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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Perseids Meteor Shower with the Chicago Astronomer Crew

Sunday 11 August 2013

This year's Perseid meteor shower promises to be a good one and the long term forecast calls for a pleasant and partially clear weekend. Already, I have spotted several meteor streaks in Chicago skies since last week...and during the Chicago Astronomer observation on Sunday the 04th, we were spotting plenty.

The Moon will not interfere and the brighter meteors will punch through urban muck nicely.

Details:

We will set-up telescopes by 8pm to share Saturn and other great celestial objects and keep scopes active during the session while the meteor shower streaks overhead.

NOTE: We will not be at our regular Chicago Astronomer Public Observation site, but for a better view of the Perseids, we will set-up scopes just south of the Adler Planetarium building, by the Galaxy rocks.

The Chicago Astronomer Star Party will continue till the extended hour of 12 midnight - a special park closing time for this yearly summertime event.

Misconception:

"You gotta be in a dark location - away from the city to observe meteors."

False.

A great many meteors are easily visible from under Chicago skies and the brighter larger ones leave great trails behind them as they ionize high in our atmosphere. I have even heard some of the larger bolides/fireballs "crackle" as the break up.

Meteors can occur anywhere in the sky, but the radiant or meteor source comes from the Perseus region, laying low in the Northeast at dusk. The best viewings are from Midnight till dawn, as the night side of the Earth faces the stream of comet Swift-Tuttle particles and rams into them.

Saturday, members of the Chicago Astronomer crew will enjoy the Perseids 50 miles away in Indiana, under very dark skies - for some deep sky observation, imaging and catch a great start to the meteor shower....but we will back under city skies to share this uber cool event with our fans and friends Sunday evening.

Grab a blanket or lawn chair wherever you are, but all fans of the Chicago Astronomer are welcome to join us by the lakefront

(As always, all Chicago Astronomer public events are free and open to all.)

[Paulie pchris00]

I'm going to have a long weekend, both in number of days, and things to do. Going to see the first game of Friday's double header on the South Side, all night observing Saturday (and maybe Monday). I'm definitely going to try to squeeze this in.

As for anybody saying that meteors can't be observed in Chicago, I'd like to point out that as a crew a few years ago, we saw 54 Perseid meteors at the Chicago Lakefront. The trick is to get out of direct lighting. And the sky over the Lake will be reasonably dark. Just by facing the Lake, one can reasonably expect to see a decent number of meteors. This will also keep the Moon out of sight (I don't expect Luna to interfere much, anyway). Twilight will be a good time to observe Luna & Saturn, but I may put away my scope and just hang out and look for space dust entering our atmosphere around 9 PM.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

There is great interest this year for the Perseids.

With practically no Moon to interfere, we should be observing more per hour from the city than usual. I have been observing a whole lot during this past week from the city and anticipate a nice showing Sunday evening.

The observing site just south of the Adler building will serve us superbly and the weather looks good so far!

[RobbW]

In case there are any CAers who will not be able to join the rest of the group in Indiana Saturday night, I wanted to extend an invitation to the Hickory Knolls International Starry Night and Perseids Meteor Shower event in Saint Charles, IL. I will be hooking up with the Saint Charles Park District to co-host an evening under the stars. More info can be found here (www.onedarksky.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=142&p=294#p294) and also on my Facebook page here (www.facebook.com/events/493840707367955/). Thanks, and I hope to see anyone who can't make it to the Hoosier state!

[patrickm]

Will be in Rockford hopefully watching Perseids and chasing Saturn.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Patrick,

I don't see that exotic travel scope you got...ever.

[susan]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, so hello! I've been trying to watch the Perseids for 10 years, but it's always been cloudy where ever I was. This year, I'm in Chicago, it looks like it'll be clear, and I'm so excited!

So, I'm trying to decide if I should watch it on the lake or drive an hour or so out of the city. I'm not sure if driving west will help - wlll the city's lights in the east still be a factor if I'm out by a cornfield? Or should I drive east to Indiana's lakeshore?

I know you can see the meteors from the lake, but I figure you can see them more brilliantly outside of the city. Any advice?

Thanks!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Hi Susan...

I personally have enjoyed decent meteor showers right from under urban skies quite satisfactorily.

