Perseid meteors best from midnight to dawn
Saturday, August 11, 2007.
Meteor showers tend to be best after midnight, and the Perseids are no exception.
That’s why from midnight to dawn tonight, or tomorrow night into Monday morning are the best times to watch this year’s Perseid meteor shower. In the northern hemisphere, the Perseids are often the best meteor shower of the year. At their peak, they typically produce 60 or more meteors an hour, with several meteors often coming in clumps every few minutes.
Meteor showers are a lot like sporting events. They always have an element of unpredictability and surprise. Even a shower as reliable as the Perseids can have a quiet period around the time of its peak. Or it can dazzle you with an unexpected flurry. And multiple peaks are always possible, too. Still, the hours between midnight tonight and dawn tomorrow and late Sunday night into Monday morning are probably your best bet.
The fiery Perseid meteors happen every August, which is when our planet Earth passes through the orbital path of Comet Swift–Tuttle. Debris left behind by this comet encounters Earth’s atmosphere, and these vaporizing comet fragments give off a glow as they fall.
These Perseids, when traced backwards, appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus. As an ancient Greek poet once said: Perseus is “stirring up a dust in heaven.”
Earth & Sky’s Perseid meteor shower series includes:
Part 1: Sky alert! Perseid meteors peak this weekend
Part 2: Where’s the radiant for the Perseids?
Part 3: Perseid meteors before dawn on August 12
Part 4: Watch these stars, while watching the Perseids
The 2007 peak of the Perseid meteor shower
Watch meteors like a pro in 2007!
Comet Swift–Tuttle, parent comet of the Perseid meteor shower
Any chance Comet Swift–Tuttle will collide with Earth?
For kids – meteors and meteor showers
When the Greek poet Aratos (315–245 BC) speaks of Perseus “stirring up a dust in heaven,” is he referring to the comet dust that fuels the Perseid meteor shower? Or is the poet referring to the constellation Perseus’ place on the luminescent band of stars known as the Milky Way? Or is it both?
In 2001 while observing the Leonids I was fortunate enough to “hear” several of the meteors. It sounded like the low sizzle of bacon frying. I understand that what I heard was likely the interaction of VLF radiation with something in my surroundings, causing it to vibrate and generate sound. How can I construct a VLF “receiver” that will increase my chance of experiencing this again during major meteor showers?
Bill.
Thank you for the fascinating report on what’s called electrophonic meteors – meteors that are simultaneously seen and heard, because (according to theory) electromagnetic radiation is somehow converted into sound. Personally, I have never heard these meteors and know very little about them. However, this Listening to Leonids article lists contact people and information at the bottom of the page. You might be able to find someone there to answer your question.
Good luck!
Bruce
At about 9:45pm CST tonight, I witnessed what looked like a meteor falling to the earth. However, it was not like any meteor I’ve ever seen before. It was larger, had a white “ball” at the front, and a long, red tail. It fell from north to southwest (I saw it while looking eastward). It “burned up” before it reached the earth, at least as far as I could tell. I’m wondering if you could give me some insight on what it may have been—could it have been the Perseids or perhaps something else? Thanks!
Hello L. Hilstrom. Hmmm. We had another report of bright meteors seen from southern California. Is that where you are? Check out Christopher Smith’s comment (in the “comments” area) here.
I can’t say exactly what you saw. But I can tell you that the Delta Aquarid meteor shower rambles along steadily at this time of year. It sounds as if you might have seen a very bright meteor.
Deborah
My family can’t wait to see it. We live in IN.And we just went to the Adler Planitarium a few weeks ago. We really enjoyed that experiance so we are very excited, so we are getting our telescope ready.
Dear Tawana,
Leave your telescope indoors, this is a “naked eye” event only.
Hey, I live in Colorado and am expecting the shower at about 4 a.m. does this sound correct? I live in a rural area so I am not worried about interference from artificial lighting.
Thank you
To Tawana, “Amen” to what Steven says. Save your telescope for other things, because it is useless for meteors.
To Melissa Sue, I’m in Denver, but the predicted time of “peak” is about 11 p.m. MDT on Sunday night. However, 4 a.m. Monday morning — if it is clear — should be a very good time because the radiant of the shower will be higher in the sky at that time. At this moment (4:04 p.m. Friday) it is thundering here and there are showers — I hope it clears up by Sunday!
Larry S.
Question for experts:
I was observing with my family in a dark sky North of Ottawa. Around 1am I saw and heard several meteors. They had a bright “ball” of light followed by a long tail. The meteors were accompanied by a howling hissing sound. Is this possible, or a figment of my over active imagination? My amateur astronomer father says it is highly unlikely that I could hear what I did.
Any explanations?
I can’t WAIT! This is always – unless we have clouds in the N.E.- a highlight of the summer. Don’t miss it if you can, it’s worth the late hour and missing sleep over. “It’s the little things in life…” And this is one of those little things…. Happy viewing everyone!
