Posted on by VirtualAstro

Did The Draconids Perform?

Draconid Meteor Over Somerset UK Credit: Will Gater www.willgater.com

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After weeks of speculation of its intensity, the Draconid/Giacobond meteor shower finally arrived. Some astronomers predicted that this normally quiet meteor shower would deliver up to 1000 meteors per hour at its peak – Were they right?

At approximately 20:00 BST (21:00 UT) on October 8th 2011 the shower started in earnest and many in the UK and Europe looked forward to an evening of meteor watching.

Unfortunately, many people were under thick clouds and missed the display, but there were a few places where the clouds cleared and observers were treated to a memorable spectacle.

I have done many meteorwatch evenings in the past, but this one got exciting very quickly and the uncertainty of the amount of meteors was soon doused.

Many people including myself were popping outside and trying to glimpse meteors through the clouds, but most of the time the Meteorwatch Meteor Live View was being used.

Everything was fairly sedate apart from us all moaning about the weather, but then all of a sudden at approximately 20:30 BST (19:30 UT) The Meteor Live View app on the Meteorwatch website went crazy!

Meteor Live View Credit: meteorwatch.org/ Norman Lockyer Observatory UK

Many people started to get good breaks in the clouds including myself and there were reports of dozens of meteors in just a few short minutes, much to the envy and disappointment of those still clouded over.

At this time the International Meteor Organisation (IMO) reported observations of just over 300 meteors per hour (319 ZHR).

The evening continued and to everybody’s delight (to those who could see meteors), there were many. I saw 3 within a couple of seconds and this continued for about an hour.

Eventually rates started to decline, people saw less and the Meteor Live View started to show less activity.

At approximately 22:00 BST (21:00 UT) meteor activity dropped substantially – The show was over!

The IMO results were posted on their website with rates of just under 350 meteors per hour at the peak of the shower, reported by their observing stations.

Credit: IMO

Did the Dracondids/ Giacobonids live up to expectations in the end? I would say yes, a fairly heavy meteor shower, maybe it could be called a mini storm!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Observing Alert – Draconid Meteor Shower Could Unleash A Burst Of Activity On October 8!

Meteor Burst - Credit: NASA

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If you live in the Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East area, then keep watching the clock for 17-18:00 UTC when you may be in the right place at the right time for a burst of activity from the annual Draconid Meteor Shower. There’s a possibility you might see up to 1,000 meteors an hour!

As always, meteor showers are unpredictable events – but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared or forewarned. While the gibbous Moon will put a damper on fainter meteor streaks, observers in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. are well situated to catch a strong pocket of activity.

“Meteor showers are as difficult to predict as rain showers. The Draconids have surprised us before, and they may do so again.” says Canadian astronomer Paul Wiegert. “I’d encourage anyone outside on the night of October the 8 to look to the northern skies, just in case.”

This isn’t the first time the Draconid meteor shower has produced a brief storm. In 1933 and 1946 the activity reached an average hourly rate of 10,000. While that’s pretty incredible, the same cometary debris trail left quite a show in the years 1952, 1985, and 1998 when it produced hundreds per hour. These remnants of Comet Giacobini-Zinner aren’t the most dramatic of all showings – but knowing where the meteoroid stream is located makes such predictions valid.

When and where? In this case, start your observations just as soon as the sky gets dark. Since Draco is a northern constellation, those at high latitudes are move favored (sorry, southern hemisphere), so face toward the north and get comfortable. While the storm prediction will happen during daylight hours for North American observers, don’t give up hope! It looks like clear skies for many of us and chances are above average for catching a shooting star.

When opportunity knocks, ya’ gotta’ be there to open the door…

And don’t despair if you don’t live in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, or if you get clouded out. You can still watch and listen to meteors enter the atmosphere on Spaceweather radio. Meteors reflect radio signals as they burn up and you can hear this as eerie whistles and pings.

A similar system, still employing the radio reflection method displays meteors coming in on your computer with a cool graph – The Meteorwatch Live View

And follow Universe Today’s Adrian West on his Twitter feed, VirtualAstro and on his website MeteorWatch as he’ll be providing updates on observed meteor rates in various parts of the world.

For Further Reading: Wiegert’s original announcement via Physorg.com.

Posted on by VirtualAstro

The Draconid Meteor Shower – A Storm is Coming!

