The Noble Pagan Forums - Shooting Stars!

You know what I enjoyed as a child ( and still do to this day)?
Meteor showers. I was introduced to them when I was 12 years old and to this day still look forward to a shooting starfest.
There is nothing like taking a nap, rousting everyone up, late at night for a drive waaaaaay out in the middle of nowhere in a vehicle loaded up with flashlights, blankets,snacks n juice pouches knowing that the explosive light show you are going to watch will be totally awesome.
And it's a learning experience too. Nothing like brushing up on your skills so you can play "name that constellation" with your kids. If you really get into it you can even find out the stories behind those brightly spotted sky pictures.
Yup.
Meteor showers rock!

C.S.

I've seen a few shooting stars but never a meteor shower. That'd be freaking awesome, though.

OMG it so is!
And the best part about the way I was introduced was that we were waaaaaaaaaay out there and we could even see the milky way!

The best time of year for them is August through September because Earth seems to make some rotation/pass through a very rock strewn part of space. Ooohs n ahhhs. However I have caught a good show or two in November.

They never really seem to hit at a convenient time so it's well advised to go to bed early and set an alarm for the ridiculous time. The show is well worth it though.



C.S.

That would be so amazing.

Down here it's hard to see the stars--we have so many lights on in the Orlando area that it obscures everything. Disney & Universal may be fun, but they are bastions of energy waste (and tacky, too).

The Perseid Meteor shower is an annual event that occurs for approximately a week, with one night being the culmination of the activity. Each year it falls on a different day, so you have to keep an eye on the scientific journals to find out when it happens for that year. I watch it every year . While you can see the shower in the city, your best viewing will be as far away from ambient light sources as possible, with a clear view of most of the night sky. Bring blankets, lay down on the ground and keep facing skywards .

I've never seen one but I'd like to-- a meteor shower that is. I have wished on a few falling stars before.

I'm hoping this isn't too stupid a question, but is it visible everywhere or do you have to live in a certain region? Like I said, I'd love to see one (and my kids would too, I'd venture).

Everywhere that you can see the night sky with as little ambient light as possible.

The Perseid Cluster is a collection of space rocks and dust that is basically a cloud in the path of the Earth's rotation around the sun that we pass through every year. as we pass through it, the earth is still rotating on it's axis, so the meteors are "falling" even during the day, it's just the sun's light is so bright, you don't get to see the sparks as they light up and cook in the atmosphere during the day.

Living in Florida, the only light shows we get are the one's ya gotta pay to see (EPCOT, anyone?).

But the shuttle launches are free (and waaaay visible from my backyard)!