I was wondering will I be able to see all these meteriors from Dubai, UAE and when would the best times be to see it? I’d love to witness such amazing beauty.
Hello All, I am a resident of new jersey, and a rural section at that lol; I am planning on visiting the top of mountains near the delaware water gap at the edge of our property which we stopped farming last year… its a nice clear feild and open to much of the horizon. If I was to drive up there and I kept my eyes on the northern horizon at midnight… where around me and at what degree off the horizon should I be able to start tracking the Perseids? (thanks)
To ele:
Please read comments #1 and #2 about electrophonic meteors.
To Kathy:
Yes, you can see the Perseid meteor shower from Dubai, UAE. Best viewing times are generally between midnight and dawn, no matter where you live worldwide. Be sure to find a dark, open sky that’s not obscured by artifical lighting!
To Paul:
I well remember the Delaware Water Gap when hiking the Appalachian Trial, and camped there for a night. Beautiful spot!
The Perseid meteors will be flying all over the heavens, so try not to fixate on a certain spot in the sky. If you trace the paths of these Perseid meteors backwards, they seem to originate from the constellation Perseus – the radiant point of the shower. (It’s like in a baseball game, where all the hit balls come from the vicinity of home plate.)
I’m usually in a reclining position when observing meteors, for it’s easier to take in a greater panorama. The radiant of the Perseid meteor shower rises over the northeast horizon at late evening, climbs upward during the night, then is close to overhead at dawn’s first light.
Clear skies!
Bruce
Hi last night just shortly after midnight, the sky lit up, i thought it was lighting but then noticed a ball of fire falling across the sky it was August 11, 2007. I am in the foothillls of the sierra nevada near Angels Camp, Ca. A few moments after my daughter and newphew said their houses shook, does this mean that it hit or impacted somewhere close?
Victoria,
As a general rule, meteors from meteor showers are thought to be too flimpsy to survive their journey through Earth’s atmosphere to reach Earth. Meteors from meteor showers are (for the most part) comet debris burning up in the atmosphere. When a meteor does hit Earth, it is probably a fragment of an asteroid (or possibly even a fragment from the moon or Mars). These meteors that survive the plunge and hit Earth are called meteorites.
I really can’t say whether it’s a meteorite or not that struck your area. If you do find out, please let us know!
Bruce
thanks for your thing
We observed a flash near the ground after the meteor burned out and in it’s direction of travel. There was also an distant explosion shortly thereafter but I could not determine the exact direction of the source.
To Victoria (comment 13):
We had another report on the great fireball in the Sierra Nevadas of California. Click here to read Hank’s report (comment 44).
Victoria,
I too saw this meteor-asteroid fall at midnight last night. I was driving on 395 just South of Little Lake, northbound and it fell directly in front of me (well many miles directly in front of me). Wasn’t it beautiful! This is how I described it…
it started as your average shooting star, streaking across the sky with a 4th of july sparkler tail
then it starts to veer downward, earthbound
the small white speck quickly gets larger until it becomes a yellow ball, a falling sun, followed by a bright blue tail
bigger
and bigger
and then it falls behind the mountain skyline which becomes brightly silhoutted by the blue glowing sky behind
a midnight sunset, to the North and it’s blue
then a flash and the blue sunset fades to a flicker
then darkness takes over again.
I had no idea had big or far away it was. In checking the map after reading your note about feeling your houses shake in Angels Camp, I guesstimate it must have fallen somewhere south and west of Tahoe, perhaps.
So excited to hear more about it. If it landed I hope I can see it, or the hole it left, someday.
erin
Another report about the “boom” heard early Saturday morning in the Sierras. I am staying near Pinecrest, east of Sonora and at about 12:10 I was startled by a very loud, sharp boom, that rattled a window. It wasn’t like thunder, which usually rumbles and changes pitch, I assume due to dispersion of the sound by the atmosphere. Hence I assumed it was something nearby. I rushed outside to see if there might be a meteor trail, but saw nothing. The first thing that came to my mind was that it might have been from a meteor, as I’m giving a starparty nearby tonight, Saturday, and have had the Perseids on my mind. Glad to hear of sightings of a fireball, so maybe this was in fact caused by a meteor. Hoping for another tonight during the starparty! .....Rich Combs, Strawberry, CA
Richard,
It is my understanding that fireballs (large, bright meteors) can cause sonic booms. But as thunder follows lightning, the sonic boom comes AFTER the visual sighting of the meteor. Typically, meteors vaporize 60 miles or so above the surface of the Earth. Sound takes about 5 seconds to travel one mile, so I’m guessing that you’d hear the sonic boom about 5 minutes (60 miles x 5 seconds = 300 seconds = 5 minutes) after seeing the fireball.
