On the nights of August 11th and 12th (still not quite sure which), there is going to be a Perseid's Meteor Shower.
For those of you who don't know, a meteor is a small bit of rock or debris (called meteoroids before they enter the atmosphere) shooting through the atmosphere. They burn up in the atmosphere, leaving a fiery trail that we see. Also dubbed 'falling stars' and 'shooting stars'. Now, for a Meteor Shower. A Meteor Shower is when multiple meteors/meteoroids 'fall' from the sky. They are 'spawned by comets. As a comet orbits the Sun it sheds an icy, dusty debris stream along its orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor shower.' [copied from stardate.org] The meteors in a Meteor Shower come from the same region, and so they are named after the constellation near their origin. In the case of this weekend's shower, the meteors will be coming from the Perseus Constellation, therefore causing this shower to be a Perseid's Meteor Shower.
Now, you may be wondering where you can view this, or how you can view this. Though I'm not sure what time zone stardate.org is going by when they say '11 pm' but I'm going to assume it's CDT for the sake of assumption because that's what timezone I'm in at the moment.
The best way to view a Meteor Shower is to get away from the city lights. Now, if you live in the city, you can always drive a ways out, away from the lights, and see if your eyes can adjust. I live fairly close to a large city (about thirty/fourty minutes away), but I can see the stars okay-ish almost every night.
So, anyway, this is what stardate.org says: "Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast around 11 p.m. in mid-August.
After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites.
Once you have settled at your observing spot, lie 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."
So...if you're a space nerd like me, go watch! I'm super excited for this.
Oh, and don't forget to wish upon one of those 'falling stars'. =)
I danced with Harry Styles And he told me he loved me. 01:43, August 8, 2012 (UTC)