Geminid Meteor - George Varros (courtesy NASA)

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The Draconids are coming! Will this meteor shower produce a storm of observable meteors, or just a minor squall? The Draconid Meteor Show should begin on October 8, 2011 starting at dusk (roughly 19:00 BST) and continue through the evening. Peak activity of this normally minor and quiet shower is estimated to be at 21:00 BST (20:00 UT). There seems to be a wide range of predictions for this year’s shower, but some astronomers believe there could be up to 1,000 meteors per hour, making this a meteor storm!

The Draconids or Giacobinids as they are also known, radiate from a point in the constellation of Draco the Dragon in the Northern hemisphere. In the past, notably in 1933 and 1946, the Draconids turned into a meteor storm with meteor rates of more than one every second!

So, will this year bring us a storm? Astronomers believe so as the predicted path of the Earth through the debris streams of comet 21P/Giacobini-Ziner is favorable for a major storm, similar to what has been seen in previous years. Some reports say NASA is even considering the potential risk of damage to the International Space Station and other satellites due to meteroid impacts.

Some astronomers, on the other hand, are saying this shower could be a dud, with only 5 or so meteors per hour.

Credit: Alex Tudorica

Observers in the UK and Northern Europe are ideally placed to see the peak of the Draconids. Unfortunately the peak occurs in the day time for North America. There will also be a bright Moon which may drown out many but the brightest meteors, but if predictions are correct, you will still see many. You may see Draconid meteors on the 7th an the 9th also, so it is worth going out and checking the skies.

The Constellation Draco in the northern sky in the northern hemisphere.

Draco is a circumpolar constellation visible all night from northern latitudes.

There is no skill or even astronomical knowledge needed to enjoy meteor showers. All you need is to be comfortable, away from bright lights and your eyes. Sit back on a recliner or garden chair and fill your gaze with sky as meteors can appear anywhere as they radiate from the constellation of Draco. For more info on how to enjoy meteor showers visit meteorwatch.org

So what will you see? Draconid meteors are usually slow and bright streaks of light, but if you look away, you can still miss them so keep your gaze on the sky.

There are no guarantees of a meteor storm or even a good meteor shower as these phenomena can be very unpredictable, but the only way to find out is to go outside and look up.

If predictions are correct, you could be in for a spectacular treat and something truly memorable, so don’t miss it. Even if it is cloudy, you can listen to the meteor shower or you can watch as they enter Earths atmosphere

For more information on the Draconids, see the International Meteor Organization’s post on this year’s shower.

Good Luck!

Fireball Meteor
Credit: Pierre Martin of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.
Posted on by Fraser Cain

Reports of a Bright Meteor over Southwestern US

Just a quick post here, I’m hearing reports that there was a really bright fireball (meteor) across Arizona, Nevada and California.

I would really love to see pictures or video. Did anyone capture it? Email me at [email protected]

  • Eyewitnesses are saying it was brighter than the full Moon, and cast shadows.
  • People have seen it from Phoenix to San Diego

Update: Here’s a picture. Not great.

Update: Another image.

Update: Good coverage from the LA Times.

Update: Here’s an account from UT reader Renee:

I sure wish I had a camera ready. I saw it… It was so bright the light caught my eye and caused me to look up as I was walking my dogs, right about 7:42-45 p.m. AZ / Pacific time.

It was bright blue/turquoise, seemed to brighten now and then (I had the impression it perceptibly lit the dark field and hillside I was near), with an orangish trail, and pieces breaking off, also orangish. WOW. It was very bright and lasted quite a long time.

I have witnessed two other fireballs in my life. One of them I saw (about 25 years ago) also could be heard. I didn’t hear anything with this one, even though it was so very intensely bright. It was so bright I didn’t even know what it could be at first; my immediate thought before I had it straight in my sight was someone set off a firework.

Sure made up for all the nights of sitting outside hoping to see a falling star. 🙂

I reported it here: http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball2/form2.php I hope you would direct others to report their sightings there too. If you know of other places that collect info, please let me know.

Sure hope someone got a pic. I called my hubby and kids to tell them (wish they’d been with me!); would love to show them what I got to witness!

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Meteors Sound Like Aliens!

A space radar picked up the sounds of a meteor shower as it delighted skywatchers over the weekend.

