Perseid Meteor Shower 2019

[calendria]

 

https://www.space.com/32868-perseid-meteor-shower-guide.html

The bright Perseids are perhaps the most popular meteor shower of the year, but in 2019 they'll be washed out by a close-to-full moon during their peak.

Spectators can expect to see just 10-15 Perseids per hour or maybe slightly more on the peak, which is the night of
 Aug. 12-13, according to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke. Years without moonlight see much higher rates, and in outburst years (such as in 2016) the rate can be between 150-200 meteors an hour.


To best see the Perseids, go to the darkest possible location and lean back to observe as much sky as possible directly above you. The rates of Perseids visible will increase from about 10 p.m. in your local time zone all the way through dawn, so the later you can look the better. Earlier in the night there will be fewer meteors, but the ones that appear will have longer tails as they graze along more of the atmosphere. Those in southern latitudes can look toward the northeast to see more meteors.
The reason Comet Swift-Tuttle of the Perseids is known as the "the single most dangerous object known to humanity."

The second weekend of August will also feature an astronomical alignment that will be great for stargazers of all ages and will be bright enough to see even in cities with high light pollution.
The three-night event will give stargazers the opportunity to see Jupiter, Saturn and the moon fall in line with each other in the southern sky, spanning Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night. Since this takes place over three nights, if stargazers encounter thick cloud cover one night, they can hold out for a night when the weather is more conducive for viewing.
No telescope is needed to see the moon or the two planets, but having one will unveil some extra details and perhaps even Pluto, which will be in the same area of the sky. Onlookers may also spot a few shooting stars associated with the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on Monday night.

[countrygirl12]

Yeah but you have to watch it at 3am.  I am NOT going to go outside at 3am.  I saw something on the local news about this or some meteor shower and she said the best time to see it was between 3-4 am.  Then said you can see it while on your way to work.  Really?  Most people are not on their way to work at 3am lol.  They are home.  Sleeping!

I saw a shooting star once.  I was driving home from work.  It was pretty cool.

[1imaginarygirl]

One of my favorite childhood memories was going to the beach at night in Florida with my family and watching a meteor shower. It may have even been the Perseids. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It wasn't just one meteor here and a few minutes later another meteor there, like most of the meteor showers I've seen. The sky was filled with meteors everywhere all at once. It was so beautiful. 

[gwilson31]

I saw a meteor shower once at the drive-in.  A lot of people were watching the meteors instead of the movie (It was Dances with Wolves)  It was a awesome sight.

[countrygirl12]

It sounds like it would be awesome.  Where I live it would be hard to see.  Too many street lights and too many trees around my house.

[tjshorty]

What does that mean Years without moonlight?  Any way I used to get excited about meteor showers.  Several times made it out to watch just to find out.  Not around here.  LOL  Good luck to all that are able to see it.

[calendria]

What does that mean Years without moonlight?  Any way I used to get excited about meteor showers.  Several times made it out to watch just to find out.  Not around here.  LOL  Good luck to all that are able to see it.

I think they mean past years when the moon wasn't full enough to block the sightings.

[calendria]

 

. Onlookers may also spot a few shooting stars associated with the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on Monday night.

[timvolley]

thanks for the info i hadn't heard about this

[calendria]

 

You are welcome.  I tried to find some film clips, but only a few were posted online.  If you see some, pass them on.

[ktheodos]

This sounds so cool...I wish I had heard about it earlier.....thanks for sharing

[bretay]

oh wow...wish i had known about that...bet it was cool...