[Benjamin]

There is meant to be a big meteor shower tonight over UK.

The skies are clear, which is cool, so hopefully we'll see them.


(I'm trying to find a link to confirm this news, but I lost the page I had earlier).

[bronaaaa]

Is that not bad?

[Mrluvaluva]

Skygazers are preparing for the high point of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

The shower, which reaches its peak on Wednesday, occurs when the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

As this cometary "grit" strikes our atmosphere, it burns up, often creating streaks of light across the sky.

The meteors appear to come from a point called a "radiant" in the constellation of Perseus - hence the name Perseid.

"Earth passes through the densest part of the debris stream sometime on 12 August. Then, you could see dozens of meteors per hour," said Bill Cooke of Nasa's meteoroid environment office.

No special equipment is required to watch the sky show. Astronomers say binoculars might help, but will also restrict the view to a small part of the sky.

The Perseids can appear in any part of the sky, but their tails all point back to the radiant in the constellation Perseus.

Stargazers are advised to lie on a blanket or a reclining chair to get the best view.

Budding astronomers are being urged to take part in the first "Twitter Meteorwatch". Astronomers from around the world will be live-tweeting images of the meteors, as well as pictures of the Moon, Jupiter and other celestial objects.

The "48-hour Twitter marathon" will form part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009).

In the UK, the best times to see the Perseids are likely to be on the morning of 12 August before dawn and from late evening on the 12th through to the early hours of the 13 August.

This year, light from the last quarter Moon will interfere significantly with the view.

The UK's National Trust has published online guides to seven top Perseid viewing sites, including coastal spots, nature reserves and national parks.

Jo Burgon, head of access and recreation at the Trust, said: "Light pollution from our towns and cities has increased so much in recent years, but head out to the countryside for the perfect place to explore the beauty of the night sky, away from the intrusive glow."

The rock and dust fragments which cause the shower were left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle when it last came near the Sun.

The comet orbits the Sun once every 130 years and last swept through the inner Solar System in 1992.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8193769.stm


I shall be watching.

[Benjamin]

thanks mrluvaluva.

[Lewis.]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8193769.stm

[Locke.]

****

[Marc]

I bet I don't see anything.

Will be checking BBC news tomorrow morning no doubt

[Ninastar]

ITS SO FOGGY HERE! I wanna see it really badd!!

[Christina]

So is the world going to end like David is telling me?? =/

[Marc]

Originally posted by Christina
So is the world going to end like David is telling me?? =/

Yes unfortunately so... bye

[Benjamin]

Originally posted by Ninastar
ITS SO FOGGY HERE! I wanna see it really badd!!

I got crystal clear skies here.

[Jayson]

It's like Y2K all over again.

[Ninastar]

Originally posted by ukturtle

I got crystal clear skies here.

LUCKY! I want to see it SO bad!!! how often does this happen??

[Benjamin]

The Perseid Meteor shower is an annual event.

[Patrick]

Woo!

I have the best view of my whole city, so I should be able to see..

Someone video it and put it on Youtube

[Enid]

I have not seen any yet! My boyfriend called me up earlier and told me to go out into the garden because there was a meteor shower. I was out there a long time and did not see anything. How disappointing.

[Shaun]

I've seen 2. Nothing amazing :\

[andyman]

Thought this was a November thing, or is that another thing?

[Mrluvaluva]

Somebody took this on a night vision camera last night.

Youtube video

[Staceee]

I really wanted to watch but it's so cloudy here

[Enid]

Originally posted by Mrluvaluva
Somebody took this on a night vision camera last night.

Youtube video

Ugh! I would've wet myself if I had seen that.

[rayheartbliss]

Originally posted by bronaaaa

Is that not bad?

lOl

its not an asteroid hitting the planet...

its a meteor shower...its only in the sky!
its good!

[Patrick]

Didnt see nothen, stayed up till 5 and seen **** all..

The sky got really cloudy, and it was so clear until like 2AM.

I have a amazing view of the city though so I probley could of got a really good video

[Ninastar]

I swear i heard on the tele its on again tonight/?

[Mrluvaluva]

Stargazers are preparing for the second night of a meteor show in skies over the UK - as thousands discuss the spectacle on Twitter.

Astronomers say that the annual Perseid meteor shower will be most visible tonight, though cloudy skies across much of Britain will affect visibility.

"Meteor showers are very unpredictable - but tonight is when we expect the peak of activity," astronomer Mark Thompson told Sky News.

"The best time to look is after midnight. Last night we saw up to about 20 in one hour."

Many Britons stayed up well into the early hours of Tuesday night with binoculars and armed with mobile phone cameras to capture the meteor shower.

One even tweeted: "I'm being attacked by foxes but I'm staying up."


Source


This is what you want to look out for:





(Top left hand)