PERSEIDS Meteor Showers

[frank c]

If I didn't have to be in Vegas The 11th & 12th , I'd be at Gold Basin where the night sky is beautiful.

For anyone interested this shower will be very good if you're in a dark area to enjoy it heres a link for more info. ENJOY

http://stardate.org/search/search.php?f=t&Category=000&limit=20&arg=perseids

QUOTE FROM Stardate Online:

If you can get away from the streetlights and headlights and neon signs of the city on a summer night, you'll still see plenty of lights flashing across the sky: Lightning from distant thunderstorms, the lazy flashes of fireflies, and the quick streaks of meteors. In fact, tonight's a good time to give it a try, because the Perseid meteor shower is at its best.

The Perseids are like a celestial sandstorm. As Earth crosses the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, tiny bits of comet dust sprinkle into the upper atmosphere at high speeds. They quickly vaporize, forming streaks of light across the sky.

A meteor's brightness depends in part on the size of the particle of comet dust. Most are no bigger than BBs, and make faint meteors. But a few are as big as marbles or even larger. These make brighter meteors -- some of them bright enough to see from the suburbs, or in rare cases, even the city.

You can see meteors on any night. But the number goes up when there's a meteor shower. The Perseids are at their best late tonight, when you might see a couple of dozen meteors per hour. There's no moonlight to interfere with the view, so it's well worth a look.

The Perseids all appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the direction of the constellation Perseus. But you don't have to look in any particular direction to see the meteors. Just get away from city lights, look up, and enjoy the flashes of light through the summer night.

[EdD270]

Thanks for the heads up. I usually check the Old Farmer's Almanac, but missed this one.