Posted by Bruce Jensen on August 06, 1997 at 12:57:29:
In Reply to: Perseid Meteor Showers posted by Shining Aspen on August 06, 1997 at 12:13:47:
: Just a reminder to everyone who will be visiting Yellowstone this week and next. What better place to be than Yellowstone, to watch falling stars. I was there last year during the meteor showers (wish I was there now!) We saw quite a few in a short period of time. I recommend stopping at an out-of-the-way turnout to watch for shooting stars. Enjoy!!! Shining Aspen
: A wonderful idea! The Perseids are one of the best showers of the year, and certainly the finest of the warmer weather months. In recent years the Perseids also seem to have been delivering exceptional numbers of meteors including some fireballs, at rates of between 50 and 125 per hour (this is a lot, folks). The peak for the Perseids is August 10 through 12 (normally), and the best time for viewing is after midnight, and actually from about 1:30 AM or 2:00 AM until first twilight. The morning side is preferred because this is the time of day when the Earth's rotation carries our nighttime into the path of the oncoming meteors. This is true of any shower, although metoers can be seen at any time of night, and generally are! The Perseid radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus, which is rising on the E-NE horizon shortly after midnight; by 2:00 AM it is pretty high in the ENE. Every meteor doesn't necessarily come from Perseus, but if you draw a line backward along the path of each meteor, the lines will intersect in Perseus.