Perseids tonight

[DotCommunist]

3 am or there abouts. I'm staying up to watch them. Tis a clear sky ish here so should be pretty

 

[2hats]

Any time after midnight and before the first light of sunrise is good (in general for almost any meteor shower) as that's tends to be the most favourable geometry for them ploughing across the local sky (before midnight you are looking out of the rear window of the car, as oppose to out the front windshield facing the oncoming storm, as it were).

Obligatory pretty image of a Perseid against the Milky Way, taken yesterday from Anglesey:

 

[2hats]

Lovely night for watching them. Just saw several fireballs shoot across the sky whilst sitting out in a dark meadow.

 

[MrSki]

I saw three in the time it takes to smoke a rollie.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Was out taking advantage of the first cloud-free night in ages to have a look through my scope...saw 6 or 7, the ISS and The Ring Nebula. Great hour in the garden

 

[Quartz]

I've seen one, but my view to the NE is blocked and I have buildings all around.

 

[frogwoman]

Saw a few earlier on tonight

 

[8ball]

Deckchair is ready out back - didn't see anything last night...

 

[machine cat]

Just seen two (pennines).

 

[spliff]

I've seen one, but my view to the NE is blocked and I have buildings all around.

My view to the NE are blocks of flats lit up like it's christmas. I had a short walkabout just now but there's too much ambient light and cloud cover.
I think I'll roll a number and go to somewhere darker. You never know, if the cloud shifts it could be good, on the other hand ... .. .

 

[DotCommunist]

saw a few in a cloud clearance while outside barefoot. in the future they will deliberatley stack the space junk halo around us into burny results and the resulting burn ups will be excellent.

 

[tufty79]

Went to the park for an hour with friends, tarp, blankets, and a flask of tea. Saw six or seven - one of them was massive with a huge tail

 

[editor]

Bah. overcast here.

 

[clicker]

Sat on a very dark greek beach and been absolutely spoiled tonight..what a display

 

[8ball]

Sat on a very dark greek beach and been absolutely spoiled tonight..what a display

Not seen a single one of the fuckers-going to bed...

 

[DotCommunist]

I am only semi-overcast here so I went out to see what I could see and was not dissapointed. I can't do science, I can't do objective. So I did a poem instead

How far did you go

Lone star-traveller

How deep was the dark?


Will I see you again?

O deep space hail but not hailing

What shattered you?


I looked for you in unaided binoculars

But my lights of street lamp kept yours aside

I saw you unaided, cones and rods.


Burning, falling, like a war in heaven

Tell me you’ll be back, in the next cycle.

Tell me orbital mechanics may once more

Give gift to me of better eyes

Ground and backlit.

 

[Signal 11]

We had quite a bit of cloud, but saw about 20 from 9-12. I only got one on a photo.

 

[twentythreedom]

Dammit I forgot again

Ah well there's always tomorrow

 

[Celyn]

No Perseids for me either. And it's pretty much daylight now. Huh. Unco-operative meteors.

 

[StoneRoad]

Clear night, lovely view of the Milky Way - saw some perseids but my highlight was an Iridium Flare ! (also another satellite) SW Northumberland, btw.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Clear night in southern Spain, watched from a hot tub in a very dark, private valley. Saw the mother of all shooting stars, more a Tunguska event than the normal tiny line across the sky

 

[2hats]

Judging from initial reports it looks like activity this year has been higher than in recent years.

Nice time lapse from an automated low light meteor camera running yesterday (near Dayton, Ohio):

 

[2hats]

From Denmark yesterday:

 

[2hats]

Perseid meteors are starting to put in an appearance (they are being picked up on various meteor tracking camera networks). Expect them to peak around 11-13 August this year. The southern delta Aquarids shower runs in parallel and you will occasionally see some from that as well.

Also, the Earth has entered a high speed solar wind stream resulting in some beautiful aurorae the last day or so, expected to continue today. The magnetic field is certainly unsettled, so worth keeping an eye on...

 

[2hats]

Thought it worth adding here that a G1-class geomagnetic storm has been underway the last 24 hours or so and is still active (planetary index unsettled) so worth looking to northern skies, whilst meteor hunting, if clear... The view from Estonia in the early hours of this morning:

 

[gentlegreen]

 

[keybored]

I saw three in the time it takes to smoke a rollie.

Are you sure those weren't blims?

 

[2hats]

This year's Perseids are expected (modelled) to be twice as active as usual (that model peak around 11-12 August).

​

As a bonus - for a short time, just after sunset, you might be able to see all the naked eye planets at once this week as Saturn, Mars, the crescent Moon, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus, line up from low in the south, around to low in the west:

​

 

[clicker]

Just arrived in Greece. Shall park ourselves on a beach somewhere remote and hope it's as good as last year. 11th to 13th seems to be peak activity. Don't be shy perseids.

 

[2hats]

Just arrived in Greece. Shall park ourselves on a beach somewhere remote and hope it's as good as last year. 11th to 13th seems to be peak activity. Don't be shy perseids.

Even better chance of spotting all the visible planets in one go since they will appear higher from there, for a little longer after sunset.