Coming Soon - The Perseids Meteor Shower!

Hi all,
stopped for a little while on the way home Saturday night (with Dee) while in the dark of the countryside. As well as noticing nova Chi Cygnii during its flare time, we also looked up to see if there was any Perseids activity.

It wasn't great - during a 10 minute spell, we noticed 4 Perseids and 1 Cygnid. Still, its early days yet. The spreading out of older streams that lie in Earths path mean we will see a rise from now until maximum on the night of August 12th/13th (accurate times etc will be posted later), and then wane to background rates by August 22nd.

I myself hope to have a radio telescope set up as an experiment on the TAS site on the night, where we can actually listen in to meteors as they burn up. I am just waiting on the pen recorder for that!

Incidentally, if you wanted to do this in a simpler way of your own, all you need is a good radio with as large an aerial attached to it as possible. If it is one of those radios that accepts a co-axial antenna, then even better! Turn your FM dial to a part of the band where there are no broadcasts. With luck, you will pick up some bursts anywhere from a brief (but louder) hiss, to a couple seconds of an FM station elsewhere within about a thousand miles of your location!

Post your Perseids observations here as we get closer to the 'fireworks display'!

Oh, even though there will be a 3/4 Moon that night, its still worth a look!

Seanie.

I myself hope to have a radio telescope set up as an experiment on the TAS site on the night, where we can actually listen in to meteors as they burn up. I am just waiting on the pen recorder for that!

Magic, so if its cloudy, we'll be able to hear what we're missing. :lol:

I myself hope to have a radio telescope set up as an experiment on the TAS site on the night, where we can actually listen in to meteors as they burn up. I am just waiting on the pen recorder for that!

Cool. I'll bring my scanner too. Whats the best type of antenna to use? specifically that can be built in a few hours next weekend?

I read online that an FM radio tuned to an empty frequency low down in the FM band was the easiest option. However in South Dublin at least that part of the band is very busy.

Actually Seanie, you could just record the static and peeps and sell it to Dave McDonald as background music. Actually it would probably not sound out of place in a night club in Mullingar

Cheers,
~Al

You're right about the part of the FM band to use Al. There is a specific FM antenna to use with a particular reciever, though I have caught them with an ordinary 'ghettoblaster' when I was younger. There is a very interesting article penned by our own Sean McKenna about Radio Astronomy. A detector circuit needs to be constructed (very easy) in order to send a proper signal to the pen recorder. Charles from Cork AC knows what I am on about.

Regarding the noise you talk of - in Mullingar, its a different type of noise! And not one readily translatable by any universal translator!

I went to bed about 2am this morning. Conscious of the current shower, I thought I'd have a look out my bedroom window, as I often do anyway being interested in astronomy. Immediately, as if it had been waiting for me to look out and straight in the direction I was looking, I saw a fantastic meteor. It was probably the best I have ever seen. It was like one of those halloween fireworks, large, bright green and zooming downwards.

As with any meteor, in an instant it was gone with no evidence that it had been there, but I know I saw it. It wasn't the clearest night, being a bit hazy, but I could see stars. A few minutes later I saw another high above me, and when I looked up, just for a moment there was a streak in the sky, confirming that I had seen it.

I kept a lookout for some more for a few minutes, but saw no more. The two I had seen, especially that first one, were fabulous, so I can't complain. I live in the Dublin suburbs, with light pollution and it was a hazy night, and I can only see a small part of the sky from my bedroom window. So if I can see what I saw, then my advice to you all, is keep an eye out.

I've seen a report of someone else seeing one around the same that I saw that first one and described much as I did. It was in the east or south east, over the Irish sea shortly after 2am. Did anyone else in the Dublin area see it? In any event, Happy star and meteor gazing!

Saw nothing in Celbridge I'm afraid but I've been in the same position as you before - it really is an anspiring sight.

Keep looking up!

Dave