Perseids meteor shower, shooting stars to be seen

Oh no as I writ theis an ohrwurm has entered my head. Remember the pop band Dollar? They did a song called Shooting Star I think. Bummer.

Any way the 12th this year sees the best meteor shower known as the Perseids. I saw them decades ago when a short trousered astronomer and can vouch for how exciting they are to see in good years.

We'll be out in the garden waiting for them.

The area you're looking for is a beautiful "W" shape known as Cassiopeia. If you like I can generate a map of this constellation easily using PP3 software.

Go out and see them. They should be the best shower of the year.

Hahah! Misread the title at first.

Call me naive but what did you exactly mistake it for?

It actually refers to the Glorious Twelvth of August which is in Scotland, correct me if I am wrong, the beginning of the grouse shooting season. Not to be confused with the 1st September which is when it is wildfowling time.

I think he read "twalt" wrong...

A map would be great if you fancy doing it!

One coming up!

Just a reminder about this, for those lucky enough to have clear skies. I am told by someone who knows about these things that it's worth looking out for shooting stars not just on the 12th itself, but also a day or two before and after. This year should be good because there is a new moon on the 12th, so the sky will be quite dark, making it easier to spot faint objects. The best time to look is during the second half of the night, i.e. from midnight onwards, because then you are facing into the meteor stream due to the earth's rotation. And while the meteor trajectories indicate that they all seem to originate from a single point, you may actually see them anywhere in the sky, far from the point of origin. The best way to observe is to find a wide open space with nothing to block your view, and lie back on the ground and look up at the sky.

Jeremy, where's that map you promised?

The weather is sadly not looking so promising this weekend, though I'd love to find a spot to keep an eye out for them. Anybody scoped out any spots yet?

Thanks Jeremy ... I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for them .

Excellent - from tomorrow evening I'm on holiday on a Spanish island and normally we see lots "shooting stars"...
See also this NASA information.

Recalls ISIRTA joke: "That asteroid is made of best stewing steak - yes, its meatyallright"

Ooer! *adopts schoolboy talking to teacher attitude* sorry Ma'am!

I did try miss but I couldnt get the PP3 software to woirk properly!

Instead just read this

Hmmm - no mention of Cassiopeia either there or in the NASA report. Cassiopeia is one of the few I can pick out

So I made meself a nice remote shutter release for bulb mode for my new 350D but it looks like there will be no stargazing tonight :-(

Bah Humbug

Has anyone taken a look tonight, just been out, clear sky but seen nothing ...

There's plenty there - about every minute or so. Stand still, look up, and watch. Most seem to be high north-east...

I was in the garden for about an hour and counted 6...

Well I am just in and I have seen about 12 to 15 of them. Very nice but vera fast meteors.

It's a bit like being a boy again!

She's in the map in Jeremy's link, marked "Cas".
Missed 'em last night but will see whether there are any leftovers tonight. Saw them in the mountains a few years ago and they certainly are amazing.