right, back outside (with a jacket on)

bryaner

Clouds just clearing in Navan , what direction should I look folks? sorry for the newbie question.

typera12

I live in Maynooth perfect clear sky seen five in the last ten mins also two satellites

sweet-rasmus

saw seven in the last hour there from dun laoghaire. best to try and shield your eyes from street lamps using trees etc. i hope it'll be clear to try again tomorrow night!

wylo

gutted, full clouds over limerick:(

Prenderb

8-10 in an hour in Kildare! 3 Spectactular ones, and as others are saying, Jupiter's a pretty sight tonight as well. Cloud's just spoiled the view though

Bryan, kind of Northeast at the moment, generally but you'll see them over a wide portion of the sky. Good luck!