Meteor Shower Tonight
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Time to make a wish.
The peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower begins tonight around 10pm when the Persus constellation rises, but will be the best after midnight, when you'll be able to see up to 80 meteors per hour. Unlike last year, when the full moon ruined our viewing, tonight's waxing crescent moon will set early, leaving a dark sky for us to enjoy the show. The meteor shower will continue through tomorrow, but the number of shooting stars will likely decrease.
"Shooting stars" or "falling stars" are simply other words to describe meteors -- bright streaks of light across the sky, which are caused when small pieces of interplanetary debris (traveling thousands of mph) collides and burns in the Earth's upper atmosphere (30-80 miles above us).
The Perseid meteor shower is associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years. Each August, the Earth's orbit take us through a cloud of the comet's debris -- bits of 1,000 year-old ice and dust, causing the shower.
Best ways to meteor-watch
Grab a lawnchair, blanket and snacks and enjoy the show. To get a better view, drive away from the city lights to a dark place with a full view of the sky. A little astronomer's tip: If you can see each star of the Little Dipper, the spot is probably dark enough.
If you want one of the best views in the northeast, take a trip down to the Frosty Drew Observatory (Ninigret Park, Charlestown, 364-9508). From 8-9pm you can visit their Sky Theater to learn more about the Perseid shower, and kids can make their very own comet. Between 8-11pm their telescope will be open to view the moon and other planets. And afterwards, you can set up outside on their lawn and watch the meteor shower. Admission is free.
Need to know more? Ask the expert NASA astronomer Bill Cooke all night long. From 11pm-5am he'll be available online for web chat on NASA's site.
In case you miss it or want to learn more, check out the Cormack Planetarium (Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence, 785-9457). For only $3 ($2 kids 4-7), you'll get admission to the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. For the rest of the summer, the planetarium will have shows at 2pm daily. On Saturdays and Sundays they will be showing "Cosmic Collision," which is about meteor impact and showers.
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