Perseid meteor shower 2009: Times to watch, places to go and a Twitter party
The annual Perseid meteor showers, which seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus, have been viewable to some extent since around July 17. But tonight, they are expected to be at their peak, with as many as 80 meteors streaking the sky hourly.
You can look up for them throughout the night tonight, but especially promising times are between 9 and 11 p.m. PDT, and before dawn on Wednesday morning, according to a NASA blog (by the way, this NASA post provides a fun 101 on meteors).
Just before the first rays of Wednesday, you may see “dozens” of the shooting stars. The 9-to-11 p.m. window, though, is when you should watch for what astronomers call “earthgrazers,” which may make up for their lack of frequency with their memorable good looks. These are “meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond,” said Bill Cooke of NASA, as quoted in another NASA post. “They are long, slow and colorful — among the most beautiful of meteors.”
Be warned that the Perseids’ visibility may be mildly obscured by an especially bright moon tonight, according to a Discover Magazine blog. Yet, it should still be a great show.
To get your best look at the sky’s goings-on, being in the middle of nowhere is ideal. More practically, of course, that means somewhat remote mountain and desert areas are a better bet for clear skies than downtown Los Angeles. Last year, L.A. Times’ recommendations included Joshua Tree National Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park and Mount Pinos. But if those are too long a haul for you at the last minute, just try to find a place that’s not too light-polluted. Then, lie on your back and watch the show unfold.
Starting before night falls for us, you can keep tabs on the astronomical event with the help of a Twitter Meteorwatch, run by the UK-based Newbury Astronomical Society (@newburyas), with the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (@astronomy2009uk). Use the #meteorwatch hashtag, and look out for real-time images and observations from amateur and professional sky-watchers around the world.
- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times
Photo: A recent year’s meteor viewed from Joshua Tree National Park. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
75 Comments on “Perseid meteor shower 2009: Times to watch, places to go and a Twitter party”
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August 11th, 2009 at 9:22 am
My Dad and I used to watch this every year together because it happens to land on my Bday
August 11th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
My son and i heard about the shower this morning but my eldest was very sceptical and now both of them are in the garden telling me it’s awesome! They’ve asked if we can go out in the car soon to a more remote location to get a better view!! How can I refuse?
August 11th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Where is a good place to go in san diego?
August 11th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I’m in LA and wondering if anyone knows where to go…
August 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
My wife and I want to find a place to watch near LA. I’d prefer if there was some group or club to go with…
August 11th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
i have been staring from my window for quite long, feeling unlucky already ..all i can see is planes flying across …
August 11th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Hi
I live in ALBANIA.
Can i see this wonderfull eveniment’?
And in what time exatly’?
Thnks :)
August 11th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I’ve gone to Mt. Pinos a few times, it’s spectacular.
August 11th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
We are in north Jersey, can we see them tonight??
August 11th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
We are in San Diego, and we will be heading out on the 8 east past Viejas Casino. The sky is always clear around there. Find a good safe spot. I can’t remember the street we got off though sorry.
August 11th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
amazing!! can i see them from borneo by any chance??
August 11th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
WAIT WAT TIME DOES THIS METOR SHOWER START IN SAN JOSE CA OR MILPITAS CA
August 11th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
happy birthday!
August 11th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
i cant belive that i missed it.
it would have been the first.
gosh how was it?
August 11th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Im in Gallup, New Mexico. Does anyone know if that is a good place to view the shower??? please let me know and comment back.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Is da shower only in USA? HOW ABOUT NZ?
August 11th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
if i were in LA i would leave just to get out of town
August 11th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
San Francisco fog and meteor showers don’t mix. Ugh!
August 11th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
what’s a good place in San Francisco?
August 11th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I live in Indiana and I have been watching for quite a long time and nothing has happened.
August 11th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
It’s a beautiful show here on our farm in northern Illinois at midnight! One of the best we’ve ever seen!
August 11th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Where else in San diego???
August 11th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
ashley, you did not miss it, its tonight :P
August 11th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
LA, California, I’ve seen 3 so far!
August 11th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I’m outside of Chicago and looking at a bright moon…eastward…right?
August 11th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
My brother and I used to giggle when we passed the sign that said “Mt. Pinos, next exit”. My brother would ask “what does that sign say?”… kids :)
The meteor shower is good in some years. The moon screws it up a bit in others. Just watched for about 30 minutes and saw nothing. Will check again before dawn.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
AMAZING!
