What about the Aurigids?

While the Perseid Meteor Shower, next month, is considered the best meteor shower of the year, this month's Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower may actually be easier to see, due to the Moon setting early during this meteor shower's peak.

The Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower, generally visible from mid-July to mid-August and particularly over the next week, peaks at 5:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 Coordinated Universal Time on Tuesday Morning, 2014 July 29. New Moon occurs tonight, Saturday, 2014 July 26 at 6:42 p.m. EDT / 22:42 UTC. So, following New Moon, the Moon begins the waxing crescent phase, but sets in the early to mid-evening over the next week.

At its peak, if you have ideal observing conditions, you may be able to see about 20 meteors an hour during the Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower.

However, to see these meteors you need to be away from city lights, as artificial lighting can often drown-out the dimmer meteors. The best time to see any meteor shower is between local midnight and morning twilight, when the Earth is actually turning-into the meteor shower.

Binoculars and telescopes are not very useful for finding meteors. Meteors streak across the sky in a very short period of time, too short to aim binoculars or a telescope. So, the best way to view a meteor shower is to lie on the ground, in an area with a good view of the entire sky (with few obstructions such as buildings, trees or hills), and keep scanning the entire sky.

Meteor showers appear to emanate from a radiant point in the sky. For the Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower, the radiant appears to be the Star Delta Aquarii, the brightest star in the Constellation Aquarius. However, you should not, necessarily, be looking only at Aquarius, when looking for meteors in this shower. Meteors can appear in any part of the sky at any time.

Southern Hemisphere observers are a little favored during this meteor shower, as the radiant is higher in the sky south of the equator, during the peak of this meteor shower.

Of course, meteor showers. like all celestial observations, are weather-permitting. If the weather in your area does not permit direct viewing outdoors of this meteor shower, it can be viewed during special web-casts at a couple sites on the Internet.

2014

spacewatchtower.blogspot.com.tr

Where do the Aurigids meteors come from?

What Supermoon Is Indeed?

What is a supermoon? It’s a new or full moon closely coinciding with perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit. The name supermoon was coined by an astrologer, Richard Nolle, over 30 years ago. It was popularized and came to be an accepted term only in the past few years. Are supermoons hype? In our opinion … gosh, no, just modern folklore. They’ve entered the popular culture (check out Sophie Hunger’s music video in this post, for example). And they can cause real physical effects, such as larger-than-usual tides. According to the definition of supermoon coined by Nolle, the year 2015 has a total of six supermoons. The new moons of January, February and March have passed. Still to come are the full moons of August, September and October. Follow the links below to learn about the supermoons of 2015.

What is a supermoon? We confess: before a few years ago, we in astronomy had never heard that term. To the best of our knowledge, astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term supermoon over 30 years ago. The term has only recently come into popular usage. Nolle has defined a supermoon as:

… a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

That’s a pretty generous definition and allows for many supermoons. By this definition, according to Nolle:

There are 4-6 supermoons a year on average.

What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons? We called them a perigee full moon, or a perigee new moon. Perigee just means “near Earth.”

The moon is full, or opposite Earth from the sun, once each month. It’s new, or more or less between the Earth and sun, once each month. And, every month, as the moon orbits Earth, it comes closest to Earth. That point is called perigee. The moon always swings farthest away once each month; that point is called apogee.

No doubt about it. Supermoon is a catchier term than perigee new moon or perigee full moon.

We first became familiar with the supermoon label in the year 2011 when the media used it to describe the full moon of March 19, 2011. On that date, the full moon aligned with proxigee – the closest perigee of the year – to stage the closest, largest full moon of 2011.

About three or four times a year, the new or full moon coincides closely in time with the perigee of the moon—the point when the moon is closest to the Earth. These occurrences are often called ‘perigean spring tides.’ The difference between ‘perigean spring tide’ and normal tidal ranges for all areas of the coast is small. In most cases, the difference is only a couple of inches above normal spring tides. Image and caption via NOAA.

When are the supermoons of 2015? By Nolle’s definition, the new moon or full moon has to come within 361,836 kilometers (224,834 miles) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, in order to be considered a supermoon.

By that definition, the year 2015 has a total of six supermoons. The first supermoon, for 2015, came with the January 20 new moon. The new moons on February 18 and March 20 were also considered supermoons, according to Nolle’s definition, and that same definition dictates that the full moons of August, September and October will be supermoons, too. Thus, the full moon supermoons – aka near-perigee full moons – in 2015:

Full moon of August 29 at 18:35 UTC

Full moon of September 28 at 2:50 UTC

Full moon of October 27 at 12:05 UTC

The full moon on September 28, 2015, will present the closest supermoon of the year (356,896 kilometers or 221,754 miles). What’s more, this September 28, 2015 full moon will stage a total lunar eclipse, concluding a series of Blood Moon eclipses that started with the total lunar eclipse of April 15, 2014.

