Fireball

Light pollution has new meaning for me! I hadn't realized how spoiled I have been in the past couple of places we've lived, which were rural. It was difficult to see the meteors last night.

But... I saw a pretty substantial fireball last night! Wow. I need to learn more about astrophotography. I did record it in my astronomy journal, though. I'll post some pages from that book on my other blog.

Although last night was the peak, you should still be able to see some meteors tonight, so if you missed it, go outside tonight and look up!

Meteor Shower

Just a reminder that the Perseid Meteor Shower is about to peak! Get extra sleep tonight, if you can, and check the sky Wednesday night. The meteor shower occurs as the Earth passes through the debris trail of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

This page has a good explanation of the meteor shower, and where and when to look:

NASA's Perseid info page

The best time to see the most meteors is, apparently, 4am. However, I have been much lazier and looked up around midnight in years past, and still saw quite a few. This is my favorite meteor shower. You're almost guaranteed to see at least one, and are likely to see a lot more- this year's estimate is around 100/hour. Also in this year's favor: we have a new moon, so viewing will be easier, without competing moonlight.

Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.

                              -Longfellow,  Evangeline