August 11th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
If you are in Gallup N.M., you should see a spectacular show in the northwestern sky. Any dark place away from the city will be epic. We even saw a few at the beach in Orange County tonight, before the fog rolled in.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Repeating the most relevant part of the post, for those who have lingering Qs about where to see the Perseids in Southern California:
“Last year, L.A. Times’ recommendations included Joshua Tree National Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park and Mount Pinos. But if those are too long a haul for you at the last minute, just try to find a place that’s not too light-polluted. Then, lie on your back and watch the show unfold.”
August 11th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
I live in Eastern England what time does the meteor shower start today or have I already missed it??
August 12th, 2009 at 12:11 am
I woke up my kids at midnight and we trooped out to a remote field. They were ready to go back to bed until they started seeing lots of action around 1 a.m. I had to drag them off to bed! We live in IL.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Saw my first just after midnight. Im in woodland hills…looking north east…with a tree blocking the raising moon.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Aw. Out here in Joshua Tree we should be having a perfect viewing, but it’s cloudy!
People should know that, although tonight is the peak, the showers continue for a few weeks. But they’ll need to go to NASA or SpaceWeather.com to find the times as the days change so will the times.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I’m always very exciting about Perseid meteor shower - I watch it every year;)
August 12th, 2009 at 12:39 am
hello all
i just read an article about “The best time to watch 2009 Perseid meteor shower,12 Aug 2009 Tonight”
if you like me want to watch the Perseid meteor shower at best time and place, you can not miss it.
have fun tonight!
http://www.download-streaming-video.com/flv-downloader-pro/best-time-to-watch-view-2009-Perseid-meteor-shower.html#159
August 12th, 2009 at 12:43 am
where can i see it if im in Auckland New Zealand ??
August 12th, 2009 at 12:45 am
im in indonesia. haha. this is impossible.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:07 am
These meteors can be seen from anywhere and they can happen anytime from about dusk to dawn. All you need is to look up. The best watching conditions are 1) The darker the sky, the better. (If you can see the Milky Way the you have a pretty good “dark” sky.) 2) The fewer clouds the better and 3) The more sky you can see the better. Just lie flat on something comfortable and try to get a view of the entire sky since then can happen anywhere. You may catch one with your eye or see some in your peripheral vision. Be patient. The don’t happen at any specific moment.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:12 am
the further East you go the more you See. I;m lucky enough to have an acre in my bare land in my back yard.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:49 am
m from Pakistan, just heard about this meteor show….its 12th august here,,,,,can anyone please guide me when i can watch,,,,,m desperate to see please help me with this…..
August 12th, 2009 at 2:01 am
where in brooklyn newyorrkk.
August 12th, 2009 at 2:17 am
Watching early this morning, here are some Perseid meteor shower videos if you are waiting like me for the clouds to pass: http://bit.ly/QPcnV
August 12th, 2009 at 2:28 am
I live in New Jersey. When can i see it?!
August 12th, 2009 at 3:10 am
still waiting
August 12th, 2009 at 3:44 am
I just got back from watching the meteor shower. I took the family out to a remote location on the river on the southwest side of Lucas County, Ohio. The shower was moderate. We did a couple of night meteors but, not the 80-100 per that other people have reported. We live in northwest Ohio. Could our geographical location impact out viewing that much?
August 12th, 2009 at 3:58 am
how goes the viewing around the planet?
I’m in the bay area in Livermore, CA.
August 12th, 2009 at 5:10 am
I am in Bangalore.Can I see this?
August 12th, 2009 at 5:43 am
Hi, I’m from Michigan in the Detroit-Area. Can anyone recommend a great spot for this event? Thanks.
August 12th, 2009 at 6:01 am
I’m in Long Island, NY. I didn’t see any last night. I guess I wasn’t that lucky.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:15 am
will this thing happen in albania
August 12th, 2009 at 8:44 am
You can see the Meteor shower from anywhere! And as the article says the best times are between 9 and 11. the reason is because the Earth is passing through an area that contains more debris than most. The earth Passes through it every year, and as the earth turns it “pushes the particles out of the way. This is visible from anywhere that is dark and on the “forward” side of the earth durring the next 30 - 40 hours or so. Hope this helps.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Can some one please help
Can i see it from Buenos Aires, Argentina and if so at what time???
