Advice on organising a Meteor Party

[Astro Adj]

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading a lot about the Summer Meteor Showers, and am thinking about hosting a Meteor Party. I am very new to this, and so far have only actually used my telescope twice! As such I'd be really grateful for any suggestions / advice more learned observers can provide!

My plan is to go to a dark site at around 2200 on the 12th August and observe the Perseids. The first stumbling block came at knowing where in the sky to look. I bought this month's Sky at Night, which confused me even more! They state the radiant is just above Perseus, which makes sense, but go on to say:

"If you look at the square of Pegasus, over towards the Summer Triangle, you'll get meteors streaking down the Milky Way from Cygnus to Aquila".

I've been observing Vega, Deneb and Altair so I feel confident following the instructions, but am conscious I'll be looking at the Summer Triangle and not Perseus. Would this be a big mistake?

Also, I'm planning on taking a waterproof base mat, sleeping bags, folding chairs and the usual assortment of tea/coffee etc. Is there anything else I should consider taking?

Many thanks in advance for any tips!

Cheers,

Adrian

[ashenlight]

Hi Adrian

Great news that you're looking to host a meteor party!

On this:

"If you look at the square of Pegasus, over towards the Summer Triangle, you'll get meteors streaking down the Milky Way from Cygnus to Aquila".

To look in the direction the Sky at Night mag suggests would not be a mistake. The meteors from the Perseid shower appear to radiate from Perseus - meaning if you trace back their trails they would all appear to be 'coming from' the constellation Perseus. To be able to see a meteor in the night sky it has to enter our atmosphere and start to burn up. The meteors may enter in the Perseus region, but by the time they start making any visible light (by burning up) they'll be shooting away from this 'radiant' and so will appear in the region you said.

One of the most important things to do is to get dark adapted. Although the Perseid meteor shower if famous for putting on a real show, if your eyes aren't adapted to the dark conditions you will miss some of the fainter meteors. Give yourself half an hour or so just lying looking at the night sky so your eyes can activate their light sensitive cells and get used to the low light conditions. There's no need to worry about telling your fellow observers about this, just know that it'll take about half hour to an hour until your eyes are at their most susceptible to the faintest meteors

How about some pillows/cushions for the observers to support their necks on? Might help to adjust their seeing angle so they can get as comfy as possible Perhaps you could take a few star maps? I have photocopied some in the past when going out observing with a few family members. I'm sure you could find a suitable star chart for the Northern Hemisphere for August on the internet. Your fellow observers might like the challenge of identifying some constellations if they get bored of waiting for meteors (although this isn't likely!!)

Don't forget a red light torch. Normal white light from a torch will swamp your night vision, making it almost impossible for you to see the fainter meteors. Red light doesn't affect the eyes in this way and is the light of choice for astronomers when reading star maps and so on. If you haven't got a red torch, you can easily attach some red cellophane (I've even used some of those red sweet wrappers we tend to accumulate around christmas...) attached with a rubber band around the head of the torch.

Perhaps a few bits of paper and some pencils would be handy for those observers who want to record how many meteors they see.

There is going to be a full Moon tonight (6th August) so by the 12th the Moon will still be fairly fat. The glare from the Moon may wash out any faint meteors. It'd be a good idea to try and position yourself so that the Moon is hidden by a near by building, a tree, a bush, anything you can find. Not letting your eyes get swamped by the glare of the Moon is key - it's glare will ruin your dark adapted vision!

Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Don't get drawn in worrying that your fellow observers must have a good time and see lots and lots of meteors. You may wait a good 15/20 mins and not see one, and then see the most magnificant fireball! You never know! How about looking at it as an opportunity to introduce them to the summer night sky - point of Vega, Deneb and Altair - the Summer Triangle, Hercules, and any other constellations that catch your eye. If you are out late enough, look to the South and you will be able to point out Jupiter! It'll be the bright orange 'star' beaming down with a constant glare - it won't twinkle like other stars.

When I go out meteor hunting, I just think of the meteors as a bonus. The atmosphere, being around people you like and just enjoying the show the stars put on is the best bit!

Hope this helps.

[Astro Adj]

Thanks so much - lots of useful advice!

Now that you've explained it I feel a bit silly! I should have realised it's not until the meteors reach our atmosphere that they leave a visible trail. Well, that's something else I've learnt today - thanks!

Luckily I've been able to see the Summer Triangle on both previous sessions, so hopefully I'll be able to point everyone in the right direction. Because this is as new to them as it is for me I'm sure viewing just about anything will be exciting! I am going to try to find the Great Cluster in Hercules, that looks like an incredible sight! Jupiter would be fantastic too - it is one of the sights I am most looking forward to.

I am going to set up around 2130, so that everything is in place by 2200. From then on it will be red light only (I've even got a customised setting on Windows now that is just reds and blacks!) so that everyone can get their eyes adapted. I've already explained that looking at a mobile could be disastrous!

I'll get some star maps to go with Stellarium, between them both I guess everyone should be able to see what they are seeing, if that makes sense?

I'm really looking forward to it. I seem to be addicted to the BBC weather page of late, as soon as I see we have a clear night I've got my bag all ready to go! Sunday looks to be the next suitable evening so I'll use that as a dry run for Wednesday. I agree, if we do see some meteors that'd be great, but the atmosphere and experience will be fantastic either way.

