Anyone get out to see the Perseids?
I saw just a few meteors on Friday before giving up around 1:30 in the morning, when it was probably starting to get good. Too much haze and light pollution. I saw only one really good one that came in low and slow and left a trail of “smoke,” and you could almost hear it. I think that was just my imagination, although I’ve read that meteors emit low-frequency radio waves that are thought to be audible (skepticism welcome).
Bumping this in case it was missed. Anyone?
I saw 5 on Friday night from about 11:30-1am mountain time.
Hey, thanks for the reply. Yeah, this year it wasn’t very good in my area. Very little moon, practically no wind and no actual clouds, but the aforementioned haze really got in the way for all but straight-overhead viewing. I’m already looking forward to the Leonids (17 November) and the Geminids (14 December).
I love shooting stars. And since the late 90’s, it’s actually been possible to predict meteor density, if anybody bothers to do the work – I’ve seen meteors at 20+ per minute in the tropics. But I live in the city, I’ve got hills to the east and cloud cover most of the year, and where I am, the Perseids start below the horizon at the best of times. I didn’t bother to go outside.
It’s kind of a crapshoot (=unpredictable in US English). I mean, all the factors can be determined beforehand to avoid disappointment (even meteor density, as you say), but cloud cover and wind may not be evident until the last few hours.
Wind can be important. My most recent best-viewing experience of the Perseids was on one of the windiest nights I can remember. I was pushed off balance a few times, I had to hold onto my beach towel whenever I got up or even shifted position, and I was continually getting dirt and dust in my eyes. But the sky was amazingly clear. I spent about a third of my time just staring at the Milky Way, and that’s the night that I first noticed the Seven Sisters:
Another factor that’s becoming relevant for me is exhaustion. I had a coffee at about 22:00 and a Coke a couple hours later, and I was still very tired. A long late-afternoon nap would have given me more energy, and it would have been even better to be able to spend the night right there where I was viewing.
I think it’s best to go into it without any expectations other than having a quiet night of reflection when alone or bonding when accompanied.