Even if you aren't a habitual stargazer, August 12 will be a great night to be outside and looking at the sky. The Perseids are upon us again and a new moon at the height of the shower will hopefully make it possible to see a 'shooting star' every minute, or even more.

The Perseid meteor shower is perhaps one of the best known and most watched astronomical events, and in recent years showers have been spectacular. With the relative darkness provided by the lack of moonlight, the view will be improved but you should still travel away from city lights to get the best view - many of the fainter meteors will be invisible in the glow of a metropolitan sky. The Perseids are so named because they appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus. Lie back and scan the whole sky, focusing on the area in the northest, from which most activity should come. Around 9pm local time, late in the evening, until dawn on the 13th, is predicted to be the best time to view the shower. If you miss the main event, don't lose all hope. August is an exceptional month for meteor showers, and you can still catch the Kappa Cygnids on August 18th, or the Northern Iota Aquarids on August 20th.

Also in August, on the 28th, we in America are able to watch as the moon crosses into the shadow of Earth and we are treated to our second total lunar eclipse of the year. Viewers on the West Coast will have the best view, while those of us in the heartland will miss totality as it will have already passed by the time the moon rises locally. You can check this handy chart to see when the best time to be watching for this awesome cosmic event. There's a whole universe out there, if we don't keep looking up we'll lose sight of it.

Last update : 11-08-2007 08:16

Average user rating

   (0 vote)