What is a Blood Moon?

However, the new moon supermoon on February 18 only lies about 200 kilometers farther away than the September 28 full moon supermoon. At a distance of 357,098 kilometers or 221,890 miles, the new moon of February 18 features the second-closest supermoon of 2015.

Want more detail? Okay. In 2015, the moon comes closest to Earth on September 28 (356,877 kilometers), and swings farthest away some two weeks before, on September 14 (406,464 kilometers). That’s a difference of 49,587 kilometers (406,464 – 356,877 = 49,587). Ninety percent of this 49,587-figure equals 44,628.3 kilometers (0.9 x 49,587 = 44,628.3). Presumably, any new or full moon coming closer than 361,863.1 kilometers (406,464 – 44,628.3 = 361,835.7) would be “at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth.”

Around each new moon (left) and full moon (right) – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the range between high and low tides is greatest. These are called spring tides. A supermoon – new or full moon at its closest to Earth – accentuates these tides. Image via physicalgeography.net

Spring tides will accompany the supermoons. Will the tides be larger than usual at the January, February and March 2015 new moons and the August, September and October 2015 full moons? Yes, all full moons (and new moons) combine with the sun to create larger-than-usual tides, but closer-than-average full moons (or closer-than-average new moons) elevate the tides even more.

Each month, on the day of the new moon, the Earth, moon and sun are aligned, with the moon in between. This line-up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low.

The closet new moon of the year on February 18 and the year’s closest full moon on September 28 will accentuate the spring tide all the more, giving rise to what’s called a perigean spring tide. If you live along an ocean coastline, watch for high tides caused by the February 18 perigean new moon and September 28 perigean full moon.

Will these high tides cause flooding? Probably not, unless a strong weather system accompanies the perigean spring tide. Still, keep an eye on the weather, because storms do have a large potential to accentuate perigean spring tides.

Dates of closest full supermoons in past and future years. More often than not, the one day of the year that the full moon and perigee align also brings about the year’s closest perigee (also called proxigee). Because the moon has recurring cycles, we can count on the full moon and perigee to come in concert in periods of about one year, one month and 18 days.

Therefore, the full moon and perigee realign in periods of about one year and 48 days. So we can figure the dates of the closest full moons in recent and future years as:

March 19, 2011

May 6, 2012

June 23, 2013

August 10, 2014

September 28, 2015

November 14, 2016

January 2, 2018.

There won’t be a perigee full moon in 2017 because the full moon and perigee won’t realign again (after November 14, 2016) until January 2, 2018.

Looking further into the future, the perigee full moon will come closer than 356,500 kilometers for the first time in the 21st century (2001-2100) on November 25, 2034 (356,446 km). The closest full moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356,425 km).

By the way, some astronomers will call all the full moons listed above proxigee full moons.

But, like you, we’ll have fun just calling ’em supermoons.

What is a Black Moon? We had never heard the term Black Moon until early 2014. It doesn’t come from astronomy, or skylore, either. Instead, according to David Harper, the term comes from Wiccan culture. It’s the name for the second of two new moons in one calendar month. January 2014, for example, had two new moon supermoons, the second of which was not only a supermoon, but a Black Moon. Does a Black Moon have to be a supermoon in order to be called Black? No. You can read more about Black Moons here.

The next Black moon by the above definition will occur on October 30, 2016. Sten Odenwald at astronomycafe.net lists some other names for the second new moon in a month: Spinner Moon, Finder’s Moon, Secret Moon.

However, we’ve also come across another definition for Black Moon: the third of four new moons in one season. This last happened with the new moon supermoon of February 18, 2015, because this particular new moon was the third of four new moons to take place between the December 2014 solstice and the March 2015 equinox. The next Black Moon by this definition will occur on August 21, 2017, to feature a Black Moon total solar eclipse in the United States.

Bottom line: The term supermoon doesn’t come from astronomy. It comes from astrology, and the definition is pretty generous so that there are 4 to 6 supermoons each year. This post explains what a supermoon is, how many will occur in 2015, which moon is the most “super” of all the 2015 supermoons, and gives a list of upcoming full supermoons for the years ahead.

earthsky.org

It`s Supermoons Weekend

First of 3 full supermoons on August 29

Supermoon weekend! The full moon of August 29, 2015 is the first of this year’s three full supermoons. It’s a full moon near perigee, or near its closest point to Earth for the month. Like it or not, modern skylore dictates that these sorts of moons are called supermoons.

