Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Keep Looking Up

Caption: SG-1 and a friend watch shooting stars in the Stargate SG-1 episode "A Hundred Days".

Image credit: Screenshot by Cujo359

The next couple of nights, August 12 and 13, should be the best nights to see one of the more spectacular astronomical events of the year:

August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. This year's peak occurs on the morning of August 12, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The waning gibbous moon will provide some interference in the early morning, so the best viewing will be in the evening before it rises. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight.

Sea Sky Astronomy Calendar - 2009

As luck would have it, skies are overcast in my neck of the woods. Hopefully, skies will be clear near you.

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