Thursday, August 11, 2016

Perseid Meteor Shower Friday Morning Early!

Thursday night , the 11th and Friday morning , August 12 will be one of the greatest meteor showers of the year. The evening of the 11th will not be so good because a near full moon is wash out the sky with light and the weather forecast is partly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain. If you area is free of a pm rain shower or thunderstorms, you may be able to see and photo some of the Perseids from 2am to before 5am (astro. twilight). Remember there will meteors that show that don't radiate from between the constellations Perseus and his mother-in-law Cassiopeia. Look slightly East of North. Now despite this, NASA says that it will be very good show this year because the Earth will pass through at least three streams of the debris near the middle of the debris field instead of the edge., so the number of meteors per hour may double. I may be worth the loss of sleep. I ran across this article on the history and techniques of observing and photography this meteors shower. You may be able to get something from it. If you can't see them then you can see them via computer. KEEP LOOKING UP!!! Paul Join Slooh for the Best Meteor Shower of 2016 Explore the Myth and Wonder of the Perseids Meteor Shower On Thursday, August 11th, at 5:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EDT / 00:00 UTC (International Times: http://bit.ly/2b7BV9V), Slooh will host a special 4-hour long broadcast viewing the meteors live as they streak across the sky in four different countries, thanks to our global network of partners. Those live streams will come from Slooh’s observatory in the Canary Islands, Slooh HQ in Washington, CT, and our feed partners in the United Kingdom, and Thunder Bay, Canada. Then, on Friday, Slooh will present extended coverage of the Perseids starting at 9 AM EDT, courtesy of Weathernews Japan. The Perseids is a favorite of many stargazers because it shows more bright meteors than most showers, usually about 50-60 per hour. In addition to our live streams, Slooh’s 5-hour broadcast will give viewers everything they need to watch and enjoy the shower, including information on the best ways to watch, where to look, and what they should bring along with them on their meteor shower journey. If that’s not enough, Slooh Astronomers, Eric Edelman and Bob Berman, will explain all you need to know about meteor showers, and even tell the amazing discovery story of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the comet responsible for the slew of falling stars this time of year. Plus, viewers will get a unique opportunity to learn about capturing amazing meteor shower photography with a standard DSLR camera, and how they can hear these streaking bits of space debris, even when they can’t see them. And for the historically inclined, we’ll also feature segments telling the harrowing myth of the Greek hero Perseus, from his adventures fighting the Gorgon, Medusa, to his daring rescue of the Princess Andromeda. “With Decembers Geminids spoiled by a full moon, these Perseids will be the best shower of 2016,” says Bob Berman. “Add to that the juicy peril of its parent comet, Swift-Tuttle, the most hazardous object in the known universe, and you have all the ingredients for a 4 star spectacle.” The Perseids are visible in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and even some of the Southern hemisphere, and have been viewed by civilizations stretching back millennia. In medieval Europe, the Perseids were called the “Tears of St. Lawrence” because they occur near the anniversary of the death of Laurentius, a Christian deacon who was martyred by the Roman Emperor Valerian in the year 258 A.D. The first recorded observation of the Perseids was by Chinese astronomers in 36 A.D., making it an event that perfectly sums up humanity’s need to gaze at the stars and wonder at the heavens, even to this day. Viewers can join in the meteor watching fun by sending their questions, and their own meteor observations to @Slooh on Twitter, or by using the live chat on Slooh.com. Event Time Announcer - Perseids Meteor Shower on Slooh Event Time Announcer shows time for Perseids Meteor Shower on Slooh in locations all over the world. In UTC it happens on Midnight between Thursday,… timeanddate.com

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Stargazing at Mineola Nature Preserve Wed.,Aug. 3

The Mineola Nature Preserve
will present a STARGAZING at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Wednesday, August 3th. This is a free program and everyone is invited. The activity begins about 9 PM and will end about 11PM. The location will be the amphitheater next to the pavilion. The program is a group exercise in identifying objects in the night sky that can be seen with binoculars or the naked eye (Naked Eye Astronomy). This is a weather permitting program. In the event of inclement weather or cloud cover, the program will be cancelled. A “CANCELLED” notice will be posted in the “Calendar” page of the Society’s website: www.asetexas.org/calendar on the date, a sign will be posted at the Preserve entrance and an announcement will be aired by radio station KMOO 99.9 Mineola by about 5pm. Please keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately for it. We have had significant amounts of rain lately, so wear clothing to ward off the mosquitoes. If you bring mosquito repellent, do not bring aerosols; use wipes instead. For more information on this event and the Society, contact us at info@asetexas.com or text to 903-520-7338.