What’s Up – August 2010
Credit & Copyright: Wally Pacholka (Astropics.com / TWAN)
The best thing about August (astronomically, I mean) is the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on the night of August 12th-13th:
The Perseids are one of the strongest and most reliable meteor showers of the year. They come to a climax on the night of 12–13 August – a Thursday night–Friday morning. This will be very a good year to look for them, because moonlight will not drown them out as it can do in other years – the Moon is just a crescent setting in the early evening. Under a clear sky, people will often see dozens of meteors in the space of half an hour or so – maybe as many as one a minute. The best time to watch will be from about 10.30 pm onwards. The meteors will appear to come from the east, but can appear anywhere in the sky. Just make yourself comfortable on a sunbed or deckchair and gaze up at the stars.
I have wonderful childhood memories of watching the Perseids with my parents on the back lawn — this is a great thing to share with the whole family (and hey, no school, so the kids can stay up late!)
The International Space Station and various satellites can be tracked and viewed at Heavens-Above.com (link is set for Mt. Shasta’s location and elevation.)
August 10th is the next New Moon, with a Full Moon on the 24th. For a full list of sky happenings this month, as well as a handy printable map, download The Evening Sky Map (or click here for languages other than English.)
That’s all until next month — keep your eyes on the skies!
