| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
 Posted - 08/10/2004 : 08:56:26 AM
|
So it's time for the Perseids meteor showers...anybody into this heavenly inspiration? (or spell check)?
Catch a Falling Star...
It's a Blessing for our eyes.
Keep on Lookin' Up.
|
|
|
islandboo
Lokahi
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2004 : 11:28:50 AM
|
Oops - I think you mean hokulele. Hokupuhipaka are comets, not meteors. I love to look at pretty much anything that goes on up in the sky, and the Perseids are a fave. My mom says that she took me outside to watch the Perseids when I was an infant, and she takes credit for my enduring fascination with the heavens (this is back when Long Island was still kind of rural, and you could see so many stars...)
Enjoy - it should be a nice sight!
Debbie |
 |
|
|
catheglass
Lokahi
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 01:46:51 AM
|
This year should be good, not as good as the last two, but it's mebbe the best of the year out here. Certainly mo bettah than the Leonids.
So let's write a tune to the shooting star showers <G> |
cathe |
|
|
|
Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 03:10:11 AM
|
I think thars tunes in them thar stars.
Sure, I'll try a co-write with ya C.
And yes, I knew it was technically a comet. But "Tobacco Smoking Star" sounds so cool.
Jus like Maui slack key was a pilgrimage, I wanna go to where 'Rocky Mountain High' was conceived...outside Aspen during Perseids. Was it near Conundrum Hotsprings? I'll check on that with friends...if so, quite a hike! (7 miles at 9 to 10,000 feet!)
So is this a good year for the showers? And what's the best night for viewing?
G |
|
|
|
islandboo
Lokahi
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 10:55:42 AM
|
This will be a decent year - the moon is small enough not to interfere too terribly. Best night will be tonight (Wednesday p.m./Thursday a.m.) in the wee hours. Towards dawn, the crescent moon and Venus will make a very nice pair in the east (which is roughly where you should be looking for Perseids - the radiant is in the northeast, out of the constellation Perseus). I have found after years of experimentation that the best "platform" is on a trampoline - snuggle down in between some blankets (it gets pretty cool at night, at least here in the Midwest), prop up your head with a pillow, and enjoy. Alas, I have no trampoline, so I plan on making do with a hammock (although in the past I have enjoyed the show from a lawn chair, the bed of a pickup, the hood of my Saturn, and the roof of my house...just find someplace where you won't have to crane your neck upwards to see the meteors, because that gets old fast...)
Now I just have to hope for good weather - it was pretty cloudy all last night, although it did clear up toward the east about 4:30 - just enough to see the moon and Venus approaching one another in preparation for tomorrow morning's pairing.
And Cathe, while the Perseids are generally much better than the Leonids (which usually aren't worth the trouble and cold), the 2002 storm was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I had missed it in 2001 because while we had clear, perfect skies all day, we had a pea-soup fog move in at night. Some friends who were able to drive into the hills of southern Indiana were able to get above the fog and see a great show, but up by my house it was too thick to be able to drive in - literally 20 foot visibility in some spots. So in 2002 there was no way that I was going to miss it - I started monitoring the weather radar at about 1 a.m., finally decided striking west was my best bet, and we drove until the skies began to clear up, just before dawn, in Illinois. We pulled over next to a cornfield just in time for the storm maximum, which lasted about 40 minutes. At one point there were 3 meteors per second! It was amazing! Especially considering that the skies had a fair amount of light pollution - I can only imagine what it must have been like out where it is really dark.
Wishing you all clear skies!
Debbie |
|
|
|
Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2004 : 01:45:28 AM
|
The hammock will do, if the raccoons will move over.
And the trick for Leonids is to watch from the Big Island--not so chilly as da Midwest and Colorado in winter! |
|
|
|
catheglass
Lokahi
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2004 : 01:58:30 AM
|
Yer right, Debbie, 2002 was the most terrific meteor storm I've ever seen - I watched it from Mount Tamalpais, looking out over the Pacific Ocean. Absolutely incredible.
Remind me to tell you the part about the lawn chaise, the bathrobe and the 27 parked cars....... |
cathe |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Topic Locked
