Perseid Meteor Shower - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

Turn Key · 08-11-2009, 12:35 PM

Starts tonight!

Strong Meteor Shower Expected Tonight - Yahoo! News

Happy Camping!

Shannon · 08-12-2009, 07:29 AM

Darn cloud layer all.night.long here in San Antonio. I checked after dusk, after midnight, at 2-3 AM and again about an hour ago (5 AM). Ah well... we have pretty bad light pollution in our area anyway, particularly in the direction that our backyard night sky viewing location faces, so it would have been hit or miss anyway. Will check tonight since there are always a couple meteors, and the Perseids even off-peak can bring nice surprises.

Justin and I saw them once, years ago, in a dark park along Canyon Lake. Amazing number of meteors, and a neat random assembly of people who drove around like we did hunting for a good meteor spotting locale. 'Course the park we went to was free back then...made it easier to randomly drop in at 10 PM or whatnot for meteor watching.

Me vs. Wild · 08-12-2009, 09:26 AM

It was a "no show" too from the dark parking lot of the Dub Farris stadium in San Antonio between 4-5 am. Just too much ambient city light and about 30-40% cloud cover. Oh well, made for a nice morning run anyhow....

ploddinTod · 08-12-2009, 11:33 AM

I went out in my back yard at about 9:30 pm. The light pollution was just too bad. I thought I saw 2 or 3 short, brief streaks but my mind might have been playing tricks on me. I definitely saw one bright lightning bug checking out the yard, however.

Turn Key · 08-12-2009, 12:57 PM

I'm "off" tonight and will be up and about. Will be sticking my head outside a good number of times, hoping for the best! We'll see.

Happy Camping!

Choderus · 08-13-2009, 05:45 AM

We went out north of Mineral Wells State Park. The cloud cover broke nicely right when we got out there. The 70% moon didn't help matters, though. I probably saw about twenty-five or so in the few hours we spent out there, so I'll give it a "not bad".

MissionCamper · 08-14-2009, 11:13 PM

Despite some light pollution, we saw quite a bit of the show.

Choderus · 08-15-2009, 01:16 AM

From EarthSky.org:

November 17, 18, 2009 Leonids
Historically, the Leonids have produced some of the greatest meteor storms in history, with rates as high as many thousands of meteors per hour. These storms often recur in cycles of 33 years. During the last several years, we have seen more of a whimper than a growl from Leo the Lion, with a maximum of perhaps 10-15 meteors per hour. In 2009, astrronomers are anticipating on the possibility of a stronger return, with perhaps double the number of meteors – or maybe even a meteor storm. (Astronomers hasten to remind us: there are no guarantees!) But with the new moon falling on November 16, we’re guaranteed of dark skies, so the 2009 Leonid display is well worth checking out. Like the October Orionids, the Leonids tend to pick up steam after midnight and to put out the greatest meteor numbers just before dawn. Watch for these extremely swift, often bright Leonid meteors (half of which leave persistent trains!) between midnight and dawn on November 17 and 18.

I'll be on vacation that week, too. Watching the shower this week made me think how cool it would have been to have been watching it from the top of Enchanted Rock at the time. The top of Copper Breaks would be a prime spot, too.

Turn Key · 08-15-2009, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Choderus

From EarthSky.org:

November 17, 18, 2009 Leonids
Historically, the Leonids have produced some of the greatest meteor storms in history, with rates as high as many thousands of meteors per hour. These storms often recur in cycles of 33 years. During the last several years, we have seen more of a whimper than a growl from Leo the Lion, with a maximum of perhaps 10-15 meteors per hour. In 2009, astrronomers are anticipating on the possibility of a stronger return, with perhaps double the number of meteors – or maybe even a meteor storm. (Astronomers hasten to remind us: there are no guarantees!) But with the new moon falling on November 16, we’re guaranteed of dark skies, so the 2009 Leonid display is well worth checking out. Like the October Orionids, the Leonids tend to pick up steam after midnight and to put out the greatest meteor numbers just before dawn. Watch for these extremely swift, often bright Leonid meteors (half of which leave persistent trains!) between midnight and dawn on November 17 and 18.

I'll be on vacation that week, too. Watching the shower this week made me think how cool it would have been to have been watching it from the top of Enchanted Rock at the time. The top of Copper Breaks would be a prime spot, too.

And of course, I'll be working those two nights

. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Happy Camping!

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