Perseids Meteor Shower August 11-13 & The Summer of The Planets
The Perseid meteor shower is the dusty remnants from the path of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Discovered in 1862, Swift-Tuttle is the largest known object to repeatedly pass by Earth with it's nucleus measuring at 16 miles wide! It's last Earth encounter was in 1992 and is due back in the year 2126. Until then, Earthlings enjoy the dust cloud that this comet left behind in the form of the Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids are one of the most spectacular and exciting meteor showers of the year with as many as 60-70 meteors per hour. In outburst years up to 200 meteors per hour! The new moon August 11th will create perfect conditions for this event. The peak of this meteor shower will be after midnight on August 11th and 12th after the moon has set. The key to observing a meteor shower is darkness. The farther you can get from light pollution the better you will be able to absorb light. Let your eyes adjust to darkness for 30 minutes. Dress warmly. Bring a reclining chair, or spread a thick blanket over a flat spot of ground. Lie down and look up somewhat toward the North. Meteors can appear in any part of the sky, although their trails will tend to point back toward the radiant Perseus. Our Skywatcher 15X70 Binoculars can be used for more magnification, or If you would like to take a time-lapse video we would recommend using our Revolution Imager in combination with an All Sky wide angle lens.If you have looked into the sky recently you have probably noticed that the planets are spectacular! From East to West you will see Mars, Saturn, The Moon, and Jupiter! With a medium powered telescope you can see the rings of Saturn, Jupiters Moons and the terrain of the Moon! It is STILL a very special time to observe Mars. With good conditions, the surfaces features are visible and stunning with the possibility of catching a glimpse of the moons! If you need some filters to help you view Mars click HERE. We are also having an incredible sale on our Nexstar Evolution telescope that is great for viewing the planets and other celestial events for many years to come. We will have these and many other telescopes set up at our next star party August 18. Give us a call with your Questions! We are here to serve the amateur astronomy community. 1-888-471-9991.
