Saturday, July 31, 2010

Astronomy for August: Perseid Meteor Shower

the remarkable image of the Perseids above was captured by Fred Bruenjes
August 12 and 13, (meaning approaching midnight on the 12th and gaining frequency until sunrise on the 13th) the Perseid meteor shower will be quite a show this year. The moon is going to be a small crescent and will set early, so the conditions should be perfect. This is arguably the best meteor shower of the year, and it would be a great time to stay up to watch the skies. This meteor shower may peak at around 50 meteors per hour, so it's pretty spectacular. It would be the best time in August to plan a camping trip, somewhere lonely and without light polution. We'll be watching from West Texas.

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