May Meteors

Comet 209P/LINEAR & Camelopadalids

Memorial Day Weekend offers the chance of some celestial "fireworks" this year. While the weather forecast for the Lower Hudson Valley doesn't look very good right now, there is a chance the skies will clear enough after midnight on Saturday morning to catch the meteor shower. If not, join me on SLOOH to watch the webcast.

Meteor showers, the so called "falling stars" are always and exciting objects to observe. There is something magical as they flash into existence, streak across the sky and then vanish. Whether I see one unexpectedly or have spent hours gazing at the sky during peak chances, the appearance of one always makes my insides jump a bit. Maybe that's why people think they're good for making wishes.

What exactly are meteors? Simply put, space dust. Meteor showers are the result of the Earth traveling through the debris left behind by passing comets. It's like driving through a swarm of bugs on a summer night. As the Earth ploughs through the dust particles, they get caught in the Earth's gravity. As they encounter the resistance of the atmosphere, the friction and compression of the air heat up the particles until they glow. After a few moments, they burn up and disappear as suddenly as they appeared.

On the night of May 23-24, 2014 the Earth will pass through the trail of debris left behind by Comet 209P/LINEAR. Forecasts range from a "light drizzle" to a full out "storm." The United States and southern Canada will be facing the oncoming dust trail that night, creating the potential for several brilliant flashes across the sky, possibly 100 or more per hour. This will, of course, be affected by how dark your sky is. So if you want to observe this event, some advance planning will pay off. A forecast for clear skies is the first requirement. Then, find the darkest patch of sky you can, bring a blanket or a lawn chair and turn your gaze to the northern sky from 2-4am. Relax your eyes and be patient. The best thing is, no optics required!

Post comments if you see anything! I'd love to hear about your experiences. I will share my observations if the weather allows.

Articles of Interest

Ready for May's Surprise Meteor Shower? - Sky & Telescope

How to Photograph a Meteor Shower - Sky & Telescope

Comet 209P/LINEAR Meteor Shower - NASA SERVI

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

And the winner is...

The official announcement for the winner of "Where do you Celestron?"

 

Posted with Blogsy

Where Do You Celestron

Observing the Sun from the "Rooftop Observatory"

Last year, the Celestron Telescope company put out a call for users of their products to share their stories of how they use them. As you may know, I like to bring my telescope to school to share my interest in astronomy with my students. Star gazing is an activity that I find enjoyable, inspiring and informative. I find that it can really open peoples' minds to amazing possibilities. That in mind, I decided to share a story with hopes that it might encourage other amateur astronomers to share the skies with students in their area. Sharing this story resulted in my winning a trip of a lifetime to see the Aurora Borealis in Alaska! I will be blogging this adventure to share my experiences with you all. So follow the blog, post comments, ask questions and keep looking up!

Here is the original story:

I Celestron On The Roof With My Students

I have a vintage orange tube C8 that I occasionally bring in to my school in the Bronx so that my students can get a chance to see the sun or moon through the telescope. Last week, 150 of my 3rd – 5th grade math & science students were able to gaze at the sun and see the active sunspots scattered across the sun from the rooftop of our school building. After I briefly described what they would be looking at, each child got to step up to the C8 and take a look. Reactions ranged from exclamations of disbelief both shouted and barely whispered were heard again and again. “Super, fantastic, amazing, and awesome are all words that can describe what I saw while looking at the sunspots!” wrote one of my students in her journal today. But perhaps the most wonderful reactions were the mouth open, silent, lingering gazes through the telescope and then quietly walking away with a huge grin. My students have run up to me everyday since we looked at the sun to tell me what the experience meant to them. They can’t wait for the next time I bring the telescope in so that they can look at the moon.