Catching the Perseid Meteor Shower

YOU MIGHT WANT TO SET YOUR ALARM CLOCK A LITTLE BIT EARLIER TOMORROW MORNING AS IT WILL BECOME PEAK VIEWING FOR THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER. NO TELESCOPE KNOW BINOCULARS NEEDED. BUT IF YOU WANT THE BEST CHANCE TO SEE A FIREBALL STREAK ACROSS THE MORNING SKIES, YOU'LL WANT TO BE IN A POSITION WHERE AROUND 2 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WGCUS EDDIE BYRNE IS MORE ON THIS YEAR'S ASTRONOMICAL ABOUT. >> SO FOR MORE ON THE UPCOMING PERSEID METEOR SHOWER, I'M JOINED BY ROBERT LUNSFORD WITH THE AMERICAN METEOR SOCIETY. SO THANK YOU FOR STAYING UP WITH US. >> NOT A PROBLEM. NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL. THAT WAS OUT THIS MORNING FOR 4 HOURS AND COUNTED 65 METEORS. SO IT WAS PRETTY PRETTY GOOD HAUL. >> THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. AND ESPECIALLY SONS, I BELIEVE IS THE 12TH AND 13TH ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE PEAK VIEWING FOR THE SHOWER. SO NOW IF YOUR TALKING TO SOMEONE LIKE ME, WHO'S A NON EXPERT, WHEN THEY GO STARGAZING, WHAT YOUR THEY LOOK FOR. WHEN YOU LOOK INTO THE NIGHT SKY. >> YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR SHOOTING STARTS COMING UP FROM THE NORTH. THE EASTERN HORIZON THE THE APPEAR IN ANY PART OF THE SKY BUT ACTUALLY THE BEST TIME TO DO IT IS IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WHEN THE METEORS A SHOOTING HIGH IN THE NORTH, THEY ARE VISIBLE ALL NIGHT LONG. BUT DURING THE EVENING HOURS THAT NORTHERN HORIZONS BLOCKING A LOT OF THEM. SO THE LATER YOU WATCH, THE MORE YOU WILL SEE. >> SO THEN DOES THAT HELP TO WITH SAY LIGHT POLLUTION IS I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT POP OUT MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, BUT IT COULD BE STUCK WITH A BIG BATCH OF THAT GLOWING OR THAT ALWAYS SURROUNDS THERE. SO IS THERE ANY WAY TO MAYBE SKIP OUT OF THE LIGHT POLLUTION TO GET THAT BEST VIEWING IS ADJUST THOSE MORNING HOURS. >> IF YOU KNOW, WELL. >> AND THE ACTUALLY THE MORE A STAR, YOU CAN SEE THE MUMMIES YOU SEE BECAUSE MOST THE METEORS ARE ARE ACTUALLY FEIN. SO IF YOU IF YOU CAN POSSIBLY DRIVE TO RURAL LOCATION, THAT'S SAFE AND THESE ARE FROM THERE LIKE I DID THIS MORNING, YOU'LL DO A LOT BETTER THAN THEM WATCHING FROM YOUR DRIVEWAY WITH A STREET LIGHT NEARBY. >> SO NOW THE PERSONS ARE ONE OF SEVERAL MAJOR SHOWERS THAT HAPPEN EVERY YEAR. BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MOST POPULAR ONES. SO WHAT SEPARATES IT FROM OTHER METEOR SHOWERS ON THE CALENDAR? >> THE REASON THEY'RE MOST POPULAR AS THEY HAPPEN DURING THE SUMMERTIME. A TIME. WHEN IT'S NICE AND WARM, THE BEST SHOWER THE JIMENEZ, BUT THEY HAPPENED 2 WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS WHEN US A LITTLE BIT CHILLY OUTSIDE. >> AND NOW SO THIS IS ALL REMNANTS FROM THE COMET SWIFT TUTTLE. NOW, THAT'S NOT EXPECTED TO MAKE ANOTHER PASS NEAR OR UNTIL I BELIEVE. 21. 26. SO HOW ARE WE HAD BILL SEEING FRAGMENTS OF THIS COMMENTS 30 YEARS SINCE ITS LAST PASS BY? >> THE COMET HAS MADE MANY PASSAGES THROUGH THE INNER SOLAR SYSTEM. SO THERE'S THERE'S DEBRIS ALONG ITS ENTIRE ORBIT. SO IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHERE THE COMMENT IS. YOU WILL SEE PERSEID METEORS NOW BACK IN THE EARLY 90'S WHEN THE COMMENT DID PASS A CLOSE CLOSE TO THE EARTH AND THE SUN RATES INCREASED UP TO 300 NOW ARE. UNFORTUNATELY THE COMMENTS LONG GONE. NOW WE'RE BACK TO A DEAL. THEN PART OF IT. BUT THERE'S SOME GOOD NEWS COMING UP. JUPITER HAS PUSHED SOME PARTICLES OF THIS COMMENT CLOSER TO THE EARTH THAT WON'T AFFECT US THIS YEAR. BUT IN 27 AND 28, WE'RE EXPECTING BEING MAYBE TWICE OR 3 TIMES THE NORMAL AMOUNT PRECEDED ACTIVITY. THAT'S SOMETHING THEY PUT ON FOR NEXT YEAR'S CALENDAR. BUT THEN FOR THIS YEAR'S DEADLY. SO BUT WITH THIS YEAR'S EVENT, YOU HAVE ANY TIPS OR IDEAS WEREN'T ANY NAVAS ASTRONOMER SHOULD KNOW BEFORE THEY SPEND THE NIGHT CAMPING OUT THERE LOOKING, YOU KNOW WHERE THEY SHOULD POINT THEIR TELESCOPE. >> FIRST THING IS YOU DON'T WANT TO USE THE TELESCOPE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SMALL FIELD OF VIEW. SO WHAT HE COULD DO IS BRING A LAWN CHAIR. >> OUT AND GET COMFORTABLE. THE. >> AND A LOOK ABOUT HALFWAY UP IN THE SKY AND JUST WAIT FOR THESE. THE THESE SHOOTING STARS, THE SHOW UP. THEY COME IN WAVES. YOU'LL GO 10 MINUTES WITHOUT SEEING ANY. AND THEN THE NEXT MINUTE OR 2, YOU'LL SEE 3 OR 4. AND IF YOU'RE REALLY LUCKY, YOU'LL SEE SOME FIRE LIKE I SAW THIS MORNING. I COUNTED 3 FIREBALLS WHICH ARE BRIGHTER THAN ANY >> OF THE PLANETS THAT ARE VISIBLE RIGHT NOW. >> MISTER LUNSFORD, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.