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admin
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Posted: Sat Aug 11th, 2007 04:44 pm |
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Perseid Meteor shower peaks this weekend
By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer Sat Aug 11, 2:09 AM ET
LOS ANGELES - Summer's annual meteor shower promises to put on a dazzling show when it peaks this weekend — provided you're far from city lights. With no moon in sight to interfere with the Perseid meteor shower, skygazers can expect to spot streaking fireballs late Sunday into dawn Monday regardless of time zone. Astronomers estimate as many as 60 meteors per hour could flit across the sky at the shower's peak.
This year's sky show comes with an added bonus: Mars will be visible as a bright red dot in the northeastern sky.
"We have front-row seats this year," said Kelly Beatty, executive editor of Sky & Telescope magazine.
Last year's Perseid shower was somewhat of a dud because the moon's glare washed out many of the faint meteors. This weekend's meteor shower coincides with a new moon, which means the skies will be dark and perfect for viewing meteors.
Experts offer some tips to get the most out of nature's fireworks: Since Perseid meteors can be seen from any direction in the sky, viewers should pick out a dark patch of sky free of light pollution and wait for the meteors to appear.
Dim meteors appear as a momentary flash of light while the brighter ones leave a glowing streak. The number of Perseids zipping across the sky should increase steadily through the night, peaking just before sunrise. Although the peak occurs this weekend, the Perseids are visible for several nights after that.
Unlike other celestial sightings that require a telescope or binoculars, the best way to watch a meteor shower is with the naked eye.
The Perseids are perhaps the most beloved of all meteor showers because of their predictability. The August shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus because the meteors appear to originate there.
The annual Perseid shower occurs when the Earth's orbit crosses the path of debris thrown off by Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the cosmic junk — many the size of a grain of sand — enters the atmosphere, it burns up in a flash, appearing as "shooting stars" across the sky.
In the past, the Perseid showers have produced such spectacular displays that people swamped radio stations with reports of a mysterious light in the sky.
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Hillman
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Posted: Sun Aug 12th, 2007 09:17 pm |
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This morning (Sunday) at 4:30 something I saw three "shooting stars" within 5 minutes. Two were so-so, and one was a "wow-ser"! Ripping across the whole sky overhead. Hopefully tomorrow morning will be clear for an even better show.
Last edited on Mon Aug 13th, 2007 10:00 am by Hillman
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admin
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Posted: Sun Aug 12th, 2007 09:25 pm |
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| enjoy them.....we, of coarse, are supposed to have cloudy skies tonight -- last night was crystal clear, and like you, I saw some "shooting stars", but no "wowsies". Enjoy the show from the hill!!!
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Mon Aug 13th, 2007 06:51 am |
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Stretched out on a towel over the grass, with an old pillow under my head, I kept wondering, how do I watch the whole sky? Thoughts meandered from the philosophically obvious - the eons this sky show has been going on, the madness and futility of war in the face of the indifference of the natural world - to memories of other years, other settings when I've watched the sky for wonders - to the mundane, I wish those damn dogs would shut up - to amazement at the stillness of the night, the air cool and slightly damp on my skin, the sound of the water coming to the shore, an occasional fish splashing, at one point a bat (or something very small and fast) making a soft air whoosh right across me - and back to how can I watch the whole sky?
In between thoughts were a dozen and more *shooting stars* and making wishes, and my own one, brilliant, whole-sky-crossing wow-ser, aptly named by Hillman.
And thankfulness...that I can go into my yard and have a dark sky to watch this, that those lights aren't tracers of bombs, that I live in a place where the quiet is louder than anything else, even, eventually, the dogs.
And hoping this hurricane season leaves us all with nothing more to do or think about than observing the sky in the middle of the night for light shows before climbing into bed to sleep; waking up tomorrow, content and glad, on islands.
(no, I didn't take this photo! It's from a photoshop tutorial)
Attachment: star14.jpg (Downloaded 26 times)
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admin
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Posted: Mon Aug 13th, 2007 11:27 am |
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cool musings.....I had clouds, so no stars, moon, or wowsies.....
Does the picture mean you have photoshop? If not, hold out until December -- I'll bring you a copy of Elements, which is all you need....
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Mon Aug 13th, 2007 11:51 am |
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No...it means I stole the pic off the web  I can wait...want you to show me stuff anyway.
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admin
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Posted: Mon Aug 13th, 2007 11:57 am |
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| no problemo -- I'll pencil in plenty of Island Woman magical yard and photoshop time.....you're gonna love seeing all you can do!!! You'll become more attached to your computer than I am....
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Doug
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Posted: Mon Aug 13th, 2007 01:57 pm |
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| Sunday night/Monday morning was just the peak. There is a 4 or 5 day period of meteor activity to enjoy. We got t-stormed out last night - a mixed blessing in the midst of our triple-digit marathon. Tonight is another chance to make a couple wishes.
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Dennis Miller, on the Pee Wee Herman public outcry.
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admin
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Posted: Mon Aug 13th, 2007 02:22 pm |
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could you tell the Maine clouds that????
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