Spaceships, Meteors, and Moonlight   
       
   August 9, 2011: Bright moonlight streams through your window. A nugget of   
   space debris disintegrates in a sparkling fireball. A huge spaceship glides   
   silently overhead.   
       
   By itself, any one of these events might be enough to get you out of bed. This   
   weekend, all three are going to happen at the same time.   
       
   On August 12th and 13th, as the Moon waxes full, the International Space   
   Station will glide over US towns and cities during the peak of the annual   
   Perseid meteor shower.   
       
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He2kGMRMjPk   
       
   Above: Paste the image into your browser to view a ScienceCast video about the   
   Perseid meteor shower. The video includes a sky map.   
       
   The meteor shower is already underway. Earth is passing through a broad stream   
   of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, and specks of comet dust are hitting the   
   top of Earth's atmosphere at 140,000 mph. These disintegrating meteors stream   
   out of the constellation Perseus--hence the name "Perseids." According to the   
   International Meteor Organization, worldwide observers now are counting more   
   than a dozen Perseids per hour with more to come on August 12-13 when Earth   
   passes near the heart of the debris stream.   
       
   Experts note that moonlight and meteor showers don't mix. Indeed, the great   
   number of faint Perseids that observers would normally count in a dark year   
   will be invisible in 2011 with the Moon glaring overhead. On the bright   
   side--no pun intended--any Perseid that does manage to pierce the glare is   
   likely to be a fireball. These are caused by relatively big pieces of debris   
   disintegrating in flashes too bright to be subdued. It's not unusual to see at   
   least a few Perseid shadow-casters on peak night.   
       
   Perseid meteors can appear any time Perseus is above the horizon--i.e.,   
   between about 10 pm and sunrise. The best time to look is during the hours   
   before dawn especially on Saturday morning, August 13th. The full Moon will be   
   relatively low, and the meteor rate should be peaking at that time.   
       
   Before dawn is also the time of the ISS. All week long and into the weekend,   
   the International Space Station will be making a series of early-morning   
   flybys over the United States. The massive spacecraft glides silently among   
   the stars, shining so brightly that moonlight and even city lights have little   
   affect on its visibility. You simply cannot miss it if you know when to look.   
   Check NASA's ISS Tracker for local flyby times. Several major cities are   
   favored with flybys on August 12th and 13th including Chicago, Dallas, Denver,   
   Los Angeles, New York and others.   
       
   Set your alarm and enjoy the show.   
       
       
   Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA   
       
   More Information   
   International Meteor Organization: Live Perseid Counts   
       
   NASA Chat: Stay 'Up All Night' to Watch the Perseids!   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.64   
    * Origin: NCS BBS (1:3828/7)