Get ready for a big meteor shower tonight. If you would like to see the Perseids 2010 annual meteor shower, it will start August 13th in the evening. The Perseids in 2010 could be better than average because there can be no moon in the sky during the peak of activity. Head out of the city at about midnight and from then until dawn hits, 75 meteors per hour will be seen in the super dark sky. You don’t even need to get a telescope.
Meteor watch happening for the Perseids 2010 shower
Perseids 2010 is a huge end to a wonderful summer full of stargazing and will be happening tonight. Venus, Saturn, Mars and also the moon will be shown together on the western horizon as a “tight conjunction” at sundown as outlined by NASA. When the planets fall below the horizon about 10 p.m. the Perseids 2010 begin. If you want to know where you need to be looking at 10 p.m. for the meteors to start raining, try looking at the Perseus constellation. Meteors will come faster when the Perseus constellation gets higher to the sky and it gets darker. One meteor a minute will be seen Friday morning when it is the darkest right before dawn if you are planning to meteor watch.
Tips for meteor watching
Tips for watching meteors and enjoying them one of the most are given by Alan Boyle from MSNBC. Find a place far from light pollution and out of the city where the sky is going to be the darkest for you. The higher the elevation, the better. Bring a blanket or a chaise lounge; lying on the hood of your car propped up against the windshield is also good. Dress warm. Music is a good idea too. Looking straight up into the sky with eyes that have adjusted to the dark is an excellent idea too. The Perseids 2010 won’t get really good until after midnight. The meteor show’s peak could be happening right before the sun rises.
Meteor photography tips
If wanting to take pictures, the meteor shower tonight is a good place to do it. Pop Photo offers some helpful meteor photography tips. City lights could really hurt the picture with long-exposures and wide-open apertures. Use a cable release, and prevent the images from getting blurred by putting a finger on the shutter button. Put something in the foreground so you don’t end up with just a bunch of light streaks. A wide, fast lens could be the best for you if you are able to get a good ISO and exposure time. Just keep taking pictures.
Why Perseids 2010 is a sight to be seen
The Perseids 2010 occur when the Earth passes through the dust cloud of the Swift-Tuttle comet. We only see the Swift-Tuttle comet each 135 years when it gets close to sun so it can heat up and spew dust, reports the Christian Monitor. The comet’s last pass was in 1992. Each and every time the comet passes Earth, the dust stream gets thicker than the time before. This year Earth will be passing through a denser patch of Swift-Tuttle’s dust stream than usual.
NASA
science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/05aug_perseids/” href=”http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/05aug_perseids/
MSNBC
cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/11/4869749-see-and-hear-the-meteor-show
Pop Photo
popphoto.com/features/how/2010/08/how-photographing-perseid-meteor-shower
Christian Science Monitor
csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0812/Meteor-shower-August-2010-how-you-can-get-the-best-view
