Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Perseid Meteor Shower Tonight

The annual Perseid meteor shower is tonight.

It is thought that there could be up to as many as 200 meteors per hour at the peak time, about 4 am EDT (1 am PDT), but that there will be plenty of meteors going on all night leading up to that (and thereafter) beginning just after sunset. Apparently we are moving through a denser than normal strand of comet "dust" this year, which is what causes meteor showers in the first place.

See the "Perseid Update" article here for more details, if interested.

CaT

CaT, we were over at our local Scout camp this weekend (training adults on belaying for rock climbing and rappelling) and sat out on top of the cliffs after dinner on Saturday night. We saw several meteors despite there still being a nearly-full moon.

One was spectacular...low, almost horizontal trajectory across 45 degrees or more of the sky. One burst of sparks midway through the streak, then another final burst as it burned out.

If that was any indication, it should be a good week for the Perseids, especially up in the mountains with darker skies and a waning moon now.

Saw next to nothing in Central Ohio last night, although word has it that the shower is still ongoing and may be better this evening (pretty much anything this evening would be an improvement on what we saw here last night).

Sounds like you saw a fireball last night!! Very cool! I saw one (apart from a meteor shower) a few weeks ago while I was sitting at a traffic light. Like yours, it was incredibly impressive.

CaT

I went out last night (Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning) to a dark ridge in the San Gabriel mountains and was treated to a very nice show.

I saw several this morning, beginning @ 5:15 am ET.
I wasn't up to getting up off and on all night two nights in a row.

the perseids are a lot of fun. this year i left on tues night and ended up at ricardo campground in red rock state park.it was party time in there.every time a meteor streaked thru the sky people would scream and holler..kids were running around in the moonlight and bats were making a crazy laughing noise. we stayed up all night and when the sun popped up we ended up in lone pine......5 hikers 4 permits available...1 lottery...i picked #5...lol..sucks...but not really because chicken spring lake was awesome...the second night was pretty much just the same...it was a great trip...i just got back...as soon as the wife and kids go to sleep im going to go chill on baldy summit...life is good..

ALAN.....i think i seen that one you desrcibe...it drove the campground nuts

O, to be able to watch the Perseids in Red Rock Canyon at night! What a treat! Thanks for sharing.

CaT

WOW, that's all I can say. I have previously seen only one or two minor meteors in 30 years. On Wed evening 8/12 I saw 5 incredible ones between 9:30 and 10:30 pm. I was lying on my back in a bivy sack at Lower BoyScout lake, trying to get to sleep before the next day's assault on Russell. The first two were low in the southern sky, but went completely from horizon (east) to directly over Mt Whitney. The next two were slightly higher azimugh, and the last one directly overhead I thought I was seeing UFOs from area 51 until I finally figured it out. Got home yesterday and found it was the Perseids.