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Sun and clouds mixed. High 73F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.
Although the peak of the biggest meteor shower has passed, there’s still a great chance of seeing some “shooting stars” or fire balls because the moon it is now a waning crescent, meaning it’s getting smaller and smaller.
The second biggest meteor shower of the year is the Perseid. It peaked Aug. 12 but it goes until Wednesday. The radiation point for this shower is the Perseus constellation. This meteor shower is rated at a whooping 150 per hour! This is under ideal conditions, which is a moonless night. Conditions aren’t ideal but they sure are better than they were last week. Usually the best time to watch meteor showers is predawn, but since the moon will be out before sunrise, it’s actually best to look for them after dusk since the moon won’t rise until 1:07 a.m., Sunday. Then it rises much later each night.
There’s another decent meteor shower taking place but will end Sunday, it’s the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower. It started July 12 and peaked July 30. The radiant point is in the Aquarius constellation, close to the star Delta Aquarii, which is where this meteor shower’s name came from. It’s rated at 20 meteors per hour.
Lastly, I mistakenly reported the Aurigid meteor shower started but it actually doesn’t start until Aug. 28. It goes until Sept. 5 and will peak Sept. 1.
The shower’s radiant point is in the constellation Auriga. This is a very small one rated at just six meteors per hour.
To see maximum number of meteors, it’s best to get away from light pollution and avoid city lights. The San Mateo Astronomical Society meets at Crestview Park, 1000 Crestview Drive, San Carlos. (There’s a Star Party there after sunset, Saturday.)
It takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark. To avoid a stiff neck, bring a reclining lawn chair or a sleeping bag for the ground or your car. It’s helpful to have a slight incline so that your head is higher than your feet. The windshield of a car works perfectly but is not warm. Having extra blankets is helpful. As well as an extra layer of clothes — it’s harder to stay warm when you’re not moving around.
Meteors occur when our planet passes a stream of dust and debris left behind by a passing comet. This space dust and debris are called meteoroids. When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere, they enter at high speed and burn up, resulting in fireballs or “shooting stars” called meteors. When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and makes it to the surface of our planet, it’s then called a meteorite.
Look Up appears in the weekend edition. If you have any astronomical questions or facts you’d like to share email news@smdailyjournal.com with the subject line “Look Up.”
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