From Smithsonian.org:
Although the Perseids can be seen any time in August, this weekend is supposed to be the best time to catch the display. According to EarthSky,
The earliest historical account of Perseid activity comes from a Chinese record in 36AD, where it was said that “more than 100 meteors flew in the morning.” Numerous references to the August Perseids appear in Chinese, Japanese and Korean records throughout the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th centuries. Meanwhile, according to ancient western skylore, the Perseid shower commemorates the time when the god Zeus visited the mortal maiden Danae in the form of a shower of gold. Zeus and Danae became the parents of Perseus the Hero – from whose constellation the Perseid meteors radiate.
For the particularly keen, you’ll want to look for the constellation Perseus. This is the meteor shower’s “radiant point,” the source from which they all appear to stream. Here’s a guide to finding it. A helpful tool for finding the best view is Google’s free Sky Map app for Android phones, which lets you punch in “Perseus” or “Perseids” and then points you exactly where you need to look.
Happy skywatching. It would be great if we have a set aside place to skywatch when these celestial events roll around. I talked to Parks and Rec about 2 years ago and the cost was prohibitive. It would involve paying police to be there. Why can’t there be a ranger from Parks and Rec for special events at say…oh…Silver Lake. It is in the middle of nowhere. For those of us who live in the suburbs, there really is no place to watch. We used to be able to go to the Battlefield, out off on 234, before they took away the parking lots and picnic grounds. Does anyone know of good places to skywatch that are public but no so remote you feel like you are going to get killed?
Thanks for putting this up, MH. The Perseids shower will be somewhat past its peak tonight, but viewing conditions should be excellent. It is already clear and the dew point is less than 60 degrees, which is pretty good for August.
Let us know what you see, Kelly. Not sure I am going to get out there to see for myself. If its grat, please post.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
One of these days I am going to drive far, far to the middle of nowhere, put out a lawn chair, pull out my cooler and just enjoy the view.
When I was a young soldier I was often out in the desert far away from anywhere. There was no light pollution to hide the view of the heavens. It is amazing how many stars there are.
One day … soon … again.
That’s how I felt about Utah. Where did all those stars come from???
Well … It was a complete bust. Last night when it was clear, we did not see any meteors. This morning when the count should have been higher, it was cloudy. I usually have pretty good luck, so this event was a letdown for the kids although we still had fun.
Same over here….except I sent a kid. I figured if they looked in the wrong direction, oh well.
Everytime I was at sea and a meteor shower was “scheduled” it was overcast…… I didn’t know that the Persieds are visible all August. Darn….I would have taken a look.