Latest Perseids Stories
On July 14, 1965, Mariner 4 swooped over Mars. It was a moment of high drama. Six other probes had already tried to reach Mars and failed--most malfunctioning before they even left Earth. Since the days of H.G. Wells (The War of the Worlds, 1898), people had been hearing about life on Mars and they were ready to see the canals and cities. But the wait was becoming excruciating.With flawless precision, Mariner 4 dipped less than 10,000 km above the planet's surface and took 22 pictures. Mars...
Blame it on the Moon: The 2006 Perseid meteor shower is going to be a dud. Oh, Earth will pass through the Perseid meteoroid stream, as usual. And meteors will flit across the sky. But when the shower peaks on Saturday morning, August 12th, the glare of the 87%-full Moon will overwhelm most Perseids, making them impossible to see.That sounds like the end of the story"”but don't stop reading. You might see some Perseids, after all. The trick is to look before the Moon rises. Plan your meteor...
ESA -- The annual Geminid meteor shower should reach its peak activity late on the night of 13-14 December 2005. Along with the better-known Perseids in August, the Geminids are the strongest of the reliable annual meteor showers. Late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, observers might see a "˜shooting star' every 5 to 10 minutes on average. However, this year the glare from the nearly full Moon will hide all but the brightest meteors. The Geminid shower is active for several...
Mars joins the Perseid meteor shower for a beautiful display on August 12th.NASA -- Got a calendar? Circle this date: Friday, August 12th. Next to the circle write "before sunrise" and "Meteors!" Attach all of the above to your refrigerator in plain view so you won't miss the 2005 Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids come every year, beginning in late July and stretching into August. Sky watchers outdoors at the right time can see colorful fireballs, occasional outbursts...
SpaceWeather.com -- The eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks on May 5th and 6th. The best time to look, no matter where you live, is during the hours before local sunrise on both days.This is mainly a southern hemisphere shower, but northern observers can see it, too. In the United States, for example, observers far from city lights might see 5 to 10 meteors per hour. In Australia or South America, rates are better, between 15 and 60 meteors per hour.This year (2005) the eta Aquarid meteors will...
Latest Perseids Reference Libraries
Perseids Meteor Shower -- Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are caused by comet debris. As comets enter the inner solar system, they are warmed by the sun and peppered by the solar wind, which produces the familar tails that stretch across the night sky when a bright comet is close to Earth. Comet tails are made of tiny pieces of ice, dust, and rock which are spewed into interplanetary space as they bubble off the comet's nucleus. When Earth encounters these particles on its...
Leonids Meteor Shower -- The Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor stream is viewable every year around November 17 and is thought to be comprised of particles ejected by the comet as it passes by the Sun. When the Earth moves through the meteor stream, the meteor shower is visible. The Leonids get their name from usually making their appearance in or near the constellation Leo. The Leonids are famous because their meteor showers,...