August 12th, 2009 at 9:31 am
I watched this morning in the Dallas area, not an especially dark place, but saw several in a 15 minute period in the morning twilight, originating from the north at about a 60 degree elevation traveling downward across the eastern sky towards the south. Bright and fast.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:32 am
where is the best place to watch it in west palm beach florida
August 12th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Will the shower still be pretty good tonight? (night between Wed and Thursday 12/13)
August 12th, 2009 at 11:14 am
YOU CAN SEE THE SHOWER FROM AZUZA. TAKE THE 39. GO TO SHOEMAKER ROAD. WE SAW ABOUT 8 AN HR. IT WAS COOL
August 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Does anyone know when the perseid meteor shower is going to be for Lincoln, NE ? =)
August 12th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I live in North Ohio, right on the lake and I’m wondering if I’ll be able to see the Perseid?? :)
August 12th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Didn’t see any last night in Burbank. It was a little heartbreaking, but had a great experience with my friends none the less. Read about it here at my blog.
http://www.thislalife.com
August 12th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
The meteor show is happening all of the time. You just can’t see it in the daylight because of the sunlight.
There are “peak” times when the rotation of the earth will be thrusting into the meteor field, the moonlight is low, and the clouds cooperate. I saw some amazing ones last night around 9pm, with others happening all the way up to when I left around 1:30am.
August 12th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
did not see much from sc, disappointed
August 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Just wondering: Are the meteor showers/is the meteor shower happening tonight?
August 12th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
i was out there for an hour or two at 11pm to 1am last night, looking around perseus, and i didn’t see any? i live in the country so light pollution isnt a problem… i swear i didn’t see even one meteor….
August 12th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
hi, can anyone tell me if I could watched it in Auckland, New Zealand?
cheers
August 12th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I live in Beloit, Wisconsin and supposedly the meteor for us was supposed to start yesterday between 3 and 5 in the morning, so since I’m 13, it was easy for me to stay up all night. My younger siblings also stayed up and were excited…until we were laying in the back yard for hours and we saw no meteors!!!
August 12th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I think its great that this year’s shower co-incides with the crash and burn of Obama’s commie health care plans.
FIZZZZZZZZLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE pop!
Ahh… what a spectacle
August 12th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Took the kids out around 10pm (Central Ohio) for about 45 minutes. We saw about 6 really nice ones. Kids were impressed! This is their first time (ages 7 and 8). We also saw something strange in the middle of the dark sky. It looked like a star, then it started moving. It got brighter while moving and then sort of burnt out. I never saw anything like that before. It was not a normal meteor, really odd. I really cannot explain it… Kids got spooked too.
August 13th, 2009 at 7:00 am
OMG…i was up all night watching with my friends and family…i had so much fun! any way i am glad the clouds cleared up for the night :)
August 13th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I live in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles Ca.) about 20 miles north of Downtown L.A. I went out on August 12th 30 min after sunset. I knew I would not see much there so I drove another 38 miles north to Lake Piru out of the city lights. I was pretty happy with what I saw. I viewed just under 20 bright meteors per hour.(9 - 10 p.m.) Some burned for almost 3 seconds!! Pretty cool show.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Was taking the cover off the pool around 5:00am… happened to be facing NE and saw one VERY bright meteor streek across the sky just as the sun began to brighten it at sunrise. It must have been quite large to show up so clearly in that light. WOW.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
OMG NOOOooo !!
i JUST missed it! 12:35 p.m.!
man….will it still go on??any other time im ALIVE that it’ll show? well anyway im at mia.florida>>couldve i seen it frum there or wat? theres pretty much clouds out but o well.another 100 years -:(
August 14th, 2009 at 12:52 am
I live in Indonesia.this morning about 00.30 a.m i saw the meteor.
but not only that, i also saw red light and blue like stars,but it moving backward and foward.
Some of them move by spinning.
I kinda confuse of what i see.
Does anyone saw the same things?
August 14th, 2009 at 10:17 am
I only watched for a little while the 13th and I saw two meteors… one very small faint one and one large bright one… my bf who was just a few miles away saw several… I have come to find that it is mainly luck that brings the meteors into your veiw. Are there suppose to be anymore the rest of this week?
August 14th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
here is a list of when to see more meteor showers if your someone like me that missed it completly if yall find something about tonight can you let me know im in the dallas area
http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/
October 14th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Where can I see the meteor shower on November 17, 2009 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida?