The Aquarids

walsworth

walsworth

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Space Weather News for May 4, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a stream of dusty debris from Halley's Comet, the source of the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Wednesday, May 6th, with as many as 85 meteors per hour over the southern hemisphere. Rates in the northern hemisphere will be less, 20 to 30 per hour. The best time to look is during the dark hour before local sunrise on Wednesday morning. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and details.
 
Oh, stop it! You know I went up onto our flat roof many a night and oft, scanning the skies for all the Perseids, any number of 'oids', and a satellite you promised - and bugger-all happened! (Laughing emoticon here!)
 
I have a great track record in seeing things accidentally but seldom seeing the thing I really want to see. I saw the Northern Lights on a very rare appearance this far south, but thought it was some odd effect of light pollution (It definitely wasn't). I witnessed a splendid lunar eclipse whilst trotting to the loo in the middle of the night, but I've never seen one that I actually looked for, due to cloud cover. :blink:
 
Did actually manage to see a lunar eclipse last year from start to finish. Very frosty night so no cloud - bloody freezing but worth it, a beautiful sight.
 
Phillips - you have no chance of ever getting into Brighton again! Well, not without limping badly off the course, anyway!

Wals: absolutely sodding typical - heavily overcast all day, tonight no exception. Wherever those little Aquarids are, they ain't showin' themselves dahn sarf!

I have seen a lunar eclipse, a couple of solar eclipses, and Halley's Comet. Also saw some sort of meteor shower when I lived in Staffordshire - it looked like a very, very tiny grey smudge - incredibly unexciting. Also seen some shooting stars - used to see them very clearly when out on night-time beach picnics in the (Arabian) Gulf. I don't think I've ever seen one in the UK - but then, I'm doomed not to see any of the activities Wals indicates, either!
 
Hale Bop was the most impressive comet that I've ever seen, most are very indistinct. We suffer from so much light polution it's difficult to see anything faint.
 
Oh yes! I saw that too, totally forgot. Foolishly I decided to bus home from the Champion Hurdle and got stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours. Sat there daydreaming and looking out at the steadily darkening sky until I spotted a large, bright light over to the west. Luckily, having been racing, I had my bins with me and got a really good view. All the other passengers were staring at the mad woman but when I explained to my neighbour what I was watching they were all interested and the bins got passed around the bus.
 
THAT'S the one I was desperately trying to recall, too! Yes, the Big Bopper - spent an age scanning the heavens and finally found the bugger with a huge telescope (well, huge by personal standards). Not quite what I'd thought I'd see, though - I think you've really got to be at Mount Palomar to get the full impact of these little twinkles.
 
Every time I se this topic I think it refers to an Indie Rock band that Euronymous would hate.
 
The last time I was in a music shop, Elvis was at number 1, and there was a tall blonde, Dusty Springfield lookalike behind the ramp, only reason I went in there. I still see her occasionally, needs ironing now though!
 
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