Meteor showers are very cool. Seeing little bits of dust slam into the Earth’s atmosphere at dozens of kilometers per second, having their kinetic energy almost instantaneously converted into light and heat, leaving a zippy tail and then fading from view… they’re wonderful.
But there’s science to be done! It’s difficult to measure just how high up in the atmosphere a particular meteor burns up, and where it was exactly. But that may be changing, due to an ambitious experiment; one you can help with!
On the early morning of September 1, the rare Aurigids meteor shower will peak. This is debris left over from the 2000-year-period comet Kiess, and the Earth doesn’t pass through the meteor stream very often. It will this year, though, and observers in the right locations may see several dozen meteors per hour. Predictions for the shower indicate it peaks On September 1 at 4:33 a.m. Pacific (US) daylight time, so observers on the west coast of the U.S. and Hawaii are favored. For general instructions on how to watch a meteor shower, read my Perseid article (the Aurigids will come form the same rough direction as the Perseids, so the instructions in that link still apply; note the different time of peak though!).
Where does the science come in? If you have a laptop, just go to the Aurigid Meteor Project website, download a program, and then go out and observe the meteor shower. Whenever you see a meteor, all you have to do is click the mouse. The program will record the time of your click. When you’re done, email the file with the records, and the data you collected will be combined with everyone else’s to make a 3D map (really 4D, including time) of the incoming bits of cosmic fluff!
This is a very cool idea. If it works, it may be possible to learn more about the characteristics of a meteor shower, such as how many meteors are single, or how many are grouped. It will also help nail down the exact peak of the shower, allowing the next one to be more accurately predicted.
If I could, I’d join in, but Colorado is not favored for this; the Sun will be close to rising and the sky will be too bright (plus, I leave for The Amaz!ng Cruise later that day).
If you don’t have a laptop or anything like that, then don’t sweat it! But go out and take a look anyway if you’re in the right locale. It should be cool anyway.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Yes, but it’s only a few days after Full Moon; will we be able to see much?
August 27th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Okay, so I know this is off topic and would have gone better under the “Google Sky” post, but I hope this will get some one to go look at it and tell me what it is.
Bring up the google sky program and go to RA 16h35m39.32s / DEC -21deg35’33.12”. It looks like a dark planet with weird neon green lava coming out through the cracks on the planet surface.
What the hell? I can’t find this image in any other of my software programs, nothing online to find its name.
Any one venture to guess what this really is?
JG
August 27th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
I have tried several times to post a comment here using firefox, so if this posts multiple times I am sorry.
I know this is off topic and would have gone better under the “Google Sky” post, but I hope this will get some one to go look at it and tell me what it is.
Bring up the google sky program and go to RA 16h35m39.32s / DEC -21deg35’33.12”. It looks like a dark planet with weird neon green lava coming out through the cracks on the planet surface.
What the hell? I can’t find this image in any other of my software programs, nothing online to find its name.
Any one venture to guess what this really is?
August 27th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
That is one of the most awesome astronomy ideas I have heard of in a long time. It is simple, yet very cool.
I hope it works as intended.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
And Garrrr. All my comments seem to get flagged as spam. Just watch though, this one won’t:P. Damn that Murphy and his stupid law.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:32 am
The BA says: “If I could, I’d join in, but Colorado is not favored for this; the Sun will be close to rising and the sky will be too bright”
First the eclipse, and now the meteors. You shoulda stayed on the west coast
- Jack
August 28th, 2007 at 4:10 am
AAA (Annoying Add Alert)
The “you are the 999.999 visitor you won” was back when I entered (yesterdays) blog archive today.
Andre
August 28th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Further info on AAA –> the link leeds to http://www.freelotto.com. I saw 3 different versions of the add today. The one with the 999.999 visitor is the most disturbing one.
For the Meteors: What would be the best time to watch them here in Germany? The night from 30th to 1st or the night from 1st to 2nd? Or will the event be to short to be observed here at all?
(lets say we are about 20′ east from Greenwich and 50° north).
Andre
August 28th, 2007 at 6:59 am
Oops,
August has 31 days, even in Germany. So it should read ..from 31st to 1st… in the post above.
Andre
August 30th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Now if only I had a 150′ mouse cord.