Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Perseid Meteor Shower Tonight

What: An annual celestial light show of "falling stars" or meteors.

When: Tonight! August 12-13, 2010 beginning at 9:30 PM ET, growing more spectacular in the early morning hours until dawn.

Where: Look toward the horizon at the constellation Perseus rising in the northeast sky.

What to bring: Lawn chairs, bottled water, camera, tripod, and somebody to snuggle with.



Read more about it at MSN.com

8 comments:

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Okay....we all just hopped on the golf cart and drove out onto the golf course so there would be no distracting street lights. And we sat, and we sat and we sat...but never saw a dang thing! It's now 11:46pm and we're home again, hence my writing to you to complain about not seeing anything...ha! I am a night owl, I stay up to 2-4 am and I've had much better luck in the past going out later rather than earlier. Guess I'll have to try again much later! Thanks for the sharing the info! :o)

The Captain said...

Sorry :(
We went out at 9:30 and just before 11 and both times we saw nothing either. I was using a Google Sky Map app on my phone and couldn't even visually see the Perseus constellation yet. I could see it on the phone but it was like the constellation wasn't high enough in the sky yet?! I'm going to go back out and look again.

I've been meaning to ask you what part of the country do you live in, because I get a vibe off your posts that you're in the South somewhere near us?

The Captain said...

Nothing yet here, its like the Perseus constellation is below the tree line. I'm going to bed (5:45 comes early) but I think I'll set the alarm to get up in a couple hours just to check it out. I want to see some shooting stars!

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Yeah...I never made it back out last night. I did look out the door around 4:30am as I was headed to bed and still saw nothing, but I was too tired to go and do any serious star gazing...ha! We're in Florida, so basically as far South as you can physically go...ha! Maybe tonight will be the night. Although I'm so tired from staying up late last night that I probably won't make it staying up late tonight! Happy Friday the 13th! :o)

The Captain said...

I got back up around 2:30AM for about 10 minutes, I saw 5 meteors and my first Florida firefly in 15 years.

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

OMG...you saw a firefly here?! That is nothing short of a miracle. I remember when we were young and would go the river at Homasassa there would be lots of fireflies at dusk. But not anymore sadly. Fireflies are one of my all time favorite things. We still see them in GA and NC though. Well I would say that the force is with you then to see meteors AND fireflies! Lucky you!

Are ya'll Florida natives, or transplants from somewhere else?

The Captain said...

I just saw fireflies for the first time ever a few months ago in Tennessee. They are amazing, I sat outside for like a hour by myself watching them two nights in a row. They turned me in to a little kid, I was just amazed by them.

My wife Jen is a native Floridian, but I came to FL. back in 1994 from Oregon. I'm originally a California boy though. We live in Mascotte about 22 miles to the west of Orlando.

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Oh....fireflies are the greatest! I am the same way about them. But I have very fond memories of them that make me nostalgic when I see them. In fact, last summer we went up to Gatlinburg, TN and we found them in the Smokey Mountains at dusk one evening and we all got out of the car and actually caught one in a jar for awhile just to marvel at it. They are just so magical!

Well I am a 3rd generation native Floridian...we are a rarity here in FL anymore. My husband Rick is from South Georgia. I had big plans to get out of here, but when we met, he had just bought a home here and the rest is history. But all of my family is here so there are roots that keep me here too I suppose. Though I do long to live where there are 4 seasons.

Mascotte, wow, then we are very close to one another, I'm in O-town...how cool! Although right off hand I can't remember if I've been to Mascotte or not. Wait...I just looked it up on the map...ya'll are out near Clermont and Groveland. We are VERY close indeed. How funny to finally find some other Halloween heads who live here in Central Florida. Seems like they all live out in California or Illinois...ha!

Well again...so nice to make your acquaintance. So do ya'll go to Halloween Horror Nights? I keep saying I'm going to go...but I then I chicken out. I love Halloween, but I get scared easily and I'm not fond of blood...what a wuss I am ha!