Image at top shows a micro-moon (smallest full moon) superimposed on supermoon (largest full moon). This image – an Astronomy Picture of the Day – is from Stefano Sciarpetti.

But will your eye see that the moon is bigger on the night of August 29? Well … it depends. Are you an incredibly careful observer? Have you watched the full moon over a period of months, leading up to now? If so, says Daniel Fischer in Königswinter, Germany, you can discern the extra-large size of the supermoon using just your eye. Read Daniel’s article on this subject.

The closest and largest full supermoon of them all will fall on September 28, to stage a total eclipse of the moon. Some will call it a Blood Moon eclipse.

In North America, we often call the August full moon the Sturgeon Moon, Corn Moon or Grain Moon. The August 2015 full moon is also the first of three full-moon supermoons in 2015. Previously, we had three new moon supermoons in January, February and March, 2015. The full moons on August 29, September 28 and October 27 all enjoy the supermoon designation because the centers of these full moons and the center of Earth are less than 361,836 kilometers (224,834 miles) apart. The closest supermoon of the year comes with the September 28 full moon, presenting a moon that’s only 356,877 kilometers (221,753 miles) from Earth.

Details on the August, 2015 full supermoon

The full moon mirrors sun’s path for six months hence

Super cool super-moonrise composite from Fiona M. Donnelly in Ontario. This was the supermoon of August, 2014.

Details on the August, 2015 full supermoon The full moon falls at the same instant all over the world: August 29 at 18:35 Universal Time.

Clock time for this full moon – and every full moon – varies by time zone. For London, the moon turns full at 7:35 p.m. BST on August 29, at which time the afternoon sun shines in the west and the moon has not yet risen in the east. For the U.S., the moon turns full at 1:35 p.m. CDT on August 29, when the sun shines way up high and the moon lies on the other side of the world, beneath our feet.

Technically speaking, the moon turns full at the instant that the moon lies most opposite the sun for the month. Because the moon stays more or less opposite the sun throughout the night, watch for a full-looking moon in the east at dusk, highest in the sky around midnight and low in the west at dawn. On the nights immediately before and after full moon, the moon still looks plenty full to the eye.

When is perigee, the moon’s closest point to Earth? In August, 2015, the moon’s perigee comes less than one day after full moon, on August 30 at 15:24 Universal Time.

The close coincidence of full moon and perigee makes this August full moon a supermoon.

By the way, no particular effects are expected from this extra-close full moon … unless you have the mass of an ocean! In that case, gravity will come into play. In other words, because it’s a supermoon, and relatively close to Earth, this month’s full moon will pull harder than usual on Earth’s oceans. Expect higher-than-usual tides to follow this full moon by a day or so.

The full moon mirrors sun’s path for six months hence. By the way, any full moon mirrors the sun’s path across the sky for six months hence.

And so here’s another cool thing you can notice about the August 29 full moon. As seen from the Northern Hemisphere, this full moon will follow the rather low path of the late winter sun. As viewed from southerly latitudes, the moon will follow the loftier path of the late summer sun.

Enjoy moon-watching tonight and Sunday night!

Day and night sides of Earth at instant of August 2015 full moon (2015 August 29 at 18:35 Universal Time).

Bottom line: The full moon on August 29 ushers in the first of three full-moon supermoons in 2015. Full moon is August 29, 2015, at 18:35 Universal Time. The moon’s perigee or closest point comes on August 30, at 15:24 Universal Time.

earthsky.org

August 2015 guide to the five visible planets

Saturn rules this month! And that’s very unusual, because Saturn is the faintest and least noticeable of the bright planets. So why is Saturn top dog in August, 2015? Only because Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter – the other planets visible to the eye alone – all are hiding in the glare of evening or morning twilight throughout this month. Maybe they’re just not wanting to be upstaged by this August’s awesome Perseid meteor shower. Follow the links below to learn more about August planets.

Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are all close to morning or evening twilight glare in August, 2015. Meanwhile, Saturn is up from nightfall until late night.

Saturn rules this month! And that’s very unusual, because Saturn is the faintest and least noticeable of the bright planets. So why is Saturn top dog in August, 2015? Only because Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter – the other planets visible to the eye alone – all are hiding in the glare of evening or morning twilight throughout this month. Maybe they’re just not wanting to be upstaged by this August’s awesome Perseid meteor shower. Follow the links below to learn more about August planets.

