 |
| Once again, the Perseids
are upon us. Our star chart shows the northeastern sky at 11:00 PM
CDT on Monday, August 12. Like other meteor showers, the Perseids
seem to come from a radiant, a point of origin. If you trace the
paths of the meteors backward, the paths will intersect at the radiant.
As the earth passes through the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle, we see the
paths of the meteors as though they come from a single point – the radiant
– in much the way we see the paths of snowflakes or raindrops from a moving
vehicle. Perseids can, and do, appear anywhere in the sky, but their
paths all trace back to the radiant. The moon is 25% lighted, low
in the west, and will set at 11:40PM CDT. It should be a good night
for meteor watching, weather permitting, so come join us. And besides,
there’s lots else to see.
While you’re watching for Perseids, have a look at the Double Cluster, near the radiant. The Double cluster is a pair of open star clusters about 1/2 deg apart. Under good conditions, the DC is a fuzzy naked-eye object, easily visible in binoculars, and beautiful in a scope. The Andromeda Galaxy is a dim object about 15 deg above the NE horizon, considered the most distant object normally visible to the naked eye. How far can you see? The Double stars which we featured last month, 61 Cygni and Albireo, are well placed more than 60 deg above the NE horizon. Come join us. There’s lots of stuff to see all over the sky. |
You can print a copy of this star chart so you can take it outside.
|
|
|
|