Are we in for a spectacular meteor shower? Astronomers aren't sure, but suggest looking up tonight

I watched for a half hour. I may have seen as many as 7, but some of those could have been fire flies. When you catch them in your peripheral vision sometimes you can't be sure. I've seen better showers, but the last 10 years have been kind of a bust for me. The first time I ever witnessed a shower was an unexpected accident. I was backpacking with a friend in the Montana Wilderness, and that night we lay in our sleeping bags under and open sky next to a high lake, and the sky was abuzz with meteors. It was in August, and both of us were completely surprised by so many meteors. Later when I learned more, I realized it must have been the Perseids Meteor Showers that happen on the 12 and 13th of August each year.
 
GoneFishin said:
Are we in for a spectacular meteor shower? Astronomers aren't sure, but suggest looking up tonight

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/tau-herculids-meteor-shower-1.6468896
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The link has very good information on meteor showers, even if we missed this one. Also, the posted video is great - I just wish they had included data on location and dates.

I did catch one spectacular shower - I think it was mid to late 1990's. I could see some bounce off the atmosphere and hear the sounds. It was an awesome experience!
 
JustDave said:
I watched for a half hour. I may have seen as many as 7, but some of those could have been fire flies. When you catch them in your peripheral vision sometimes you can't be sure. I've seen better showers, but the last 10 years have been kind of a bust for me. The first time I ever witnessed a shower was an unexpected accident. I was backpacking with a friend in the Montana Wilderness, and that night we lay in our sleeping bags under and open sky next to a high lake, and the sky was abuzz with meteors. It was in August, and both of us were completely surprised by so many meteors. Later when I learned more, I realized it must have been the Perseids Meteor Showers that happen on the 12 and 13th of August each year.
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My first time seeing a meteor shower was when we were at the drivein many years ago. I just happened to look away from the screen and saw it.
 
Em in Ohio said:
The link has very good information on meteor showers, even if we missed this one. Also, the posted video is great - I just wish they had included data on location and dates.

I did catch one spectacular shower - I think it was mid to late 1990's. I could see some bounce off the atmosphere and hear the sounds. It was an awesome experience!
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I missed it too. I fell asleep :sleep:
 
Em in Ohio said:
The link has very good information on meteor showers, even if we missed this one. Also, the posted video is great - I just wish they had included data on location and dates.

I did catch one spectacular shower - I think it was mid to late 1990's. I could see some bounce off the atmosphere and hear the sounds. It was an awesome experience!
Click to expand...
In the early 70s or late 60s, during the Perceids when I wasn't even thinking about meteors, I saw the most spectacular celestial event I will probably ever see. In the middle of the day, a large fragment, probably from the Perceids debris field, entered the atmosphere, and caught fire. I saw it from inside a friend's house in Montana, yelled and ran out side with my friend and his wife to watch it disappear over the tops of the mountains. It was on fire that long, and at that, I missed half of it's path until I saw it out the window, but we still had time to run outside and watch it continue on. We knew what it was, a fireball of extreme size. I think I heard it leaving a crackling noise behind it. The small town radio station started getting calls, and ended up considering things like alien invasions, and UFOs.

Years later with the coming of the internet, I looked it up. It has been sighted in Montana, Idaho, Utah, British Columbia, and maybe Alberta. It was described by scientists as something huge, the kind they worry about. Apparently it bounced off the atmosphere and headed back out to space. It may still be floating around out there, I suppose.
 
JustDave said:
In the early 70s or late 60s, during the Perceids when I wasn't even thinking about meteors, I saw the most spectacular celestial event I will probably ever see. In the middle of the day, a large fragment, probably from the Perceids debris field, entered the atmosphere, and caught fire. I saw it from inside a friend's house in Montana, yelled and ran out side with my friend and his wife to watch it disappear over the tops of the mountains. It was on fire that long, and at that, I missed half of it's path until I saw it out the window, but we still had time to run outside and watch it continue on. We knew what it was, a fireball of extreme size. I think I heard it leaving a crackling noise behind it. The small town radio station started getting calls, and ended up considering things like alien invasions, and UFOs.

Years later with the coming of the internet, I looked it up. It has been sighted in Montana, Idaho, Utah, British Columbia, and maybe Alberta. It was described by scientists as something huge, the kind they worry about. Apparently it bounced off the atmosphere and headed back out to space. It may still be floating around out there, I suppose.
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Our home, planet earth is a sitting duck just waiting for the inevitable.
 
GoneFishin said:
Our home, planet earth is a sitting duck just waiting for the inevitable.
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These things happen, albeit every 75 million years or so, maybe longer than that. Scientists keep track of many of these, but not all, but one source says there are others unknown, and all of them are hard to spot, including the ones we know about. In all likelihood the one that wipes us out will not give us any warning. We will be dead before we even knew it was there. I'm just reporting what I read in one source. I don't worry about believing it, because my will and finances are taken care of, not that there will be anyone left to benefit from an extinction event. I'm still making plans for tomorrow.
 
JustDave said:
These things happen, albeit every 75 million years or so, maybe longer than that. Scientists keep track of many of these, but not all, but one source says there are others unknown, and all of them are hard to spot, including the ones we know about. In all likelihood the one that wipes us out will not give us any warning. We will be dead before we even knew it was there. I'm just reporting what I read in one source. I don't worry about believing it, because my will and finances are taken care of, not that there will be anyone left to benefit from an extinction event. I'm still making plans for tomorrow.
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And all the man made debris circling our planet that will eventually fall back to earth.
 

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