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Title: Spectacular Meteor Shower and Rare Planet Alignment Coincide TONIGHT Post by: Allhallowsday on August 10, 2010, 09:19:37 PM Perseid Meteor Shower Unleashes Bright Fireball
The Perseid meteor shower is peaking this week and announced its annual August arrival with a bright fireball over Alabama, NASA officials say. A small 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide meteor caused the fireball when it met a fiery demise Aug. 3 while streaking through Earth's atmosphere, according to officials at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The fireball was observed by skywatching cameras operated by the space center. [Perseid meteor shower fireball photo.] "It's a very good start to this year's Perseid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of Aug. 12-13 between midnight and dawn," explained NASA spokesperson Janet Anderson in a statement from the space center. The fireball occurred at about 9:56 p.m. local time and was low in the sky when it entered Earth's atmosphere about 70 miles (112.6 km) above the town of Paint Rock. It appeared about 9.5 degrees above the horizon. For comparison, your fist held at arm's length is equal to roughly 10 degrees of the night sky. NASA observations found the meteor to be hurtling through the atmosphere at a phenomenal 134,000 mph (215,652 kph)... http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/perseidmeteorshowerunleashesbrightfireball (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/perseidmeteorshowerunleashesbrightfireball) Title: Re: Perseid Meteor Shower Unleashes Bright Fireball Post by: Rev. Powell on August 11, 2010, 10:13:32 AM So stars fell on Alabama that night?
Title: Re: Perseid Meteor Shower Unleashes Bright Fireball Post by: Allhallowsday on August 12, 2010, 04:51:32 PM Spectacular Meteor Shower and Rare Planet Alignment Coincide
The annual Perseid meteor shower is already putting on an excellent show, and the celestial fireworks have yet to peak. The main event is tonight. Meanwhile, a delightfully tight configuration of planets graces the evening sky. Rarely has there been a better time to go out, look up and enjoy easy-to-watch cosmic spectacles. Across the Northern Hemisphere, the best time to watch the Perseid meteor shower will be tonight through the pre-dawn hours local time Friday, regardless of where you live. Weather permitting, patient skywatchers could see a shooting star every minute or so. The Perseids are always reliable and sometimes rather spectacular. Only bad weather or bright moonlight can put a damper on the event, and this year the moon — a thin crescent that will set right after the sun — is not a factor. Astronomers are expecting the best, and skywatchers around the globe are seeing encouraging, sometimes explosive signs. Several of the Perseids' characteristic fireballs and exploding meteors, called bolides, have been spotted... http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100812/sc_space/spectacularmeteorshowerandrareplanetalignmentcoincide (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100812/sc_space/spectacularmeteorshowerandrareplanetalignmentcoincide) |