Perchance to See the Perseids in the Rainy Season

The Perseid meteor shower (August 11-13) is perhaps the most anticipated every year because of the high frequency of meteors. In 2009, it's hyped for it's up to 200-meteors-an-hour frequency. Still, the Perseids is one shower that not everyone can appreciate, especially if you're somewhere in the world where it's the rainy season. Yes, areas like Southeast Asia usually get typhoons in August and it's almost always cloudy. Residents of countries like the Philippines, where meteor shower gazing has gained popularity in the past decade, always have trouble appreciating the Perseids. So what can be done?

It's really beyond your control to change the weather where you're at, so the next best thing might be to take a look at satellite weather photos and try to determine the place in your country where there will be clear skies. If there are storms, ask the weather bureau where the skies will likely be clear when the shower comes, which is usually on the 12th and 13th of August. More often than not, you may need to fly to the selected place for observation and get accommodations well ahead.

Choose a place on the map where you can expect crystal clear skies. These areas will be obvious on weather satellite images. It pays to plan ahead and get to know the place a little bit by researching over the Internet. You have to consider ease of travel and security. Of course, you also have to determine if there's a place where you can observe the shower in peace and away from city lights. If you are in a group, consider getting assistance from a travel agency specializing in the place you've chosen.

Observing meteor showers is really easy. The best thing to do is to lie down on the ground just after sunset, look up and wait for the meteors to light up the sky, like the one in the photo above by Mila Zinkova. You may be lucky to get a few surprises like bolides, which are big meteors that break up upon entering the atmosphere! The Perseids would appear to have a central origin, the radiant, in the vicinity of the constellation Perseus (left).

If, despite your efforts, no suitable place to observe the Perseids has been arrived at. Then you can contact someone from another country and have that person do the observing for you. Documenting the shower with either a still or video camera is a good idea. If you don't know anyone else on this earth willing to do the observations for you, then just wait for the Geminid meteor shower. It's supposedly the next best thing to the Perseids, and it happens in December - on the 12th and 13th. Skies are usually crystal clear on that month and you'd likely get a good show.



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Serendipity Counts for a Lot of Astronomy Discoveries: Comet Impact on Jupiter Seen by Australian Amateur Astronomer

Space is a big place and we only have the sky to peek into it. Even with our computer-guided telescopes, we cannot always be at the right place at the right time to see things happen. Fortunately, with a little serendipity and patience, sometimes, your sky viewing will pay off and you, the amateur, or casual star gazer get to make discoveries that will amaze even our friends at NASA.

Take for example, what happened on July 19, 2009 at the Murrumbateman (north of Canberra) home of Australian amateur astronomer and computer programmer, Anthony Wesley (44). He was observing Jupiter in his backyard with his 14.5-inch reflecting telescope when he saw what appeared to be a dark spot on Jupiter. He didn't immediately notice it, taking 30 minutes before he realized it was something else as it rotated for a better view and atmospheric conditions improved.

Wesley described the spot as a "truly black spot in all channels"and initially thought it was a dark polar storm. NASA JPL scientist Glenn Orton confirmed that the spot was a comet impact which caused underlying gases to well up and be seen distinctly in reverse in the infrared photograph above taken by the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii. He says they are extremely lucky to have an impact site at the right place at the right time as Jupiter rotates it more into view. As of this writing, they expect to observe how the spot changes in the next few days.

So, take the hint. If you are always stargazing and paying close attention to bodies like Jupiter (where things are easier to "spot" - pardon the pun), then you may just get serendipitous and make the discovery of the year! Note that in 2006, Filipino astronomer Christopher Go was also at the right place and time when he observed the Oval BA spot or Red Spot Jr. (left; to the left of the Great Red Spot) on Jupiter change shade.

In 1994, when the Shoemaker-Levy fragments crashed into Jupiter, similar black impact spots were made which were clearly visible using my 3-inch reflector. Of course, I already knew they were there, but remember that there's always the chance of spotting something new. Even a small telescope like that can give you astonishing results!

Read about the discovery and see the extraordinary amateur pictures of the impact from Anthony Wesley's website: www.acquerra.com.au/astro