Sunday, August 12, 2007


It's time for the annual Perseid meteor shower show. For the next few nights we will be experiencing a New Moon, meaning no moon light to mask the display of dozens of shooting stars each hour.

It is interesting to me that even though they appear larger and closer they are actually very small no larger than sand grains, that vaporize in Earth's upper atmosphere.

There will be plenty to see around one or two visible streaks every minute during peak times.

"The August Perseids are among the strongest of the readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity nominally yield 90 or 100 meteors per hour," said Joe Rao, of SPACE.com

So find a comfortable spot with a clear view of the northeast horizon, staying away from lights.
Lie back and enjoy. Don't forget the bug spray however.

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