The Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseids are usually reliable for the casual observer.  They peak in and around August 12 each year with average hourly rates up to 100 in only the very best condtions.  Typically aim to see 10 per hour. They get their name from the constellation they radiate from -- Perseus.  There does not seem to be a lot of mythology written about the shower.  A Catholic tradition indicates that St. Lawrence was martyred on August 10, 258 AD and the meteors represent his tears each year.  John Denver's 'Rocky Mountain High' references this meteor shower in its third verse.  It caused controversy with the FCC as they believed the 'high' referred to drugs and not the euphoria felt when viewing the beauty of the Perseids from the mountains.

The Perseids originate from the dust and debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle.  The Earth transits this debris field every August and catches some with its gravity.  The debris burns up in the atmosphere making it look like a streak of light is crossing the sky at an incredible speed.

How can you see the shower close to home?  How can you get that 'high' John Denver was singing about?  There are several tips I would like to share with you.

1. Get out of the city (even just 10 minutes).  Head East or North, ensure you have little light pollution in the northeastern sky.
2. Adapt your night vision.  Don't use white flashlights and don't look at your smart phone!  The smart phone will likely harm your night vision for more than thirty minutes.
3. The best time is between midnight and dawn.  The location you are on Earth will have turned into the meteor stream.
4. Bring a lawn chair with a tilted back or a blanket to lie on.  Bring bug spray.
5. Don't look at your smart phone!
6. Lie on your back and face the northeast, use a compass if you are not sure.  Don't use the compass on your smart phone it will wreck your night vision!
7. The map below indicates the radiant of the shower.  Look for the 'W' of Cassiopeia and the radiant will be just below.
8. Check the weather before you go.  You don't want to make a trip and have a sky full of clouds.

Perseid Radiant Map

Do not be too disappointed if you do not see many.  Some years are better than others.  The below image is from the ESO that shows a Perseid against the backdrop of the Milky Way.

Perseid (Photo Credit: European Southern Observatory)

If you would like to attempt to image the shower you are best off looking for resources and tips online.  I am quite a novice when it comes to imaging the sky.  If I try I'll just take a full frame DSLR and take exposures long enough to see the stars clearly but not long enough for them to streak.  It is best with fast <2.8 high ISO >1600 settings.

If you are crazy about watching the shower you can download a blank sky chart based on 51° latitude and draw in where you see the meteors.  You can denote their length and magnitude.  A chart is provided below for downloading.

Perseid Meteor Shower Blank Sky Map

2017 Week 32: (August 6-12)

The famous Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak at the end of the week.  This meteor shower can sometimes peak above 100 meteors per hour.  The best time to see it is between midnight and dawn.  However, if you are out in the evening take a look in the Northeast sky and spot a few of these meteors.

Below is a list of astronomical events happening throughout the week.

Date	Event
August 7	Full Moon
August 9	Neptune 0.9°N of Moon
August 12	Mercury Stationary
August 12	Perseid Meteor Shower Peak

The Moon will be full Monday evening and will begin to wane back down to a New Moon.  The New Moon will occur on August 21 and will cover the Sun in what will be an amazing eclipse.

A couple days later Neptune will be in conjunction with the Moon.  It will likely be difficult to see as the light from a strong waning gibbous Moon will hinder a good view through a telescope.

The big event this week will be the Perseid Meteor Shower.  The best way for a novice to locate the radiant is to start by finding Cassiopeia.  This is the 'W' shaped constellation currently in the Northeastern sky.  Look underneath the westernmost bar of the 'W'.  This is where the meteors will seem to come from.  The image below circles this location.

Perseid Radiant

If you can, head East out of the city and bring a lawn chair.  The northeastern sky should have less light pollution from this location.  Keep and eye on the sky and you should see at least 1 meteor per minute, perhaps more.  Setup a camera on a tripod and take long exposures to see if you can catch one!

If you adapt to the darkness you will be able to see the double cluster just above the radiant point.  Also, just to the East of Cassiopeia you might be able to catch the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye!  What great sights!  The northern sky is typically off limits to those who live in southern Calgary!