Bruce
I, too, was in Pinecrest, CA last night at midnight and was awakened by a very loud boom and the entire house shook for several seconds. (I thought it was an earthquake.) My nephews said they were outside at the time and saw a fireball streak across the sky, lighting up everything like day time. The boom and shaking were vicious. Was this part of the meteor shower?
I believe what I saw over Pioneer CA was not a meteor. It was not a streaking, thin trailed, object like most meteors. This was wide unlike any meteor I’ve seen. It burned like a reentry vehicle though it might have been debris. It was simply too wide to be a meteor. The burn and vapor trail actually looked about as wide as a missle launch where the vapor spreads. The colors of the burn were incredible.
I reside in the Middle East and would like to know if the meteor shower would be visable in our side of the world on Suday night. I would apprecaite if you could notify the precise time (in GMT hours)
thanx
Can anyone tell me exactly WHERE and WHEN in El Paso, Texas would be ideal to watch the Perseids shower. Thanks i’d really appreciate it.
Where and when to catch the Perseid meteors:
Everyone in the northern hemisphere is in a good position to observe the Perseid meteors (unless you live so far north that it never really gets dark). For everyone in the northern hemisphere, some Perseid meteors will probably fall in the late evening hours, though they’ll intensify after midnight. The greatest number of Perseids will probably rain down in the wee hours before dawn.
The Perseid shower is expected to peak tonight (Sunday, August 12 – Monday, August 13), so make a night of it!
Good luck!
Bruce
My friend Star (no, seriously) and I were up in Groveland, CA on Cherry Lake Road, stargazing at an electrical tower off a service road nearby. We were facing the electrical tower (perhaps NW) and saw a lightning-bright light illuminating the ground around us. We turned in time to see the fireball for 3 seconds. It seemed to be right overhead and directed towards the ground close-by. There was a red after-trail following a oval fireball. It burned out before we saw it come anywhere near the ground and we did not hear any sound.
The next night we talked to two other people that had seen and/or heard it. One person saw it and was just as dumbfounded as us. The other also saw it and both heard something like thunder. We were dying to know what this was. Anyone still looking into this?
I went out early Monday (8-13) about 12:25 am to look for meteors. When I looked up to the sky I immediately noticed a vapor trail running from N-NW to S-SE, passing almost directly overhead. It did not seem to be very high in the sky, but a little difficult to estimate the distance (1/4 mile up??). But it seems that could have been a vapor trail from whatever Hank, Victoria and others have been reporting seeing around Midnight, and this seemed to have a somewhat wide path. I only saw a few meteors, short and brief in the 15 min. I was out. They were coming from the N-NE to S-SW. I wish I saw whatever streaked across our night sky though. It must have been just above us. The trail did not dissipate during the 15 minutes I was outside. In past years, I have heard the sounds of some meteors traveling across the sky but they had a faint whistle sound. Whatever this was tonight, I’d bet I would have heard it if I wasn’t wearing headphones at the time. Getting a slight overcast now (3:50 am).
Hi folks, I am in Pittsburgh PA and I didn’t know about the meteor shower till this morning, Everyone is calling yesterday and early this morning peak times. Does this mean that if me and my son were to go out tonight, that we would still be able to see something? I would be very pleased if someone could let me know so that I may make plans tonight to take my son out. If someone could respond to this or even better e-mail me at Happychick2525@yahoo.com (i am afraid I won’t be able to find this forum again) that would be wonderful. thanks so much, and I enjoyed reading everyones posts.
Shannon
Shannon,
Yes, you can see the Perseids tonight, though at reduced levels. They tend to intensify after midnight and to put out the greatest numbers just before dawn.
Bruce
Thanks Bruce, when you say reduced levels, would you say may be we’d see like 5 an hour, or still will it be more than that? I’ll take him if it will be more like 40 an hour. Otherwise we’ll just wait till next year and I’ll hope not to miss it again.
Shannon
Shannon,
Given a dark, open sky, I think it’s likely that you’ll see 20 to 30 meteors per hour in the wee morning hours before dawn. If it’s a clear, dark night, it’ll probably be worth watching.
Bruce
I’m in NY and I missed last night, will I be able to see the perseids tonight? (monday night 8/13/07)
I live in Southwest Missouri. I was told the meteor shower was tonight. Will we still be able to see anything tonight and if so what is the best time to look?
bcell & Linda,
Yes, you should be able to see some Perseid meteors tonight (Aug. 13-14), but probably at reduced levels from last night (Aug. 12-13). You’ll see a spattering of Perseids in the evening hours, and they’ll likely intensify after midnight. Expect the greatest number of Perseids to fall in the wee morning hours before dawn. Remember, a dark, open sky is critical for optimal viewing.
Best of luck!
