Slashdot Mirror
Catch (Watch) A Falling Star
tkrotchko writes "The first meteor shower of the year peaks early tomorrow morning. The Lyrid Meteor shower started April 16th but peaks Sunday morning between 2 AM and 5 AM. MSN has a good overview of the Lyrid, but if you intend on watching, astronomy.com has a map showing you exactly where to look. My experience with meteor showers in the past has been hit or miss; most are a bust, but occasionally, there are some pretty spectacular showers."
My experience has been that you can see meteors pretty much any time of year... given a few conditions:
Clear skies. (Duh.)
Dark skies. Get well away city lights. View during a new moon, before moonrise, or after moonset.
Patience. Take a blanket and a pillow with you. Throw them on the ground and get comfortable. Give your eyes a good twenty minutes to get fully accustomed to the dark. Keep watching the sky. "Widen" your vision: be sensitive to your peripheral vision.
There are many minor showers that occur throughout the year. My experience has been that if it's dark and clear, and you're patient you can see shooting stars pretty much any time.
My grandparents once lived in rural Alabama. After family visits to their farm, while the womenfolk said their goodbyes, I would go outside with my Dad and Grandad, and we'd just watch the skies. On almost every occasion, we'd be seeing meteors within ten minutes of watching, and the longer we watched, the faster they'd come.
Don't wait for a meteor shower. Get out now and watch.
--Jim
Has nobody heard of the Quadrantids? Usually peaking either January 4th or 5th, it's one of the best of the year, usually hitting a peak rate between 40 and 60 meteors an hour.
Okay, not the most convenient (the Perseid's have that one locked up) for the northern hemisphere crowd, but don't write them off just 'cause you don't want to get your butt frozen off.
-Joe
CmdrTaco's first shower of the year peaks early tomorrow morning. His shower started April 16th but peaks Sunday morning between 2 AM and 5 AM. MSN has a good overview of the shower, but if you intend on watching, kuro5hin.org has a map showing you exactly where to look. My experience with CmdrTaco's showers in the past has been hit or miss; most are a bust, but occasionally, there are some pretty spectacular showers."
Got Rhinos?