I hope you are prepared for the solar eclipse on August 21!  Please send me a message if you need some eclipse glasses!

2017 Week 31: (July 30-August 5)

Here we are at the 31st week of 2017 and the beginning of August.  The weather has been hot and the smoke from the British Columbia wildfires have caused the sky to be gloomy.  Late in the evening you can see the Autumnal constellations rising in the East.

Date	Event
July 30	First Quarter
August 3	Saturn 3°S of Moon
August 3	Uranus Stationary

The Moon will be at first quarter on Sunday, July 30 and will likely appear red due to the smoke from the fires.  Dimmer objects in the sky will likely not be visible due to the poor transparency expected this week.  As the Moon moves toward the East it will be in conjunction with Saturn on Thursday evening.  Saturn will appear directly South as a non-twinkling bright yellowish object.  A telescope will reveal its rings and Moons.

First Quarter Moon

On the same evening Uranus will seem to be stationary as it begins its retrograde motion.  It will be moving West through the constellation Pisces and observable to those with binoculars or telescopes.  If you have a great eye and perfect dark skies Uranus is possible to view with your naked eye.

We are now sitting 3 weeks away from the solar eclipse.  Hopefully the sky will be free from clouds so that we may all witness this great event.  Speaking of eclipses, there will be a partial lunar eclipse happening next Monday.  However, it will be visible to those occupying the Eastern Hemisphere.  Let them have their partial lunar eclipse, us western hemispherians will have a total solar eclipse without them!

Keep your eyes on the sky as it gets darker earlier.  There will be plenty of great things to see with just the naked eye.  Stay tuned for the blog post next week where the great Perseid meteor shower will be discussed!

2017 Week 30: (July 23-29)

The final week of July has come and with it the last lunar cycle before the great solar eclipse.  There are several conjunctions happening throughout this week including the innermost planet Mercury.  If you have a view of the western horizon you might be able to pick Mercury out of the twilight as it will be less than a degree South of the Moon.  It will be quite close to the alpha star in Leo and shining twice as bright before you go to bed on the 25th.

Date	Event
July 23	New Moon
July 25	Mercury 0.9°S of Moon
July 25	Regulus 0.07°S of Moon
July 26	Mercury 1.1°S of Regulus
July 26	Mars in conjunction with the Sun
July 27	Southern Delta Aquariids Peak
July 28	Jupiter 3°S of Moon

July 26 also has Mars in conjunction with the Sun.  This means Mars will be tucking in behind the Sun and will start peeking out in the following months.  On July 27th in 2018 Mars will be at opposition, its closest since 2003.  However, for higher northern hemisphere observers it will be difficult to see properly.  It will be at nearly -26° declination.  This is lower than Saturn currently sits.  The atmosphere will give us bad seeing which will make it quite difficult for imaging.

The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower will also peak this week.  The radiant is, obviously, Delta Aquarii in the southern reaches of Aquarius.  Your best bet to see them will be between Thursday and Friday.  Look South in the middle of the night and catch perhaps 20 meteors per hour at their best.  An image of Aquarius with Delta Aquarii circled is shown below.  It is located at the bottom of the flow of water from the water bearer's flask.

Aquarius and Delta Aquarii

Jupiter is starting to go down with the twilight in the West and will be close to the Moon Friday evening.  If you're hoping to catch it through a telescope you better get your observing in before the fine details get swallowed in the atmosphere!

Astronomical twilight is finally over and Calgary can have some real night for the first time since the end of May.  This will be a great time to get prepared for another season of great observing!

2017 Week 29: (July 16-22)

This Summer has proven rotten for anything good in the sky to observe.  The 29th week of the year does not have anything too special.  The last quarter Moon occurs tomorrow if anyone is awake in the early morning before sunrise to see it shine brightly in the sky.  Aldebaran will be very close to the Moon a few nights later closer to sunrise.

Date	Event
July 16	Last Quarter
July 19	Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon
July 20	Venus 3°N of Moon

If you like viewing Venus you can see it in the morning sky a few hours before sunrise.  It will be quite close to the waning crescent moon on July 20.  Soon we will have the July new moon which is exactly one lunar cycle before the great solar eclipse on August 21.

