Perseids Showers Tonight & Tomorrow Nights

[SurferJoe46]

It's happening right now - if it's dark where you are and they are going like crazy!

Get outside and see them if you can.


2010 Meteor Showers

January Quadrantids
January 3-4
Frequency: 31-45 per hour 84.3% illumination
Typically, 40 or so bright, blue and fast (25.5 miles per second) meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, some blazing more than halfway across the sky. A small percentage of them leave persistent dust trains. This shower usually has a very sharp peak, usually lasting only about an hour.
Parent Comet: 2003 EH1


April Lyrids
April 21-22
Frequency: 16-30 per hour 61% illumination
The swift and bright Lyrid meteors disintegrate after hitting our atmosphere at a moderate speed of 29.8 miles per second. They often produce luminous trains of dust that can be observed for several seconds.
Parent Comet: C/Thatcher


May Eta Aquarids
May 5-6 Frequency: 0-15 per hour
57.6% illumination
Parent Comet: 1P/Halley


June Lyrids
June 14-16 Frequency: 0-15 per hour
12.3% illumination
The June Lyrids is a low-rate shower during which you could see up to 10 meteors per hour during its peak.


July Delta Aquarids
July 28-29 Frequency: 16-30 per hour
95.2% illumination
At peak time about 20 bright, yellow meteors can be observed per hour. Because these meteors nearly broadside the Earth, their speed is a moderate 25.5 miles per second.

July Capricornids
July 29-30 Frequency: 0-15 per hour
82.4% illumination
The Capricornids are characterized by their often yellow coloration and their frequent brightness. They are also slow interplanetary interlopers, hitting our atmosphere at around 15 miles per second. Though you can expect only 15 meteors per hour at best under dark sky conditions, the Capricornids are noted for producing brilliant fireballs.

August Perseids
August 12-13 Frequency: 45+ per hour
5.9% illumination
This shower produces about 60 meteors per hour, and its performance is farily consistant from year to year.
Parent Comet: 109P/Swift-Tuttle


October Draconids
October 8-9 Frequency: 0-15 per hour
1.7% illumination
Expect a peak rate of 10 meteors per hour under clear, moonless conditions.
Parent Comet: 21P/Giacobini-Zinner


October Orionids
October 21-22 Frequency: 16-30 per hour
97.4% illumination
This shower produces a peak rate of 20 yellow and green meteors per hour, which are fast moving at 41.6 miles per second and are known to produce fireballs.
Parent Comet: 1P/Halley


November Leonids
November 17-18 Frequency: 31-45 per hour
82.9% illumination
The Leonids are best known for their 33-year peaks, during which 100s of meteors per hour can be observed. The last of these peaks occured in 2001.
Parent Comet: 55P/Tempel-Tuttle


December Geminids
December 13-14 Frequency: 45+ per hour
48.3% illumination
The most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids are characterized by their multi-colored display--65% being white, 26% yellow, and the remaining 9% blue, red and green.
Parent Comet: 3200 Phaethon
Show moon phases for 2011 Meteor Showers

[bassteban]

Why the thumbs down in your title?

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Why the thumbs down in your title?

Yeah... why?

Too many lights where I am right now.

[EBodious]

heading out to some friends in the country saturday nite to catch some showers. assuming, that is, that the roads are open....

[smeet]

Went outside, it's pretty dark with lots of starts, couldn't see anything...

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Why the thumbs down in your title?

Originally Posted by Atoz

Yeah... why?

Too many lights where I am right now.

I hit the wrong icon - sorry.

Originally Posted by smeet

Went outside, it's pretty dark with lots of starts, couldn't see anything...

It took my wife 15 minutes to get her eyes accustomed to the dark and then she saw them really well after that.

We saw some really large ones too. A few different colors - red - blue/green - yellow and maybe one or two in white-hot.