“The Perseids are coming.”
Last year’s Perseids shower was a bit of a washout, as I recall – although David Moore of Astronomy.ie reported seeing 115 meteors in just over 2 hours. So fingers crossed for this year’s show, even with the Moon hanging around. The Perseids are due to peak on 12th August but as the Nasa press release says, “the show is already getting underway.” SpaceWeather, as usual, has more – including the International Meteor Organization’s activity profile. To help find Perseus overhead you can create your own custom sky chart at Heavens Above or just select your nearest town from their database – here’s one for Belfast. More on the Perseids here.The comet responsible, 109P/Swift-Tuttle, last dropped by our neighbourhood in 1992, it’ll drop by again in 2126 – passing within 15 million miles of Earth – there’s an [java req] orbital diagram here.
Fortunately we probably won’t be around in 3044 when it’s been estimated that it’ll pass within 1 million miles of Earth. That’s roughly just 4 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon..
Again, thanks for this.
A meteor showers are a real favourite with the kids.
On a clear night the beach at Cushendun is a good spot to gaze
‘Fortunately we probably won’t be around in 3044′
Yeah but there will still be an ongoing debate about viable educational alternatives to selection at age 11.
Line of the Year to Wild Turkey – nice one.
Last year WAS awful. Cloud cover as opposed to rain, up here near the coast. It was my first and last attempt at star trails too.
Pray for a clear sky.