Perseids Meteor Shower

[ApusApus]

Further to the Red Moon post, the best sightings for the Perseids Meteor Shower are between Saturday 5pm (bit early) & Sunday 6.30am.

A bit more information here http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/08/07/weeke ... r-eclipse/


Shane

[Dominic]

This could do with a bump. Tonight's the night!

[PaphosAL]

Still a fairly bright waxing Moon though, which will occlude many shooting stars from normal vision...

Best time to look for (and photograph) meteor showers is around midnight local time, btw. Best bet for photos is to just keep taking repeated long exposure shots on a tripod, and keep fingers crossed that you captured one!

Point the camera east or west to grab these babies shooting down through mother Earth's atmosphere, as we pass through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttel in our annual orbit around the Sun...

Cheers- AL

[Houdinibun]

We have just been out lying on our daughter's trampoline and saw a few...

[smudger]

Bubbles, seen one, off to bed now, night Perseids.

[LouiseCastricum]

I've seen 3 only. Too cloudy.

[Dominic]

To be frank, it is a bit over-rated. However it was fun lying out on the trampoline in the dark together.

[PeteandSylvi]

Rather disappointing this year at the times I was looking upwards. A few years ago I viewed them for the first time and it was an amazing display including one large fireball quite low in the sky.

Pete

[Loxely Man]

Saw a meteor last night near midnight, you have to be quick though.

[PeteandSylvi]

To be frank, it is a bit over-rated. However it was fun lying out on the trampoline in the dark together.

How come you weren't at the Polemi festival?

Pete

[Dominic]

We watched the fireworks from our garden. They looked very pretty reflected in the pool.

[trevnhil]

Ah but could you hear the Music

[Dominic]

Oh yes. Up until about 1:30AM!

[PaphosAL]

I did warn you all that a fairly bright Moon, waxing from Full on 7th Aug to Last Quarter on 15th Aug, would spoil this years Perseids meteor shower at peak. Even if you were blessed with cloudless and mist-free night skies..

You would only have seen the very brightest shooting stars last night. But those of you who did stay up late, gaze up into the heavens, and see some- hats off to you!!!

Cheers- AL

[Dominic]

There was no moon.

[PaphosAL]

Maybe the large waning Moon was hiding behind a large cloud while you were supine on the trampoline, Dom? LOL!

The PL Weather Matrix doesn't help much in this respect, since it shows neither Sunrise / Sunset times, nor Moonrise / Moonset times, let alone prevailing Humidity, Pollen, Dust and Pollution levels. Maybe enhance this area (just a suggestion)?

Polemi, Paphos, Cyprus, Sat 12 Aug 2017
--------------------------------------------------
Moon age since New (23 July): 19 days
Distance to Earth: 375,888km ( 235,000 miles)
Moon phase: Waning
Moonrise: 22h 39m
Moonset: 10h 31 (today, Sun 13 Aug)
-----------------------------------------------

Maybe that's why you didn't see the Moon last night, Dom? I suspect you hit your bed too early to a) see Moonrise and b) to see the best of the meteorites higher up around midnight, perhaps...

All the Best- AL

[PeteandSylvi]

There was no moon.

There certainly was in Kannaviou. I watched it rise behind the hills opposite us.

What a strange place Polemi is!



Pete

[PaphosAL]

There you go, Pete, perhaps reinforces what I was gently trying to explain to Dominic.

However, I might have omitted one vital fact in my Moonrise timings for yesterday, Sat 12 Aug in Polemi, doh... These all assume a clear flat horizon looking eastwards. But our lucky friends living in up there in Polemi happen to have the massiff of Troodos between them and the Eastern horizon...

So yes, I 100% agree that Sunrise and Moonrise times will be be far later for those good folks living up in them thar western foothills of Troodos!

Cheers- AL

[Dominic]

We lay on our trampoline and watched a clear, moonless sky, at about 9PM. You can quote whatever figures you want but that is the fact, and no gentle explanations are required. What the moon did after we stopped looking at the sky is entirely up to the moon. We weren't there to witness it's arrival.

[PolemIan]

There was no moon.

Oh yes there was! Another nice orangey one.