Planets with a meteor shower background
Deeper into nerd territory...
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news...5aug_perseids/
You know it's a good night when a beautiful alignment of planets is the second best thing that's going to happen.
Thursday, August 12th, is such a night.
The show begins at sundown when Venus, Saturn, Mars and the crescent Moon pop out of the western twilight in tight conjunction. All four heavenly objects will fit within a circle about 10 degrees in diameter, beaming together through the dusky colors of sunset. No telescope is required to enjoy this naked-eye event.
The planets will hang together in the western sky until 10 pm or so. When they leave, following the sun below the horizon, you should stay, because that is when the Perseid meteor shower begins. From 10 pm until dawn, meteors will flit across the starry sky in a display that's even more exciting than a planetary get-together.
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every 133 years the huge comet swings through the inner solar system and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel. When Earth passes through the debris, specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light. These meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus.
Swift-Tuttle's debris zone is so wide, Earth spends weeks inside it. Indeed, we are in the outskirts now, and sky watchers are already reporting a trickle of late-night Perseids. The trickle could turn into a torrent between August 11th and 13th when Earth passes through the heart of the debris trail.
2010 is a good year for Perseids because the Moon won't be up during the midnight-to-dawn hours of greatest activity. Lunar glare can wipe out a good meteor shower, but that won't be the case this time.
As Perseus rises and the night deepens, meteor rates will increase. For sheer numbers, the best time to look is during the darkest hours before dawn on Friday morning, Aug. 13th, when most observers will see dozens of Perseids per hour.
Looking northeast around midnight on August 12th-13th. The red dot is the Perseid radiant. Although Perseid meteors can appear in any part of the sky, all of their tails will point back to the radiant.
For best results, get away from city lights. The darkness of the countryside multiplies the visible meteor rate 3- to 10-fold. A good dark sky will even improve the planetary alignment, allowing faint Mars and Saturn to make their full contribution to the display. Many families plan camping trips to coincide with the Perseids. The Milky Way arching over a mountain campground provides the perfect backdrop for a meteor shower.
Richard P.
Shuttle Viewing at Ellington Field
For those in Houston, there is an opportunity to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour on Tuesday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate to allow this to happen...
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As you may have heard, during its cross country trip to its permanent home in Los Angeles, the Space Shuttle Endeavour will stop at Ellington Field (WEATHER PERMITTING).
There will be flyovers of both Bush and Hobby airports, downtown Houston, the Ship Channel and San Jacinto monument, Galveston, JSC and Ellington. Thirty minutes after arriving at Ellington on Tuesday, September 18, the public may view the vehicle (from 100 feet away) through 7 p.m. Endeavour is scheduled to depart Ellington at 7 a.m., Wednesday, September 19.
Employees and the general public may park at Ellington to witness the landing, view the shuttle or watch the take-off. Exhibits at the Hangar 990 viewing area will include the Driven to Explore mobile exhibit and inflatable shuttle, a joint Orion/ISS banner, a Starport tent, with some additional participants pending.
The stopover is contingent upon weather conditions and event planning must remain flexible. Inclement weather at KSC, along the flight path or the Houston area can delay, change or cancel stopover plans.
Stay tuned to this website for updates regarding Endeavour's stop in Houston:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/...our_visit.html
NASA also will provide updates on Endeavour's cross-country flight via social media using the hashtags #SpotTheShuttle and #OV105. You can follow who sees Endeavour, and post your sighting, in real time at: http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23spottheshuttle
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Richard P.