August

[Anubis]

Hi,

Just listened to the SkyAtNight Podcast and thought I'd post up the events this month (if this is in the wrong section/already been done please move/delete as applicable)

1st August - Solar eclipse (partial)

12th August - Perseid meteor shower

16th August - Lunar eclipse

Can't wait for the Perseids, I've never seen them before!

[Ant]

We put together a guide for this years shower if it's any use.

The Perseid Meteor Shower.

This shower is great for a casual observer; it is in the WARM month of August. It also has a high ZHR (hourly rate). Generally visible between the 8th and 14th August, the best nights are going to be the 11th and 12th. Observing after midnight I generally better than before, but you’ll see quite a few either way. The picture below shows the radiant (the point in the sky where the meteors appear to come from), X marks the spot.

This year the moon is going to get in the way for the first half of the night, but being low down in the south should minimise it’s effects.

What are meteor showers?

An increase in the number of meteors at a particular time of year is called a meteor shower.

Comets shed the debris that becomes most meteor showers. As comets orbit the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty debris stream along the comet's orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor shower. Depending on where Earth and the stream meet, meteors appear to fall from a particular place in the sky, maybe within the neighbourhood of a constellation.

What are shooting stars?

When a meteor appears, it seems to "shoot" quickly across the sky (hence the common name “shooting Stars”), and its small size and intense brightness might make you think it is a star. A meteorite is a meteor that makes it all the way to the ground

How can I best view a meteor shower?

If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the point of sky overhead.

After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. But remember your safety, tell someone where your going and ensure that you are not likely to be hit by passing cars.

Once you have settled at your observing spot, lay back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with the stars and sky filling your field of view. Meteors will instantly grab your attention as they streak by.

How do I know the sky is dark enough to see meteors?

Get yourself ready in your observing spot for around 9:30, it is properly dark at around 10pm. I read something recently about EARTH GRAZERS, which are large meteors that come into the atmosphere at a very low angle and relatively slow. These meteors are the most spectacular and last for many seconds and may break up.

What should I pack for meteor watching?

Remember bug spray, have drinks and nibbles handy – as it’s august maybe make an evening of it and invite friends to observe and have a BBQ. Remember that Alcohol hinders night vision. Even though it’s August it can till get cool so remember a jumper or light coat.

(click to enlarge)

You do not need a telescope or binoculars for meteor watching.

[Sam]

Excellent guide Ant, thanks for posting that! I'm looking forward to observing these.

[AlphaTau]

I saw a couple of excellent fireball meteors from this area last night. One of them was the longest duration meteor I have seen. It travelled from Perseus well down into Auriga to the NE! You could see it tumbling as it went too! Nice

Andrew

[blobrana]

"NASA, in partnership with the Exploratorium Science Center, San Francisco, Calif., and the University of California at Berkeley, will transmit live images of the Aug. 1, 2008, total eclipse of the sun."

Source

Read more

The total eclipse begins in Northern Canada's Queen Maud Gulf at 08:04 UT.

The eclipse will be partial for viewers in the British Isles. Observers will see the solar disk covered by between 10% and 33% by the Moon.

In London the partial phase of the eclipse begins at 08:33 GMT (09:33 BST). The maximum coverage of the Sun is at 09:18 GMT (10:18 BST ) when 12% of the Sun will be blocked. The partial eclipse ends at 10:05 GMT (11:05 BST).

In Northern Ireland 20% of the Sun is obscured by the Moon at the maximum phase. The partial eclipse will last from 08:23 GMT to 10:04 GMT (09:23 - 11:04 BST). Maximum eclipse occurs at 09:12 GMT (10:12 BST).

Scottish observers will get a better view. In Edinburgh 23.5% of the Sun is obscured; from Lerwick in the Shetland Isles, the Moon obscures 36% of the Sun.

Greatest eclipse, with totality lasting 2 minutes 27 seconds, will occur near the town of Nadym, (65°3848N, 72°1624E), in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northern Siberia, at 10:21 UT.

At 10:44 UT the eclipse track passes almost directly over the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, where totality will last 2 minutes 18 seconds.

The eclipse track will move along the Mongolia-China border.

Olgij, Mongolia will experience 1 min 36s of totality. Totality finally ends just northeast of Xi'an, China, at 12:38 UT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_2008_August_1

Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html

[blobrana]

Eclipse invite at clock tower

"Scarborough people will have the chance to witness a partial eclipse of the sun later this week."

Read more

Live Webcast:

Shanghai Astronomical Observatory

Nanjing Purple Mountain Observatory

NASA TV