dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (07/28/84)
If you plan to watch the annual display of summer meteor showers -- start soon, before the moon gets in the way. More -- right after this. July 21 Summer Meteor Showers Summertime is one of the best times to watch meteors. Two rich meteor showers converge in late summer -- the steady Delta Aquarid shower -- and the famous, and often spectacular, Perseid meteor shower. Together, they can create breathtaking displays of summer meteors -- or "shooting stars" -- which can be seen in most years by anyone standing beneath a clear, dark country sky. But this year we won't see as many meteors, even though the annual summertime showers will be taking place right on schedule. Old whiteface -- the moon -- will get in the way just as the Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August. The moon is just past last quarter now. That means it's in the sky only after midnight -- and waning, or getting smaller -- and rising closer to the dawn each day. New moon, when the moon is directly between the Earth and sun, and not visible in our sky, will be July 28. No moon is best for watching meteors -- so a good time to trek into the country for a meteor-watching session would be about a week from now, around new moon. After that, in the early part of August, as the Perseid shower is rising to its peak -- the moon also will be waxing -- and shedding more and more light in the sky. By the mornings of August 11 and 12, when the Perseids reach their peak, the moon will be full -- a round ball shining brightly and serenely -- making all but the brightest meteors invisible in its glare. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1983, 1984 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin