I really need to pay closer attention to this thread cause Gazer and Jo are in here all the time talking about the upcoming astronomical events to watch for.
I just saw in the news that the Perseids peak this weekend (which everybody already knew ). Well for once it should be clear here and I should be in a prime location to watch them IF I can drag myself out of bed.

Glad you stopped by, fantasia! Hope you see a few meteors.

Sharing ISS passes with other NarniaWebbers - whether in person or separated by the miles - is a special experience.

The other night I was out watching an excellent ISS pass when a neighbor stopped by and asked if I was watching 'shooting stars' (perhaps because she'd heard me say "A meteor!" as one passed near the station. Fun times).

In addition to this weekend's Perseids, keep an eye on the southwest sky as it gets dark: Mars is quickly approaching Saturn and Spica, and will pass between them early next week. The 3 objects will be in a line less than 5 degrees apart (less than the distance between the Pointer stars of the Big Dipper). More info is here: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance

Hello all;

If anyone is interested, here are pictures of the two new starbook spreads I managed to get done this summer.

mm

fantasia. I wish clear skies for you ... and that you can somehow pull yourself out of bed to enjoy the meteor shower!

The other night I was out watching an excellent ISS pass when a neighbor stopped by and asked if I was watching 'shooting stars' (perhaps because she'd heard me say "A meteor!" as one passed near the station. Fun times).

That's cool when that happens, stargazer. Sadly, it seems too few people have an interest, so it's quite special when someone unanticipated does.

And yes, nothing like viewing the night sky in person with other NarniaWebbers.

So, tonight's the night, and we are bogged in by heavily overcast skies and much rain, which should be continuing through the night and into tomorrow, so, sadly there is not a lot of chance for us to see the meteor shower tonight. *weeps* Well, I'm already anticipating December's Geminids then (but at that time of year, clear skies are even less likely ). Take note of skyandtelescope's informative article on the Perseid shower.

For those of you who have the opportunity tonight, ENJOY!!! I look forward to hearing reports.

Mother-Music, I am awed by your creative talent in displaying what may otherwise be dry astronomical info (to some). Beautiful work!

Hm. I thought I had deleted that post. I deleted it because the pictures aren't properly displayed. But, apparently, the deletion didn't happen!

Well, enjoy what's there. If anyone wants to see the actual photos, they are available on my FB page. Or if anyone wants to PM me instructions how to properly display them here, I'll repost them.

mm

Hmm, that's odd, M-M. I get notifications about SO posts in Google Reader, and there I could see both pages in each photo. I'll PM you about other possibilities so they display better here.

Mars is quickly approaching Saturn and Spica, and will pass between them early next week.

I meant to comment on this: really only that I'm looking forward to seeing these three together once the skies clear late Sunday.

Ok, let's see if this works. Here's the entire album on Photobucket.

http://s473.photobucket.com/albums/rr96 ... 0Projects/

mm

No Perseids for me tonight. Clouds built back in after what seemed to be a rather sunny evening. Hopefully tomorrow I can go out and at least see a few.

Mother-Music, your astronomical scrapbook is so beautiful!

I never posted about seeing Venus... So here's the late edition... We went to the planetarium, and were going to see it through a telescope. However, it was not feasible to do so for the whole time we were there, so we braved the line at the gift shop and bought solar glasses. We shared them and were able to see it. I had some troubles with my glasses, etc, but I was able to see it for a bit. At the very end, I got to look through some binocular like telescope and it was so amazing and beautiful! The sun looked like a large pizza. I enjoyed that day very much and was glad I saw a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

The Perseids meteor shower.... Man, I heard about it on the news and wanted to see it since I was almost in time and there were clear skies. I saw nothing, except for when we were just about to hit the sack, something like lightning was in the sky. I ran to the window with my sister and we stared and stared and stared with one bright star as our only company (and another less-distinct star off to the side). Another lightening thingy but alas, no meteors. Maybe next time! Or, haha, the next event akin to this as this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, too. Or, wait! Isn't it also going to be visible tonight?!

Saturday night was too cloudy so we didn't see any Perseids, but Friday night my husband and I plopped down in the middle of a field and did manage to see 5 meteors shoot across the sky during the time we were out there. We also had a Great Horned Owl fly over us (dogs went crazy). Bonus. Oh and we saw a satellite too.

I love hearing owls when I'm out stargazing/camping.

No Perseids here...just some much-needed rain. However, last night was clear and I showed my sister's grandchildren Saturn, Mars, and Spica almost in a straight line, and a pass of the ISS.

RIP Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, who passed away today at the age of 82.

43 years later, I still remember sitting in front of our little TV watching that blurry black-and-white picture with "Live From the Moon" at the bottom...

This month has had numerous opportunities to view the ISS during convenient evening hours, though this is coming to an end. Mars and Saturn are getting farther apart and lower in the evening sky, but soon bright Jupiter will become an evening star in the east. Now if we could just shake this humid weather...

I've been watching some of the news coverage and am very impressed. They are making a point of describing Neil Armstrong exactly as he was. A man who did his job and didn't want special accolades for doing his job. NASA TV is running what footage they have. He will be missed.

I'm not old enough to remember the landing, but I have read much on it. I've got a mini library of historical non fiction space history books. That era of the space race always fascinated me.

Yes, Mother-Music, the photobucket link to your sketches worked fine, thank you! Beautifully done!

Isn't it also going to be visible tonight?!

Yes, they would have been. (Sorry for the late response!) It's just that the morning of the 12th was the peak, but I think Perseid meteors were to be seen until the end of August or so ... which is today. But less and less as each night passes. (Correct me if I'm mistaken there, stargazer.)

Friday night my husband and I plopped down in the middle of a field and did manage to see 5 meteors shoot across the sky during the time we were out there. We also had a Great Horned Owl fly over us (dogs went crazy). Bonus. Oh and we saw a satellite too.

A Great Horned Owl. So cool! Glad you got to see some meteors (and a satellite), fk!

Re Neil Armstrong: as I've said elsewhere, what a legacy!

43 years later, I still remember sitting in front of our little TV watching that blurry black-and-white picture with "Live From the Moon" at the bottom...

Ditto!!! I was just over a decade old, but that image has been burned in my head with awe.

That era of the space race always fascinated me.

I never would have guessed. Seriously, kat, your knowledge of that space era amazes me.

Well, considering our Perseid night was supposed to be quite cloudy, when I went out of the house around 3:45, I caught some great meteors before the clouds blew in again. In hindsight, though, I should have arisen a couple of hours earlier to view even more. How I love lying out in the backyard with the neighbourhood completely quiet and only the sky above me, filled with such beauty!

Now that some mornings are quite cool, I'm beginning to get out for my early a.m. walks again (from about 5:45 to 6:30), and Jupiter, Venus, the Pleiades, and Orion are all glorious in the sky. What a treat to walk under them again.

Speaking of Space...

One week from tomorrow, Endeavour is taking off for it's new home in California. They are actually bringing it through Houston!!!!!!!!!!! If I can figure out how to get there, I'm going.

For those who don't live in a city as spread out as Houston... I'm a good solid hour away from Ellington Field where the 747 and Endeavour will land. And that's if traffic's not a nightmare.

It's going to be here until Wednesday morning, so I'm going to do my best to go see it. I've been to Kennedy Space Center twice and not yet seen an flown space shuttle. I missed a landing by about 12 hours one trip. So I really want to go now that I know when and where it'll be.