Posted on 08/10/2020 6:59:11 PM PDT by metmom
very August stargazers in the Northern hemisphere eagerly await the Perseid meteor shower. The annual celestial light show is caused by cosmic dust and debris left in Earth’s orbital path by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The comet last entered our solar system in 1992, and won’t be back until 2126, but we still get treated to its glowing remnants of its tail every year.
More than 4.5 billion years ago, comets formed out of the same gas and dust that created Earth and the other planets in our solar system. But unlike planets that orbit the sun on more circular orbits, comets take an elliptical path.
(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...
Here’s another article with a little more useful information for best watching.
The 2020 Perseid meteor shower peaks Tuesday: How to watch the show
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-2020-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-tuesday-how-to-watch-the-show/
I’ll go out there but somehow I never get to see one :( Here’s hoping I do tonight.
Naturally, after days of clear skies and white fluffies, a nice big overcast rolled in today.
Omg. Lol.
Was thinking about heading out to look but the thunder I’m hearing doesn’t sound promising.
Day of the Triffids
Day of the Triffids
My wife and I pay attention to the Perseids. They generally peak on August 12, which is our anniversary. We make a point of being up north in our cabin so that we can sleep on the back deck.
Last year, we just stayed up late. The year before that we saw several bolides. They are like a shooting star except they are really bright and they have a smoke trail which is illuminated.
My wife and I pay attention to the Perseids. They generally peak on August 12, which is our anniversary. We make a point of being up north in our cabin so that we can sleep on the back deck.
Last year, we just stayed up late. The year before that we saw several bolides. They are like a shooting star except they are really bright and they have a smoke trail which is illuminated.
You better duck if you go outside. You might get hit by space rocks.
https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/10/huge-hail-big-thunderstorms-overnight-may-have-people-reaching-for-extra-cup-of-coffee-monday/
Thanks!! You made me think of my brother who would come up from Presidio and take me n my kids “out east” to watch the meteor shower. The kids are bigger n we have to drive further east to get away from the city lights.
Hm, wondering why Smithsonian wasn’t busy pointing out some connection between Perseid Meteor Shower and white privilege, or something.
I saw 4 good ones.
We’re in rural NH now and have a very nice dark location. I’ve never had this kind of opp before.
But the moon is coming up and ruining the viewing.
I think about that story every time a meteor shower happens.
That was one creepy book.
Nice!!!!!
In Spain this meteor shower is called “Las Lagrimas de San Lorenzo,” The Tears of St Lawrence. St Lawrence was a 3rd century deacon, martyred under the Roman Emperor Valeriano by being roasted on a grill, and the Perseids reflect his tears.
San Lorenzo was a Spaniard, born near Zaragoza around 225 AD. Spain was a Roman colony, and Lawrence ended up in Rome and was made a deacon, responsible for attending to the running of Church business and the distribution of charity.
The emperor Valerian issued an order that Christian authorities be killed. The pope (Sixtus) was executed, along with other important leaders of the Christian community. Valerian then demanded that the deacons turn over the riches of the Church (which didn’t have much at that point). St Lawrence distributed any funds he had, and when Valerian came after him, he brought the lame, the halt and the blind and said to Valerian, “These are the riches of the Church.”
This earned St Lawrence a very gruesome martyrdom on August 10, 354 AD, hence the name, Tears of St Lawrence, associated with this date.
:^)
We have a “cold” front hanging a bit north of us, generating clouds, showers and t-storms. (Got an inch of rain tonight - at least part was spread out over a few hours so some should soak in.) It looks like this will be the pattern the next few days. So, if that front doesn’t progress further south than forecast, we may get more showers, but, at least visibly, not of the space rocks kind. At least some of the lightning was fun to watch. We got a real blast of an outflow boundary earlier, too.
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