What do meteors sounds like as they hit Earth’s atmosphere? From this recording made by the U.S. Air Force Space Surveillance Radar in Texas, the “pings” from the Perseid Meteor Shower sound rather alien! The radar station in Lake Kickapoo, Texas is part of United States Strategic Command’s (USSTRATCOM), which involves detecting, tracking, cataloging and identifying artificial objects orbiting Earth, such as both active and inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragments of debris from natural and man-made objects. Reportedly, the radar can detect objects as small as 10 cm (four inches) at heights up to 30,000 km.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Your Perseid Images from Around — and Above — the World!

A Perseid through the sky. Credit: Nahum Mendez Chazarra, Rojales, Spain. Click to see this image and more on Flickr

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We made a wish that our readers would send in their images of the Perseid Meteor Shower, and it came true! Despite a full Moon and clouds scattered around the world, we heard from many of you that you saw — and successfully imaged — the 2011 Perseids. Many of you took advantage of Universe Today’s new Flickr group, an easy way to have readers share their astrophotos with us. Above is a colorful image of a Perseid streaking through the sky by Nahum Mendez Chazarra, in Rojales, Spain.

Below, see an image take from up above the world so high: astronaut Ron Garan on board the International Space Station captured his view looking down at a Perseid streaking through sky!

'What a shooting star looks like from space," wrote ISS astronaut Ron Garan on Twitter. Click for larger version
Faint meteor. Credit: Andrei Juravle, Timisoara, Romania. Click for larger version on Flickr

This is another Flickr submission, from Andrei Juravle, Timisoara, Romania. Click to see this image and more from Andrei.

A Chicago meteor! Taken near downtown Chicago under a nearly full moon on August 12th 2011. Credit: Janet Branson. Click through for Flickr version.

Impressive! This image was taken in the light-filled skies of Chicago, Illinois by Janet Branson.

Paul Miller from San Diego, California took the following two very nice images from Mt. Laguna:

Bright Perseid. Credit: Paul MIller, San Diego, California.
A Perseid meteor and much more! Credit: Paul MIller, San Diego, California
A Perseid meteor is caught on camera by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope's mounted low-light Cloudcam before dawn on the morning of August 12, 2011. Still frame cropped and edited by J. Major

Here’s one from our own Jason Major — kind of! He found the Perseid streaking through the sky on footage from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope’s mounted low-light Cloudcam, and created this image.

First meteor! Credit: Leonard Ellul Mercer, Malta, EU

How’s this for beginniner luck?! “Last night I captured my first ever Perseid image with Andromeda on its upper left,” said Leonard Ellul Mercer from Malta. “This is the first time I tried imaging meteors. Was just lucky even though there was a bright full moon overhead.”

Keep imaging, Leonard — nice shot!

Meteor, or something else? Credit: Michaela Knott.

“I took this on August 12, 2011 I’m not sure what it is,” wrote in Michaela Knott, “but I know it’s not a plane (which is what most of what shows up in my time lapse ends up being). This year I think I only saw 2 dozen or so meteors over two nights I went out looking.”

Shot with a Nikon D60, 28mm lens f2.8 10 sec exposure at the Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown RI, USA. “It was taken @ 9:42 EST, still pretty early in the evening,” Michaela said.

Timelapse, Perseids and stars on August 12, 2011.Credit: David Parmet. Click to see this image and more on Flickr.
Posted on by VirtualAstro

Enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower Even if it’s Cloudy

Credit: bbc.co.uk

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Oh no! You have planned to go out and watch the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower this weekend, but it’s cloudy. You can’t see a thing!

Don’t despair, as you can still enjoy the meteor shower in other ways, until the sky clears.

There are few possibilities and two rely on reflections of radio signals from distant sources, such as TV transmitters many hundreds of miles away.

You can “listen” to meteors with Spaceweather Radio.

Or you can “watch” a visual graph is with the Meteorscan Meteor Live View created at the Norman Lockyer observatory in Devon England

How do these work? Basically these transmitters are at a distance where they are beneath the horizon from the radio receivers perspective. If you tune into this far of transmitter all you would normally get is static as it is so far away and hidden, due to being below the horizon.

Credit: IMO

When a meteor strikes Earth’s atmosphere it decelerates rapidly. The friction created by the air causes the meteor to burn up at extremely high temperatures creating the white “shooting star” that we are all familiar with. This process also ionizes the air along the trail making it possible to reflect radio waves.

The reflected signals are picked up by the radio receiver and can be heard as pings or whistles. Data can also be displayed on a computer in the form of different types of graph.

Meteor Live View Credit: Adrian West

There will also be a live audio and video stream, along with a live “Stay Up All Night” chat about the Perseids with NASA astronomer Bill Cooke and his team from the Marshall Space Flight Center as they answer your questions about the Perseids via live Web chat. Join them on Friday, Aug. 12 at 11 p.m. EDT — 03:00 UTC GMT — then make plans to stay “up all night” until 5:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 13.

Of course, as we have mentioned before, you can join in with watching the Perseids with the rest of the world via Twitter and the #Meteorwatch hashtag. Even if you can’t see any meteors, you can see where other people are watching them with the Twitter Meteor Map

Check out all these fantastic and interesting meteor tools and hopefully you’ll have a chance to go out and enjoy the shower with your eyes when the sky clears.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Send Us Your Perseid Images!

Bright Fireball Credit: Adrian West

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This weekend should be the peak of the 2011 Perseid meteor shower. If you have any luck taking images of the event, we’d love to see them and share them with the world! To enable this, Universe Today has started a Flickr Group, where people can upload their astrophotos, which will make it easier for us to share everyone’s photos. If we use your image, we will give you full credit and link back to your Flickr account. Or if you’d rather submit your images via email, send them to Nancy, along with a little info about it (where/when/equipment/etc.)

We hope to soon begin a new ‘Amateur Astrophoto of the Day’ feature where we will use pictures people have sent us via Flickr as well, so look for more info on that soon.

In the meantime, get out and enjoy the Perseids, and remember you can share the experience with others via Twitter with MeteorWatch, led by UT’s Adrian West! Follow the #Meteorwatch hashtag, and Adrian’s @VirtualAstro Twitter feed.

Posted on by VirtualAstro

How To Enjoy The 2011 Perseid Meteor Shower

Credit APOD/ Adrian West

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It’s time for the Perseid Meteor Shower and you want to bag some meteors (shooting stars), but how? Maybe you just want to know where and what time to look, or perhaps you are having a Perseid party and you want everyone to have a great time.

If so, then please read on…

First, you don’t need a telescope or binoculars or any high tech equipment. You just need your own eyes and glasses if you wear them.

It’s a good idea to be away from bright lights and if possible have a red light torch or red flashlight, but most importantly try to get your eyes adapted to the dark.

Bright light will instantaneously ruin dark adaption so shining flashlights into faces is a big no-no and looking directly at the Moon isn’t going to help either. Position yourself so you don’t get the Moon in your view.

The Perseids don’t rain down out of the sky; they appear every few minutes and this year, you may only see the rarer bright ones and very bright fireballs due to the full Moon that will be up, and the glare it will unfortunately provide. But if you can get in a good position to avoid the glare, sit back and wait to see some meteors. This is totally worth the wait, but you need to be comfortable or you will give up, go indoors and not see any.

The best bet is to get a reclining garden chair or airbed or something similar to lay back and relax upon. Lots of people put those yard trampolines to very good use and use them as meteor observing platforms.

Dress warmly and cover yourself with blankets or a sleeping bag, August is a summer month, but it can get quite chilly at 1:00am and this will make you give up early too, so stay warm.

Have plenty of drinks and snacks ready so you can basically camp out and not have to keep on getting up, or doing things, because this is when you will, ironically, miss the best fireball of the evening.

Fireball Meteor
Perseid fireball. Image Credit: Pierre Martin of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.

Where do I look and what direction?

This is the most common question I hear people ask about meteor showers and the answer is very simple.

Follow the above comfort guidelines, look up and away from the Moon and fill your gaze with the sky.

Perseid meteors originate from a fixed point in the sky called the radiant, which is in the constellation of Perseus, however meteors will appear in any part of the sky. You can trace their paths back to the radiant.

After midnight, look towards the East/Northeast part of the your sky to find Perseus. To find it look for the easily identifiable constellation Cassiopeia, the big “W” in sky! Perseus is just below Cassiopeia.

Credit: Stardate/McDonald Observatory

You can draw, take pictures and even video the Perseids, but the simplest and most enjoyable thing is to lay back, relax and be patient and you will be rewarded with a great a view.

The best times to look will be in the dark pre-dawn sky on August 11, 12 and 13, 2011.

You can also follow along with Universe Today and Meteorwatch.org with #meteorwatch on twitter. Ask questions, see what others are seeing, share your experiences and images using the hashtag #meteorwatch

Most of all, enjoy your Perseid experience and have fun!

Credit: NasaImages