Darker skies are always better, in any circumstance, as the fainter meteors are more easily observed and against a starry background. The Indiana Dunes area is a nice locale, as our Chicago Astronomer crew have enjoyed all night sessions there...and the Milky Way just starts to come out. The Kankakee area is good too. 25 to 50 miles is a good radius to shoot for - leaving the glare of the city behind. You will certainly enjoy more meteors away, but the brighter ones punch right through the light pollution easily.

But the need for a secure site, gas, weather are all factors in going out...or staying close to home. I have elected to remain in the city on Sunday evening, to attend to our fans and friends for the event, as we always have a great time with the many who eagerly share the urban skies with Astronomers, telescopes and the skyline.

But, to go or stay....it all depends on personal preference.

[patrickm]

Aug 8, 2013 9:23:08 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

Patrick,

I don't see that exotic travel scope you got...ever.

Going to Rockford, the 9.25 is making the trip. I love my go to and f/10 vs f/4.5.

No good in the city. Maybe next trip to Conway I will assemble in advance and throw in car.

[susan]

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the reply! I'm thinking of going to Indiana Dunes, but it looks like the state park closes at sun down. Are there sites that are open, or should I just find a country road to park on? We have a convertible, so I'm thinking we'll take the top down, keep the heat on (if necessary), and watch the skies for a few hours.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Susan...

If you are intent on leaving the city, you can always hit the State Campgrounds. Kankakee/Starved Rock are good places...and not too far really.

Safe and secure...with facilities.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

UPDATE:

Extended weather says that Saturday may be...the better of the two nights this weekend for catching meteors. Sunday now, has become iffy - with an advancing cloud front sliding across the region. Monday will be a wash out for the Cantigny park Perseid event.

Roll of the dice and mother nature is fickle.

Updates continuing up until the event....stay tuned.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

UPDATE:

Uncertain if the cloud cover will move along by the time we arrive at 8pm, but unless it's raining, we will be on-site to meet sky lovers, chat and show the skyline details through scopes.

Let's see how it plays out...

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

A Non-Perseid Meteor Shower session...

It's difficult to schedule public astronomical events far in advance, due to weather. Astronomers everywhere where anticipating this year's Perseid Meteor shower, but Chicago area skies were socked in with cloud cover Sunday evening for the Chicago Astronomer viewing event. But, we promised our fans peeks through the largest mobile laser-guided public telescope in the city and set-up the C11...

...and are we glad we did!

For the briefest of opportunities, the Crescent Moon peeked from the heavy cloud cover...

With the sky closing back up, I slewed over to the famous skyline for a tour of the more interesting features, such as the Sears Tower antennae array, the Ceres statue on top of the Chicago Board of Trade and Navy Pier...

The adage, "Set up a telescope and the people will come" certainly applied for this session...and as they always do for Chicago Astronomer sessions...

We had many visitors ask about the Perseid's, when and where they can see them. I had to explain that the clouds will prevent any observation of meteors several times throughout the evening...applying to any telescopic views of celestial targets. I spent the session discussing optics, astronomy...how much the C11 costs and things cosmological...

Many mention that the objects in the Telescope seemed so close that you want to touch them. Every once in awhile we would get a break in the cloud cover and catch Arcturus - showing our visitors a Red Giant and chatting about the life cycle of stars...

The weather was humid...and I did catch a few light rain drops...but the hard rain stayed away and I was busy attending to the curious and fans...

Old friend, Dominga stopped by, offered us some vino and shared some laughs with us and her friends...

Our visitors camped out by the observation site, sharing the views and chatting with me throughout this evening...

Maria was my support crew member for this fun session, as we attended to 68 guests in our 2 1/2 hour "Non-Perseid" Chicago Astronomer event.

(This was our initial test of the Chicago Astronomer Prototype T-Shirts for the C.A. crew. Worked well.)

Pending weather, we might make it back out Monday evening, (12 August), but most certainly on Wednesday the 14th of August at 8pm.

Check the Chicago Astronomer website and social media feeds for updates.

[RobbW]

Aug 12, 2013 4:21:43 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

With the sky closing back up, I slewed over to the famous skyline for a tour of the more interesting features, such as the Sears Tower antennae array, the Ceres statue on top of the Chicago Board of Trade and Navy Pier...

I do not know this supposed "Sears Tower" of which you speak!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Whatcha talkin' 'bout Willis?

[RobbW]

Exactly!

[Paulie pchris00]

Like Sox Park, if Willis wants me to to refer to that building by the name they paid for, I'm going to need a cut of the payout. For the right price, I'll call it whatever they want me to call it. Until then, it was and is to me, the Sears Tower.