Here is an interesting url I have found. One question - since when has a grain of sand hurtling at 130,000mph NOT been a threat to spacecraft? http://www.space.com/spacewatch/perseids_2001_010731-1.html Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Its 0105 BST I have just seen my first of this years shower overhead, which is quite an achievement as we have 6/10 cloud cover and August here is invariably cloudy when I go "star gazing"!
The only thing I can say about it not being a threat, "Is when it's going the other way!" I made a post concerning the Orion Project that Australia had proposed right after the splashdown of the Mir. In it the concerns were that we have littered space in low orbital areas through garbage ejected and lost when booster separations occur, shuttle debris from separation, junk from the early days of testing, satellite deployment, etc. Some of the shuttle flights have sustained damage from paint chips hitting the windshield at excessive speeds. Anyway, the Orion project proposed that a pulse laser be guided by radar to nudge the particles that could be picked up into a degrading orbit that would leave them to burn up during reentry. This was their thought on how to help get control of the garbage dump we have created.
Wet1 Somewhere in the USA there is a Debris Checker, for want of a better word, there are well in excess of 10,000 bits of junk identifyable by radar!! I certainly do not want to be in the front of a 130,000mph grain of sand!!
Ehr.. underestimate Hi Red Devil, The 10.000 pieces of junk are macroscopic pieces (meaning they are quite large, let's say from a small bolt to your average stage-3 rocket booster). The smaller, and more dangerous pieces, like speckles of paint, are not seen on radar, and there are something in the order of 100.000 of non-visible debris particles out there. Bye! Crisp
The Space Command is in charge of tracking orbital debris. Though new security measures a lot of the old sites are no longer there. So a lot of the information is not avaliable anymore.
Debris Thanks crisp, I knew it was an enormous amount! Wet1 - yes but could not remember name. Thats one hell of a lot of debris but we detract from the subject. It is now 12 hours since I spotted the first of the meteors and true to form - the cloud cover is now on 100% and thunderstorms threatening. Typical!
GREAT! I've spend a few hours outside this week, it was very clear so now and then at night. And I have seen 13 meteors this summer so far. When I am right I have seen 8 perseids and 5 capricornides/aquarides...... Lovely, and I am looking forward the morning of august 11th!!!!!! (although my parents think I am crazy going out at night for some flashing lights, I will be up all night then, unless it's cloudy...)
Meteors - Any Night Kned - you can see meteors any night of the year, provided city lights and weather don't intervene. This particular month promises to be, weather permitting, quite a showy period of shooting stars!!Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Re: Meteors - Any Night uhuh, I know Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! !!! I go outside for stars all year, but in the summer I pay more attention to the meteors, just because I can see more of themPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Like I said, especially the morning of 12th august!!!! (the peek of perseids)
August 12th ? Hi KneD, And at what time do they predict the peak in Western Europe ? Since we both live pretty close to eachother, I am pretty sure I can rely on your data (I hope it doesn't involve getting up before 2 pm Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!). Bye! Crisp
hi crisp, In my source (the magazine ZENIT) it is said the peek is expected to be in the morning of 12th august. The real peek will be at 8:00 pm, but that's to late for us, sun is already up by then. The best moments to watch is between midnight and dawn, so that sure is late/early!!! But......it's sunday morning, I don't have to do something that sunday, so I can watch that night. One little problem is the halfmoon, the moon will be in the vicinity of the constellation aries and taurus. That will cause some bad background light after 2:30 pm. In another guide (sterrengids 2001) They say it is the best to look somewhere at midnight. (although the radiant is very high in the sky). Because of the moon. By the way, the times are almost the same for the whole world (the peeks) moonset etc. is offcourse localy. And the perseids are only visible on the southern hemisphere.... So; let's hope for a clear sky that night!!!!!!! (the night following to this will be a good night too)
12th August thanks kned for the reply - sorry to appear so "knowing" - I am working on the night of the 12th so hopefully - I shall see quite a bit - British weather permitting!!Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Re: hi crisp, sorry but I have to make a view changes: I made a mistake by not mentioning the difference between the 'real' peek and the 'visible' peek. The real peek is the moment when the rate of meteors is at his highest level. That will be on 12th august 12:00 Universal time. But the highest rate of visible perseids under perfect conditions is about 8:00 am. Why? That is because we are just looking towards the direction of earth's orbit, because of that they're will be more meteors. But when we think of percfect sighting conditions we have to think of the sunset, the 'real' peek, the 'visible' peek and the moon....phew!!! So after 2:30am we have moonlight, after 3:30 we will have the first sunrays.....but in the meanwhile there will be more meteors to... That's why I expect they're won't be a 'best' moment for perseid-gazing in Europe. So I am going to watch from midnight till 8:00am, so I'll see as much as possible. When you don't have the possibility to do this, just take the moment with the clearest sky! (by the way, in the united states you have the advantage that the peek will be at 6:00am local time!!!! So you will be able to see a lot more of it. Hawaian people here? their views are the best.) (all this information was taken from my newest source: The magazine Sky & Telescope)
Well, It wasn't very spectacular, I haven't seen anything but clouds this night....... There were only 15 minutes when about the half of the sky was clear, and at that time I saw 5 perseids...... That is preety good I think, that means 20 per hour, but I only could see the half of the sky, and the seeing was pretty bad..... I hope it will be a little better this night, but I don't think so. Hopefully more to see next year Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
It is a shame that your viewing was not all that it could have been. Such is life. Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you. Anyway, better luck next year! For myself it has not been worth looking up, all is cloudy.
Nothing here 100% cloud cover, thick, no sky visible at all - usual British bloody weather! every year has been the same since I can remember!!Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
hmmm, I just saw the weather-forecast, it will be sunny (clear) not before wednesday.... That's too much time after the peek to be very exciting, but i am gonna watch though. (and indd, it was again very cloudy last night)
