Perseid Meteor Shower 2010

NOTE: It's not fair to count the recent Northern Lights debacle against me. On both August 3 and 4, I went out and patiently waited for those waves of red, green and blue, and on both August 3 and 4 I was just as disappointed as you were. It seems the prediction that they could be seen in Michigan due to solar storms meant that they could be seen in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan due to solar storms. Sigh.

We're very fortunate that on the evenings of Wednesday, August 11, Thursday, August 12, and Friday, August 13, the best-known meteor shower, the Perseids (or Tears of St. Lawrence), will be lighting up the evening and early morning skies. I was lucky enough to witness last year's Leonid meteor shower in mid-November on a dark stretch of road in Northern Texas and it, along with the cold, cold night, was breath-taking. That's why I think you should look to the sky during the next couple of days and give the Perseids the chance to dazzle you.

The Perseid meteor shower is named after its proximity to the constellation Perseus, which will be located low in the Northeast. As a result, it is customary to watch the patch of sky halfway between the Double Star Cluster of Perseus and the zenith (directly above you). This is where you will find the highest concentration of meteor activity, but don't be surprised if they appear in other parts of the night sky.

As a bonus this year, the bright planets Venus, Mars, and Saturn can be seen in a tight cluster in the Southwestern sky (the exact opposite direction of Perseus) just after sunset, so there is an added bonus for stargazers who get out just as soon as darkness falls.

The peak times for viewing the Perseid meteor shower are from 2 AM until daybreak local time on Wednesday and Thursday evening, and around 8 PM on Thursday when Earth is predicted to cut through the densest part of the Perseid stream. But you can probably see the meteor shower just about any time during the night if you head outside to a secluded area with a low tree line and devoid of light pollution during the next couple days.

Last Chance to Get a Good Look at Mars Until 2012

Tonight is the last night that Mars will be visible in the night sky until it approaches Earth again in 2012.

On Thursday night, March 25, many people may look up at the sky and ask the question, "What's that bright star next to the moon?"

The answer for Thursday night is Mars, but that answer changes night by night as the moon travels along the ecliptic, the path the sun, moon and planets follow across the sky. If you ask the question again on Monday night, March 29, the answer will be the ringed planet Saturn.

Such conjunctions of the moon and planets are regular reminders of how rapidly the moon moves across the sky.

Mars was in opposition to the Sun on Jan. 29, when it appeared 14 arcseconds in diameter, 1/120 of the diameter of the moon. Two months later, it is much farther away, and has shrunk to only 10 arcseconds in diameter.

This will be your last chance to get a good look at Mars until it approaches the Earth again in 2012.

The sky these spring evenings presents a striking contrast between its western half, filled with the bright stars and constellations of winter, and its eastern half, with Regulus the only bright star. Mars sits in solitary splendor in Cancer, one of the most insignificant zodiac constellations, just above the plane of the Milky Way.

But there is much lurking beyond the dim stars of spring, for we are entering the realm of the galaxies. The constellation Leo alone contains five of the brightest galaxies in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog of deep sky objects.

When we look towards Leo, we are looking above the plane of our Milky Way galaxy at the depths of intergalactic space, unhindered by the clouds of dust and gas which fill our galaxy.

I suggest a party. I'm sure many of you have said "Goodbye Moon" before, but who among you has ever given Mars a proper farewell? Tonight's the night we make up for lost time. Take to the great outdoors tonight and shout a memory to the sky. The time capsule of Mars will return with pictures of yesteryears in time for the upcoming apocalypse.

The original article can be viewed at SPACE.com.