Perseid Shower

[scotman]

Hi All

Did anyone manage to see the recent Perseid shower? It was always too cloudy here in Edinburgh. Is it worth looking at anyway?

[dundurn]

Too much cloud cover in Milton Keynes as well.

To answer the second part of your question - yes it is. I'm regularly let down by the weather and the amount of light pollution we get in towns is a real problem if what you're looking at is very faint but meteor showers are great value for money, particularly as they're free! (This should appeal North of the Border, and before you ask, I'm a Scot!) Almost all the regular meteor showers are the dust left behind by various comets and occur as the earth's orbit intersects the path of the comet. The Perseids strictly speaking are still with us. I think we're still in the path until the 23rd of this month but the night of the 12th/ 13th was the peak. You do stand a better than average chance of seeing a meteor this week at least. The big advantage of the Perseids is that they happen in August so it's not freezing cold while you sit out on your deckchair. If you don't mind a nip in the air there are other showers to look forward to many of the best being in Autumn and winter.
http://www.popastro.c...ns/meteor/showers.htm
Find a spot somewhere to the south of Edinburgh, out in the country away from the lights and don't forget to wrap up warm and take a flask and some sandwiches.

[squarebear]

It'll be back next August.

[carmalee]

I took sleeping bag and pillow into the garden on Thursday - lovely clear evening down here on Romney Marsh Kent - saw quite a few'shooting stars ' etc then fell asleep and woke up at 6a.m thoroughly drenched and very stiff! Had another shot on Saturday but without the sleeping bag - saw a brilliant one got right across the sky plus a few minor ones - but at about 12.30am had a stiff neck so went to bed.

[Richard1966]

I saw a few on Thursday. It was very clear here in Dorset.

[paddywak]

If you get the right condition it is well worth watching, though disappointing this year because it was so overcast. A few years ago we were stopping with some friend up near Berwick and for two nights we sat out in the recliners with a few cans of cider and a couple of bottles of wine and watched the show, we had beautiful clear nights and every were you looked there seemed to be a shooting star, I later heard on TV that it had been the best display for years and I can well believe it and as dundurn, its free

[boxtops]

We saw four, the sky was clear, but but until you'd seen one it was hard to know what you were looking for. We have a huge amount of light pollution round here so a clear dark night is hard to come by.