Dear meteor observers,
I just joined, and a total newbie fortunate enough to live on the world's first Dark Sky Island, Sark, in the Channel Islands off west coast of France.
I have been having difficulty finding the approximate peak viewing time for 2017 Perseids -- the only reference I found was on skyandtelescope.com site, which referenced IMO, but not found same info on IMO site yet?
"August 12: The Perseids
Even casual skywatchers know about the Perseid meteor shower,
.....
The shower's peak performance is relatively brief, so timing is important. According to the International Meteor Organization, the shower's 2017 maximum should come between 14:00 UT on August 12th and 2:30 UT on the 13th. The midpoint of that range is about 20:00 UT, which is during daylight in North America. Moreover, the Moon, a few days past full, will rise around 10 p.m. on the 12th and wash out most of the Perseids. So start watching on the evening of the 12th as soon as it's gotten dark and the radiant (near the Double Cluster in Perseus) clears the horizon."
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/meteor-showers-in-2017/
Has there been any refinement in the recommended viewing time?
Also, I would love to start official meteor counts on Sark, so might anyone be in the vicinity and can join us? It would be great if someone with experience could help get us newbies started, that would be fantastic!
For Perseids peak 2016, it was easy to find info narrowing down the peak viewing time, so we knew when to gather - trouble was, even though we intended to count, it was so exciting, we all got distracted . . .
Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
Kaye
Dear meteor observers,
I just joined, and a total newbie fortunate enough to live on the world's first Dark Sky Island, Sark, in the Channel Islands off west coast of France.
I have been having difficulty finding the approximate peak viewing time for 2017 Perseids -- the only reference I found was on skyandtelescope.com site, which referenced IMO, but not found same info on IMO site yet?
"August 12: The Perseids
Even casual skywatchers know about the Perseid meteor shower,
.....
The shower's peak performance is relatively brief, so timing is important. According to the International Meteor Organization, the shower's 2017 maximum should come between 14:00 UT on August 12th and 2:30 UT on the 13th. The midpoint of that range is about 20:00 UT, which is during daylight in North America. Moreover, the Moon, a few days past full, will rise around 10 p.m. on the 12th and wash out most of the Perseids. So start watching on the evening of the 12th as soon as it's gotten dark and the radiant (near the Double Cluster in Perseus) clears the horizon."
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/meteor-showers-in-2017/
Has there been any refinement in the recommended viewing time?
Also, I would love to start official meteor counts on Sark, so might anyone be in the vicinity and can join us? It would be great if someone with experience could help get us newbies started, that would be fantastic!
For Perseids peak 2016, it was easy to find info narrowing down the peak viewing time, so we knew when to gather - trouble was, even though we intended to count, it was so exciting, we all got distracted . . .
Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
Kaye
edited Jul 23 '17 at 8:58 pm