Thanks again!

Adrian

[hal2000]

Don't forget an umbrella.

[hal2000]

Sorry, I've just noticed that a fellow long-suffering cynic has made a similar remark on another thread. Honestly, I wasn't copying.

Good luck with your observing session, we over in Northern Ireland will be organising our annual Perseids session, more in hope than expectation, as always.

[ashenlight]

Don't feel silly Adrian, only a question that isn't asked is a silly question!

You sound like you know what you are doing and are well prepared. Best of luck with it, hope the clouds stay away and you get a beautiful show.

[The Warthog]

It sounds like a great idea, and I wish I could come!

A little correction to Ashenlight`s very good comment - all the meteors are going in the same direction, parallel to each other, from the direction of Perseus. Ones that hit the atmosphere to your left will appear to move from left to right, as you see the entire trail of the meteor with the start of the trail at 130km or so appearing to be closer to you, and the end of the trail at 65km or so appearing to be farther away. The distances remove the depth from the meteor trail, and it appears to be a streak from left to right on a flat sky. Similarly, a meteor on your right will appear to move from right to left. Meteor trails close to the radiant will appear shorter.

The effect is similar to driving into a snowstorm at night (something I have done many times.) The snowflakes appear to radiate outwards from a point in the direction your car is travelling. This is true even though the snowflakes are all going in the same direction.

My skies are so awful I never get to see many Perseids. Another year I`ll try to be out in the country when it happens.

[mike.brightmore]

The following link gives a fair bit of information about the Perseids...

The Perseid Meteor Shower | One-Minute Astronomer

Last year I saw qite a few streaking through the Square of Pegasus but they can appear almost anywhere. It is a good idea to check Heavens-Above Home Page to see if there will be any International Space Station visible passes or bright Iridium flares for that location. The odd pair of binoculars is also useful to show anyone interested a close up of the Moon or a look at Jupiter and a few star clusters, or even Andromeda. A star chart can be helpful to show people the various constellations - particularly if not too sure of them yourself.

If any children are attending you might want to think of something to keep them interested.

Most of all what we all need is a clear night. Good luck.

[Vega]

Having been to a few Perseid shower watches, we often find there is no 'magic' direction to be looking. Some streak across the whole sky. Some begin from perseus and some get brighter once they are way over in the South Western sky! We found its basically best to look up and get your body as parallel to the ground as possible to save the ole neck. Get in a position where your seeing as much as the sky as possoble. Flat fold out recliners with blankets are the most popular choice. Sleeping bags are popular with children and those gel hand warmers are also popular!

Main thing is to make it light hearted and just enjoy the show. We always do an overall group count of the meteors (as well as personal counts cus some are always missed by members of the group lol). If meteors go quiet, a game of eye spy (astro objects only) goes down very well :-D. Try to avoid the obvious "something beginning with V... Vega".. or "Something beginning with J... Jupiter " LOL.

Matt

[Astro Adj]

Not long to go now, and the BBC website currently says Wednesday night will be clear! Unfortunately the Google weather page has 70%+ cloud cover for the night. Let's hope the BBC are right on this one!

Thanks for the links, I'll have a good look at both now. I can't wait!

[The Warthog]

We are looking at 'cloudy periods' and 'mainly sunny' for Wednesday - Thursday, so the chances of a good shower are fair. I wish I were in a position to move to a darker sky.

[ashenlight]

Thanks for that Warthog, I'm not too good with the technical stuff but you've made it really clear

It's clear tonight for me, partly clear tomorrow, but Thursday is rubbish - rain and drizzle all day and night. Good luck to everyone who is going meteor hunting

[Vega]

For info on getting the right forecast.. I find the best forecast is your own judgement by using the satellite image. I manage to predict things quite well using this link and counting the hours to predict where the fluffy stuff is headed at your location.

Met Office: British Isles: Visible satellite imagery

and for the wet stuff? ...

Will it Rain Today? | Rain radar for the UK | Going to rain? | Meteogroup - This site rocks!

Tonight is looking best bet or me (Somerset)

Matt

[Astro Adj]

Those sites are fantastic! Thanks for the links - I've now had to create a new 'Astronomy' favourites folder in IE due to the number of great links fellow SGL members have provided!

I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's experiences and comparing the number of Perseids we were able to see.

[The Warthog]

Thanks for that Warthog, I'm not too good with the technical stuff but you've made it really clear

Actually, I managed to get it wrong. A meteor on your left will move further to the left, and a meteor on the right will move further to the right. Oh, well, I knew what I meant.

[Astro Adj]

Success! My intrepid meteor hunting party were all in position by about 2300 on Wednesday and although clouds obscured all of the sky by about 0100 we notched up 24 sightings!

Unfortunately I only spotted the one as I was busy setting up the scope, however I was rewarded with my best view of Jupiter to date!

Everyone who came had a great time and they are all eager to come out again. Good news for me as my wife is reluctant to let me go to a dark site alone and now I have a whole pool of eager beavers who share my fascination!

Thanks again to everyone for the help and suggestions.

[JamesK]

Congrats on your sucsessful Meteor party! :-)

[The Warthog]

You've started a movement! Congratulatulations!