Perseid showers- night 11th,12th,13th

JuliusCaesar

Saw the tail end of these last year - went to Phoenix Park - very weird in the middle of the night (ok 12.30). Lots of deer around which freaked me a bit, but an excellent show. Did get a bit of a neck crick even though I was resting my head on the car roof - can see why the astronomy ireland people bring sun-loungers!

If you can go, it's really worthwhile.

Miss Fluff

What are these JC? Are they like meteorite showers?

monkeyfudge

Yeah. You're supposed to be able to see them better lying down than standing creaking your neck.

Could see feck all where I was with the light pollution.

Degsy

Are they still around?

chin_grin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids

More information on it here, http://www.astronomy.ie/perseids2010.html.

How much of a nerd am I to chuckle at "Star-B-Q". Aw.

micradot

Do you know if anyone is meeting tonight in the Phoenix Park to view them? Or would Sandymount Beach be too light-polluted to be any use?

Flukey

There is a thread about these in the Astronomy and Space forum, under the Science menu. Tonight looks like it is going to be clear in the Dublin area, so once it gets dark, anywhere where there is not too much light pollution is good. Some people have been trying the Wicklow mountains, Phoenix Park or the north side of Howth, where you can't see Dublin's lights. Facing northeast is best, though you will see them all around the sky, so scan around a bit. The constellation Perseus, which is where the shower gets its name is to the northeast. It looks like a slightly lop-sided upside down Y, but don't worry if you can't spot it. Just look toward the northeast. The very bright object to the east will be Jupiter, in case people are wondering.

The term "shower" is a bit of a misnomer, as it is not like a fireworks display with meteors flying down everywhere. Watching for meteors requires time and patience. You might only see one every few minutes, and they are very quick, so if you are not looking in the right place, it could be behind you or out of the corner of your eye and gone, leaving you not sure if you saw it at all. Sometimes you will get lucky and see a really bright one right in front of you. You might even be really lucky and see a fireball, but they are rare. The peak for the Perseids was Thursday night, meaning when most could be seen, but you will see some tonight and for the next few nights, though in decreasing numbers and the weather doesn't look too good either. So tonight might be the last good chance to have a look.

Even if you don't see any, you will see the night sky, which is something in itself. I've mentioned Jupiter, but you will see some familiar constellations for those of you not into astronomy, like the Plough. It'll be easy to spot overhead, looking towards the north. You may also see some satellites. You'll know they are not planes because there will be no flashing lights, they'll move at a slow steady pace, look like a dim moving star, and fade out and disappear as they stop reflecting the sunlight towards you, which is how you can see them in the first place. You'll be surprised at just how many you can see. You may see more of those than meteors. If you enjoy it and want to know more, drop into the Astronomy and Space forum every so often to find out what is happening. Astronomy is a very easy hobby to get into. All you need to do is go outside on a nice night and look up!

collegeme

so can they be seen tonight

Flukey

collegeme wrote:

so can they be seen tonight

As I said, once it gets dark, go and look and you should see some tonight. Basically what causes a meteor is dirt burning up in our atmosphere. You can see a meteor on any night. When we have a meteor shower it is because we are passing through a dirtier region of space. As we orbit the Sun we pass through these areas at the same time each year. So every August we have the Perseids. They get their name from the constellation they seem to be coming from, but the dust trail we are passing through is from comet Tempel-Tuttel. As we enter it there is not much dust. As we get deeper in, there is more dust so there are more meteors. At the centre, there is most dust so we have most meteors, or what we call the peak of a meteor shower. Then we start moving out again and the meteors start to reduce in number. That is the phase we are at now. The whole process takes days, so you will see meteors for a week or even two on either side of a peak. So yes, there will definitely be some tonight, as the peak was only on Thursday. If you have the opportunity to do so, go out and look. Remember that patience is required, but it is great when you do see one. There are other meteor showers at other times of the year too, so there are various chances to see them.

collegeme

Flukey wrote: »

As I said, once it gets dark, go and look and you should see some tonight. Basically what causes a meteor is dirt burning up in our atmosphere. You can see a meteor on any night. When we have a meteor shower it is because we are passing through a dirtier region of space. As we orbit the Sun we pass through these areas at the same time each year. So every August we have the Perseids. They get their name from the constellation they seem to be coming from, but the dust trail we are passing through is from comet Tempel-Tuttel. As we enter it there is not much dust. As we get deeper in, there is more dust so there are more meteors. At the centre, there is most dust so we have most meteors, or what we call the peak of a meteor shower. Then we start moving out again and the meteors start to reduce in number. That is the phase we are at now. The whole process takes days, so you will see meteors for a week or even two on either side of a peak. So yes, there will definitely be some tonight, as the peak was only on Thursday. If you have the opportunity to do so, go out and look. Remember that patience is required, but it is great when you do see one. There are other meteor showers at other times of the year too, so there are various chances to see them.

Wow that's brilliant ...thanks for that