Bruce
Going back to the comments from Aug 11…. I was also at Pinecrest Lake just getting to bed under the stars on the deck of our cabin. A bright light made me open my eyes just as this very large (full moon sized) ball went streaking by with a long tail behind it. I saw multiple colors – yellow, orange and blue in the tail, but the “ball of fire” was bright, bright white. I was telling my friend about it, probably 30-60 seconds later when we heard the explosion. It made the cabin shake and you could hear the concussion continue for a few seconds. I spoke with many people at the lake on Saturday who either saw or heard it and we are all wondering what it was. Does anyone know yet?
I was in Calavares Big Trees just north of Arnold Ca. I saw the fire ball also about 12:30am 8-11-07. First the sky lit up, then i saw the fire ball go by. I think it was about 10-15 seconds when I heard the boom. That had to be one of the most amazing sights that I had ever seen. It looked so big I did not know what it was. I did not know that there was going to be a meteor shower that night. I feel real lucky to experience that. I will be looking when too watch next time.
Hello- We too observed the ‘fireball’ last friday night around 11-12, Aug. 10th 2007. I was driving home from Santa Rosa, CA and was talking to someone in American Canyon, CA who saw it also. We are 45 min to an hour north of SF. It was so bright! Everyone above has done a great job describing it. I was so glad to be talking to someone else at the time who had just seen it too!
I looked up big flash occuring aug 11 just after midnight on the internet to see if anyone had seen the same thing I did. I think Hank couldn’t of described it any better. I live in Roseville ca. and was working in my shop late and decided to retire to bed alittle after midnight. while walking to my house all of a sudden everywhere lit up and I looked above my barn just in time to see a very wide white flash falling towards earth, brighter than anything I had ever seen in the sky. I honestly thought it was falling behind my barn and actually ran to see if it did. I was very surprised to see nothing there.
To everyone who saw the possible fireball:
Please report to the American Meteor Society
Bruce
Hey Ya’ll,
I am glad that I took the chance and got me and my son up at 4 am to drive about 10 miles away from the city lights to check out the meteors. I saw about four of them and my son saw at least two. The second to last one I saw was so bright, I think it could have been a “fireball”. I didn’t even think to listen afterward for a “sonic boom” or “eletrophonic” sounds. The others that I saw were very faint compared to this one but also with tails (which I thought was very cool!). My son say’s that he will write about this even when he goes back to school. I can’t wait till next year so that he can see it at it’s peak. Happy meteor hunting!
Shannon
Shannon,
Bravo! I’m happy the meteor hunt turned out favorably for you and your son.
Happy meteor hunting indeed!
Bruce
Thank you! I have been searching and searching since Saturday for someone who saw the Aug. 11 “fireball”. I live in Gardnerville, NV about 70-80 miles east of Angel’s Camp and Arnold, CA. I was just closing my eyes at about 12:06AM when a super bright light shown right through my eyelids. When I looked out the window the sky was as if lighting were striking over head. Blue/white light. As it faded I saw what looked like a ball of fire head off sw. A few minutes later the was a sound and the windows shook as if we were having one of our small earthquakes. I haven’t found another person here who saw what I saw.
I was in the Yosemite NP backcountry (around Rancheria creek at 9400 feet) when this meteor “hit”. It started as a ball of light that then lit up the whole sky. A while later (at least a minute probably more) there was a long series of Booms and pops. While even the first and biggest of the Booms was small, they started with one large followed by progressively smaller and more numerous pops. The entire roll went on for nearly 15 seconds. It was reminiscent of the sound of the finale from a far off fireworks show. were it not for the quiet of the Yosemtite backcountry we would probably not have heard anything.
If anyone knows of a good site that reported this in the news, I would love to download an article or video broadcast describing this event.
Norah and Shawn,
Many people have reported this fireball, if indeed that’s what it was. If you haven’t done so already, you can report it to the American Meteor Society.
Bruce
Happened to stumble on this forum. Apparently there are still questions remaining on the 811 event in Northern Calif. The various TV stations that were contacted only briefly aired the video of that event. Live footage(taken at that moment in time) can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/Impactor
YCSentinel
Has anyone found a possible impact site from the 811 meteor?
Check out article from sacbee.com on August 18th called “The Meteor Hunter: He’s looking for rocks strewn by the great fireball of Aug. 11”
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/332038.html
John,
Many thanks for sharing this article on the great fireball with the Earth & Sky readers. Many people have reported seeing it and are eager to know more!
Bruce
According the Sacramento Bee article that John shared with us, the American Meteor Society had received 29 reports of the fireball meteor that was seen in California shortly after midnight on August 11.
I need your help On Friday August 17th I was opening my car door and happened to look up it was about 9:30pm 10:00pm in MN.
I saw what I think was a large meteor. Close I could see red yellow and a tail or streak. Is it possible that I did see a perseid meteor?
Thanks Marie