Summer Meteor Shower

DEAN:
HEY THERE STAR GAZERS.

I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI
OBSERVATORY.

JAMES:
AND I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA

SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM
IN GAINESVILLE,

FLORIDA.

WE'VE GOT GOOD NEWS AND SOME EVEN
BETTER NEWS.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER,
TRADITIONALLY THE BEST METEOR SHOWER

OF THE YEAR,
WILL PEAK WEDNESDAY NIGHT AUG 12TH THROUGH

THURSDAY MORNING
THE 13TH.

DEAN:
BUT THE EVEN BETTER NEWS IS THAT THE MOON

WILL BE OUT OF THE PICTURE DURING
THE PEAK.

MEANING WE'LL HAVE EXTRA-DARK SKIES FOR WATCHING
THE PERSEIDS THIS YEAR.

JAMES:
GET PREPARED BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO SHARE

OUR TIPS AND TRICKS
TO OBSERVING A

METEOR SHOWER.

DEAN:
THE BEST TIME TO LOOK FOR THE PERSEID METEOR

SHOWER IS LATE AT NIGHT ON THE 12TH OF AUGUST,
AND INTO THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 13TH.

JAMES:
HERE'S RULE # 1 :

HOPE IT'S CLEAR.

BECAUSE IF IT'S
CLOUDY OR RAINING

YOU WON'T SEE ANY METEORS AT ALL.

DEAN:
RULE # 2 :

"GET AS FAR AWAY FROM CITY LIGHTS AS POSSIBLE".

BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY SEE A HANDFUL
OF THE BRIGHTEST METEORS FROM

CITY LOCATIONS,
THE CITY LIGHTS FLOOD THE SKY WITH SO MUCH

SKY-GLOW THAT NOWADAYS MANY OF THE METEORS
IN A METEOR SHOWER ARE HIDDEN FROM VIEW.

JAMES:
RULE # 3

"OBSERVE WHILE LYING ON THE GROUND ON
A BLANKET OR IN A LAWNCHAIR".

IN OTHER WORDS,
KEEP LOOKING UP!

NO TELESCOPES,
NO BINOCULARS NEEDED!

DEAN:
RULE # 4:

"STAY OUTSIDE FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HOURS,
PREFERABLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND HAVE PLENTY

OF PATIENCE."

JAMES:
IF YOU FOLLOW THESE RULES,

YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE SEVERAL METEORS PER
HOUR AND MAYBE

MANY MORE.

SIMPLY LIE BACK AND CONSTANTLY SCAN THE SKY
AND USUALLY WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT,

A METEOR OR EVEN TWO WILL ZIP ACROSS THE SKY.

DEAN:
NOW ALTHOUGH SOME ASTRONOMY WEBSITES WILL

TELL YOU THAT YOU MAY SEE 60 METEORS
PER HOUR,

WHICH WOULD BOIL DOWN TO ABOUT ONE A MINUTE,
METEORS REALLY DON'T OPERATE ON A TIME SCHEDULE.

YOU MAY SEE TEN OF THEM IN TWO MINUTES AND
THEN HAVE TO WAIT FOR 20 MINUTES TO SEE ANOTHER

ONE.

BUT THAT'S THE FUN OF IT, BECAUSE EACH METEOR
IS A TOTAL SURPRISE.

JAMES:
O.K., WE'VE GOT OUR SKIES SET UP FOR THE USUAL

PEAK TIME
TO VIEW: AUGUST 13TH

AFTER MIDNIGHT.

ABOUT HALF WAY UP FROM THE HORIZON YOU WILL
SEE THE "W" SHAPE OF CASSIOPEIA.

LOOK A LITTLE BELOW CASSIOPEIA AND THAT'S
WHERE THE METEORS WILL APPEAR TO ORIGINATE:

THE CONSTELLATION PERSEUS.

DEAN:
I KNOW THAT IS REALLY EARLY, BUT THE METEOR

SHOWER WILL BE AT IT'S BEST BEFORE DAWN ON
THE 13TH.

JAMES:
WONDER WHY THEY'RE CALLED THE PERSEIDS?

WELL METEOR SHOWERS ARE NAMED FOR THE CONSTELLATION
FROM WHERE THE METEORS APPEAR TO ORIGINATE.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS
A METEOR?

LET'S TAKE YOU OUT INTO SPACE AND EXPLAIN.

DEAN:
METEORS ARE THE FLASHES OF LIGHT WE

SEE WHEN TINY SPECKS OF SPACE DEBRIS SLAM
INTO OUR EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AND

LIGHT UP.

YOU SEE,
EVERY TIME A COMET VISITS OUR SUN IT

SHEDS TONS OF DEBRIS.

AND EVENTUALLY THIS STUFF GETS SPREAD OUT
ALONG THE COMET'S PATH.

JAMES:
IF OUR EARTH PLOWS INTO THIS PATH,

THESE TINY PIECES OF COMET LITTER WILL SLAM
INTO OUR EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE TRAVELING MANY

MILES PER SECOND.

THE PARTICLES THEMSELVES ARE FAR TOO SMALL
TO BE SEEN BUT THE FRICTION OF THESE PARTICLES

HITTING THE AIR CAUSES THE AIR SURROUNDING
THEM

TO HEAT UP AND
YOU SEE STREAKS

OF LIGHT.

DEAN:
AND WE CALL THESE STREAKS OF LIGHT METEORS

OR INCORRECTLY
"FALLING STARS".

THE METEORS WE SEE DURING THE PERSEID METEOR
SHOWER EACH AUGUST ARE DEBRIS FROM A COMET

NAMED
SWIFT-TUTTLE.

JAMES:
AND OUR EARTH PLOWS THROUGH ITS DEBRIS FIELD

ABOUT THE SAME TIME EVERY AUGUST.

THE PERSEID METOR SHOWER IS ONE OF THE OLDEST
RECORDED METEOR SHOWERS IN HISTORY AND HAS

BEEN SEEN EVERY AUGUST FOR OVER 2000 YEARS!

JAMES:
NOW LET ME REMIND YOU OF THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT

RULE FOR OBSERVING A
METEOR SHOWER,

WHICH IS YOU MUST CONSTANTLY SCAN THE SKY
AND HAVE PATIENCE.

YOU MAY SEE NO METEORS FOR 20 MINUTES OR SO
AND THEN ALL

OF A SUDDEN 2 OR 3 MAY FLASH BY ALL AT ONCE.

DEAN:
BUT EACH TIME YOU SEE

A PERSEID STREAK ACROSS THE SKY REMIND YOURSELF
THAT WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SEEING IS A TINY

COMET PIECE IGNITING YOUR NIGHT.

BOTH: KEEP
LOOKING UP!