There are many interesting constellations up in the sky during the early Summer.  Hercules stands bright at our zenith and, for the careful observer, you might be able to catch M13 in all its great glory.

M13

The twlight is still killing early evening observing but if you like staying up past midnight you'll be able to view the stars in cool comfort after the bugs have gone to bed.

Please catch Jupiter as it plunges into the sunset after another season of great evening observing.  Saturn will be directly south with nearby Antares shining brightly to the west of the ringed planet.

Good luck observing this week and watch closely for some Summer constellation profiles I hope to post throughout the next couple weeks!

2017 Week 28: (July 9-15)

It is Stampede week in Calgary and we've been hit with a heat wave.  Hopefully you'll take some time in the evening to cool down in your backyard and look at the sky.  However, there isn't much to see as far as significant astronomical events.

Date	Event
July 9	Mercury 0.04°N of M44 (Beehive Cluster)
July 13	Neptune 0.9°N of Moon

The Moon will be full this evening and, along with the heat, will contribute to insomnia across southern Alberta.

If you haven't caught Jupiter yet this year I would encourage you to look to the southwest.  It will be dipping down into the twilight soon and the Earth's atmosphere will destroy any good seeing for the year.  Saturn will be in a great position as it can be seen in the southern sky.  It will be at an altitude of approximately 17° above the horizon just before midnight.  It will not be for a few years before Saturn will be higher in the sky away from the poor seeing that comes being so low.  Saturn's rings are pretty much tilted to their maximum and any small telescope will be able to make them out.  If you are lucky and have moments of good seeing you may be able to see the divisions among the rings.

The great solar eclipse is almost a month away so you should be thinking about preparing for it.

Solar Eclipse

If you are to travel from Calgary your quickest driving route will be Oregon, Idaho, or Wyoming.  Below are some maps of the route of totality.

Oregon Totality

Idaho Totality

Wyoming Totality

Calgary will see a partial eclipse with the New Moon covering approximately 77-78% of the face of the Sun.  It will be dangerous to look at the Sun without proper protection during all times of the eclipse from Calgary.  To view with your naked eye you should have certified solar glasses and, even then, do not stare at the Sun for long periods of time.  If you are interested in a pair of these glasses please get in touch with me through my facebook page below.

https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/

2017 Week 27: (July 2-8)

The first week of July has begun and the Sun will start spending less time in the sky as the days progress.  There are only a few sights in the sky this week but perhaps worth checking out.

Date	Event
July 2	Juno at opposition
July 3	Earth at aphelion
July 7	Saturn 3°S of Moon

If you are a telescope user the asteroid Juno will reach opposition on July 2.  It is, however, an unfavorable opposition and will only reach magnitude 9.8.  Good luck if you try to scope it out.

The Earth will reach aphelion the next day which means it will be at its furthest point away from the Sun in its orbit.  This may seem counter intuitive to residents of the Northern Hemisphere.  The heat of summer occurs while the Earth is at its furthest from the Sun?  That is true, it is the tilt of the Earth that affects the seasons, not the proximity to our home star.  Perihelion occurs around January 3 each year and the Earth is at its closest in the elliptical orbit.

Later in the week Saturn will appear 3° South of the Moon.  Saturn has been visible in the early evening skies for a few weeks now if you look toward the southeast.  Observers with telescopes should try to find Saturn while the Sun is still above the horizon using the Moon as a guide.  Last night Jupiter was only 2.5° away from the Moon and I was able to catch it in my telescope more than 2 hours before sunset.  The equatorial bands and great red spot were clearly visible against the backdrop of the blue sky.

Jupiter

The Moon's phase will be between the first quarter and full which means it is easy to see in the early evening and has amazing features that can be seen with just a simple pair of binoculars.

Lunar Impact Craters Visible from 8-9 Day Old Moon

The ice giants in the outer solar system are starting to rise nearer to midnight and will make challenging targets for amateur astronomers.  I can promise that finding Neptune or Uranus with a manual scope is quite rewarding!