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Perseids meteor shower peaks this weekend! Info...

 
Edited

Hello all,
?
This Saturday night will be the peak night of the famous Perseids meteor shower, one of the year's best! ?Even better is that the Moon will not present any problems this year! ?The broad traditional annual maximum is predicted on August 12/13, between 07h UT and 14h UT (which translates to between 3am and 10am EDT). ?Under very dark skies and ideal viewing circumstances, the rates could surpass one meteor per minute during the early morning hours of the 13th. ?In areas affected by light pollution, or obstructions (such as buildings or trees) the rates will be lower. ?This shower is known for producing good numbers of colourful meteors, and fireballs. ?The Perseids can be enjoyed from nightfall onwards, although rates generally increase during the hours after midnight.
?
Here's a good article to learn more...


This year's shower might have a couple of additional surprises:
?
1) ?A weak filament is expected to cross Earth on August 13, around 03h UT (11pm EDT), according to ?meteor dynamicist Peter Jenniskens. ?(A filament is thought to be an accumulation of meteoroids in a mean-motion resonance.)
?
2) ?There is also the possibility of enhanced activity on the following night Sunday August 13/14, between 01h UT and 0245h UT (between 9pm and 10:45pm EDT). Meteor dynamicist Jeremie Vaubaillon predicts that the Earth will encounter a very old trail of dust released in 68 BC. ?It is definitively worth monitoring although a prediction of the activity level is essentially impossible. ?Back on the morning of August 14 2021, I was fortunate to observe an unexpected strong outburst with a ZHR of more than 100 above the basic level, about a day and a half after the nodal maximum! ?So if your skies are clear Saturday and/or Sunday night, give the Perseids a try! :)
?
Clear skies!
?
- Pierre
 

Too bad the forecast is for clouds. That might change.

But one might see more meteors friday night. Off-peak but maybe clearer.

attilla danko, attilladanko@..., danko@...


On Wed, Aug 9, 2023, 16:11 Pierre Martin <pmartin@...> wrote:
Hello all,
?
This Saturday night will be the peak night of the famous Perseids meteor shower, one of the year's best!? Even better is that the Moon will not present any problems this year!? The broad traditional annual maximum is predicted on August 12/13, between 07h UT and 14h UT (which translates to between 3am and 10am EDT).? Under very dark skies and ideal viewing circumstances, the rates could surpass one meteor per minute during the early morning hours of the 13th.? In areas affected by light pollution, or obstructions (such as buildings or trees) the rates will be lower.? These meteors are known for producing good numbers of colourful meteors, and fireballs.? The Perseids can be enjoyed from nightfall onwards, although rates generally increase during the hours after midnight.
?
Here's a good article to learn more...


This year's shower might have a couple of additional surprises:
?
1) ?A weak filament is expected to cross Earth on August 13, around 03h UT (11pm EDT), according to ?meteor dynamicist Peter Jenniskens. ?(A filament is thought to be an accumulation of meteoroids in a mean-motion resonance.)
?
2) ?There is also the possibility of enhanced activity on the following night Sunday August 13/14, between 01h UT and 0245h UT (between 9pm and 10:45pm EDT). Meteor dynamicist Jeremie Vaubaillon predicts that the Earth will encounter a very old trail of dust released in 68 BC.? It is definitively worth monitoring although a prediction of the activity level is essentially impossible.? Back on the morning of August 14 2021, I was fortunate to observe an unexpected strong outburst with a ZHR of more than 100 above the basic level, about a day and a half after the nodal maximum!? So if your skies are clear Saturday and/or Sunday night, give the Perseids a try! :)
?
Clear skies!
?
- Pierre
 

Yes indeed, the Perseids are quite active for several nights prior to the peak, and for a few nights after. ?The nights leading up to the peak are known to be rich in bright meteors.

Hoping for the best with the weather!

- Pierre
 

I was surprised to see clear skies after the rain came through last night, so I took a chance and made the drive out to FLO from Orleans. I arrived around 10:15 and stayed until just before dawn, around 4:15 or so.? I split my time between observing with the 18" Starmaster and simply enjoying the view naked-eye.? I was happy to find the Persieds still relatively active.? By midnight I counted seeing at least 6 in between eyepiece time and up to around 25-ish by the time the night was done.? Quite a few around the radiant, but the best ones seemed to be to the west or east, longer, brighter and more colourful for sure.? Of course, I had my camera pointed towards the radiant so I missed them.? But I did manage to get? 4 or 5 frames with average looking Persieds in them.? One with a very bright one, but of course it was right in the corner of the frame and mostly cut off (it would have been spectacular if it was fully visible).

I think this may be the first full night of decent meteor watching I've had since November 18, 2001, when I joined many fellow OAFs at Mike's Equuleus observatory in Perth to watch the Leonid meteor storm.? Reviewing my observing notes for that session, I had estimated about 1000 meteors over the night.? Fellow Oafs in attendance were: Roland Prevost, Janice Tokkar, Bruce McGlashin, Frank Baryl (RIP), Attilla Danko and Gary Boyle.? I assume Pizzle was there too, since it was his property.? Funny how 20 years have passed but that was the first memory that came back to me upon seeing the first bright Persied last night!

Maybe we can have a reunion observing session one of these days!!

Matt

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