Hello All!   
      
   2012 Perseid Meteor Shower    
      
   August 10, 2012:  On the nights of Aug. 11th through 13th, the best meteor   
   shower of the year will fill pre-dawn skies with hundreds of shooting stars.   
   And that's just for starters.  The brightest planets in the solar system are   
   lining up right in the middle of the display.    
      
   The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the nights around August 12th as Earth   
   passes through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.    
      
   "We expect to see meteor rates as high as a hundred per hour," says Bill Cooke   
   of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.  "The Perseids always put on a good   
   show."    
      
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=106ne66KAuw   
      
   A new ScienceCast video previews the 2012 Perseid meteor shower. Play it   
   Perseids can be seen any time after 10 to 11 pm. The best time to look,   
   however, is during the dark hours immediately before dawn. Also, advises   
   Cooke, avoid city lights if possible. Faint meteors are easily lost in the   
   urban glare. A visit to the countryside will typically triple the number of   
   meteors you see.    
      
   This year's display is extra-special because of the planets.  Jupiter, Venus,   
   and the crescent Moon are gathering together just as the Perseid meteor shower   
   reaches its peak.   The alignment occurs in the eastern sky before sunrise on   
   the three mornings of highest meteor activity.    
      
   On August 11th, a 33% crescent Moon will glide by Jupiter, temporarily forming   
   a bright pair directly above brilliant Venus. Red-giant star Aldebaran will be   
   there, too, adding a splash of color to the gathering.    
      
   http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/13dec_meteorcounter/   
      
   NASA's Meteor Counter app helps citizen scientists contribute to authentic   
   research. Pick Android or AppleOn August 12th, the narrowing 24% crescent Moon   
   will drop down between Jupiter and Venus. Together they make a bright 3-point   
   line in the sky, frequently bisected by shooting stars.    
      
   On August 13th, with the shower just beginning to wane, the planets put on   
   their best show yet:  The 17% crescent moon will pass less than 3 degrees from   
   Venus as Jupiter hovers overhead. Sky watchers say there's nothing prettier   
   than a close encounter between the slender crescent Moon and Venus--nothing,   
   that is, except for the crescent Moon, Venus and a flurry of Perseids.    
      
   It's only natural, while you're watching a meteor shower like the Perseids, to   
   count the number of shooting stars you see.  It turns out those numbers in   
   your head are valuable.  NASA wants them.  Meteor tallies gathered by amateur   
   sky watchers can be used by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office to study and   
   model the Perseid debris stream.    
      
   "We've developed an app for Android and iPhones to help amateur sky watchers   
   count meteors in a scientific way and report the results to us," says Cooke.   
   "It's called the 'Meteor Counter' and it's available for free in the Android   
   Marketplace and Apple's App Store."    
      
   For more news about the night sky and citizen science, please visit   
   science.nasa.gov.    
      
      
   Author: Dr. Tony Phillips| Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit:   
   Science@NASA   
      
   More Information    
   Meteor Counter app -- for iPhones    
      
   Meteor Counter app -- for Android    
      
   NASA's All-Sky Fireball Network   
      
   Realtime Perseid Photo Gallery -- spaceweather.com    
      
   NASA Meteoroid Environment Office   
      
      
   Regards,   
      
   Roger    
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LA - (1:3828/7)