Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
Next Saturday promises a once in a lifetime chance to see a truly spectacular meteor shower. A normal meteor shower peaks at 50 to 60 meteors an hour, but next Sat is projected at 750! Finger's crossed for a clear sky, it could be amazing.
Guest 715- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 2,438
Clear Sky permitting should we get a good view in this area?
Audere est facere.
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
Should be OK. They should radiate from a NW direction but could appear anywhere in the sky. The moon will be low so best find a spot where it is obscured behind something. The Earth is passing directly through a tail of cometary ejecta particles so we could be in for a good night.
Of course it'll be raining. It always is when these sort of things happen.
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
Phil, good to see you again yesterday, twice in a week! You may be able to throw some light on the following. Last night I went into the garden at about 10pm, I was looking to my left towards St Richards school and low and behold a very big and bright light went shooting across the sky at a ferocious speed. It was very low and I think it might have been a shooting star. I've never seen one before but it was very exciting to see but gone in a flick of an eye.
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
Nice to see you too Colette! Yes, what you saw sounds just like a meteor. If it crossed the sky in a split second it probably was a meteor. Meteors are normally caused when the Earth passes through the tail of a comet, the tiny particles ejected from the comet hitting the upper atmosphere at such speed they cause a fireball as they burn up in the atmosphere. Believe it or not, most of these particles are about the size of a grain of sand or smaller.
I don't think the one you saw corresponds to any particular swarm, i.e. known cometary tail, but these things can be quite random. It sounds like you just got lucky and saw an erratic.
I'm definitely going to go for a wander somewhere next Saturday if it is clear. Just got to find somewhere secluded where the glare of the port is obscured.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Stelling Minnis is a good dark area.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
collette
you sure it wasn't the white wine????
lol
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
Thanks for your detailed answer Phil, very interesting stuff there, It was very exciting to see and certainly sparks my interest in Meteors, so much so that I will come along with you next Saturday eve, if it is as you say a clear sky and if its ok with you
Keith, I hadn't had a drop at all at all but did open a bottle to celebrate my first sighting of (and here comes the science bit) an erratic, thanks Phil
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
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ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Good luck to our Draconid Meteor explorers. Hope you can see it all on saturday night. Hope it's clear. I once saw a shooting star myself up there on the cliffs near St Margarets..a very exciting moment it was, on a very clear night. That was a good spot up there. Quite dark...I saw it while looking northwards but it was several years ago now.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
Let us hope that there is a break in the clouds to give us some chance of enjoying this spectacular event.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
France has just come very clear so perhaps it will improve for later
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
Come on clouds, bugger off. Sod's Law, isn't it?
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Has anyone seen any meteors yet?
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
i could if i had x-ray vision.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
I have just come in from the garden and nothing yet,I will not be going out again tonight.I am working on my life story at this time.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
I take it nobody saw anything. As far as I could tell there were clouds everywhere but it is harder to tell down here along the seafront ( because of the extreme harbour lights ) if anyone had any visibility. Great shame though to have clouds spoil the opportunity but nothing new there.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
lol!!
Im glad somebody saw the light Keefy...