Evening planets in August 2015

Brilliant Venus disappears in sunset glare by mid-August

Bright Jupiter lost in sunset glare in early August

Mercury up in evening twilight, best from Southern Hemisphere

Saturn easily visible from nightfall until late night

Morning planets in August 2015

 Venus (brightest), the star Regulus and Jupiter (below Regulus) low in the twilight on August 3, 2015.

 From the S. Hemisphere, the planet Mercury can be seen below the trio of objects in the photo above. Here, Venus is in the top right, Jupiter in the top left, and Mercury below Jupiter. Photo taken August 4, 2015 by Helio Carvalho Vital in Saquarema, Brazil. Canon PowerShot SX60 HS camera. Photos were treated for noise reduction and enhancing contrast.

Brilliant Venus disappears in sunset glare by mid-August. Venus is the brightest planet and third-brightest sky object overall, after the sun and moon. When it’s visible, it’s very, very prominent in our sky. But it’s not easily visible this month. In August 2015, Venus moves out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. This happens officially on August 15, 2015, when Venus will pass nearly 8 degrees south of the sun as seen from our earthly perspective. If you are blessed with an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunrise, you’ll probably see Venus low in the east, about an hour before sunrise, sometime during the last week of August, 2015.

The real challenge is to see Venus in the west at evening dusk in early August. At mid-northern latitudes, Venus sets roughly 45 minutes after the sun, and at temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, Venus sets over an hour after sunset in early August.

In other words, the Southern Hemisphere has the advantage over the Northern Hemisphere for catching Venus in the evening sky in the first part of the month.

Southerly latitudes might even see Venus with Jupiter and Mercury toward the end of the first week of August, though only for a brief while after sunset. Click here to find out more. Thereafter, Venus and Jupiter rapidly sink into the sun’s glare and disappears from the evening sky, while Mercury remains an evening object for the rest of the month. But Mercury, too, is better from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.

 Evening dusk on August 7, 2015: Venus is off by herself to the left. The triangle of lights to the right: Regulus (brightest star in the constellation Leo) at top, Jupiter at bottom and Mercury in between. View planet animation August 3-8. Photo and animation, courtesy of Peter Lowenstein of Zimbabwe. 

Bright Jupiter lost in sunset glare in early August. Jupiter shines more brilliantly than any star. It’s the second-brightest planet after Venus. Both Venus and Jupiter will transition over into the morning sky in August, 2015.


In late June and early July, Venus and Jupiter staged their closest conjunction until August 27, 2016, and displayed a second – though less close – conjunction in the evening sky on July 31 – the same date as this year’s Blue Moon.

Now these two brilliant worlds are heading for their third and final conjunction of the year in the morning sky on October 26, 2015.

By a wonderful coincidence, as Venus and Jupiter showcase their final conjunction of the year – on October 26 – Venus will reach its greatest eastern (morning) elongation from the sun.

Moreover, the year’s closest grouping of three planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – will also take place on October 26. That’s a big deal because the next planetary trio won’t occur again until January, 2021!

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere or the northern tropics, you might catch the conjunction of Jupiter and Mercury in the evening sky after sunset on August 6 or 7. Have binoculars on hand for the conjunction will take place near the horizon and in the murk of evening dusk. It’ll be their closest conjunction since May 22, 2012; and closer one won’t happen again until November 27, 2018.

Normally, if you have binoculars or a telescope, it’s fairly easy to see Jupiter’s four major moons, which look like pinpricks of light on or near the same plane. They are often called the Galilean moons to honor Galileo, who discovered these great Jovian moons in 1610. In their order from Jupiter, these moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. In August of 2015, however, Jupiter’s moons will have a hard time competing with the sun’s glare.

These moons circle Jupiter around the Jovian equator. In cycles of six years, we view Jupiter’s equator edge-on. So, in 2015, we get to view a number of mutual events involving Jupiter’s moons through a high-powered telescope. Click here or here or here for more details.

entire review here

earthsky.org

ALISIA & SKANDAU ft. N.A.S.O - MOYAT RAY

Марс изгрява като втора Луна на 26 август

Марс изгрява като втора Луна на 26 август и ще може да се наблюдава с невъоръжено око половин час преди полунощ. Това е изключително рядко природно явление – Марс ще бъде максимално близо до Луната, затова ще изглежда по този начин. Червената планета е на 34,65 милиона мили от Земята, другият път, когато Марс ще дойде толкова близо ще е през 2287 година.

NBP.bg

A Bridge That Celebrates Pedestrians Opens In Copenhagen

Designed by Studio Olafur Eliasson, and built by the non-profit charitable foundation Nordea-fonden, Cirkelbroen bridge is a gift to the city of Copenhagen to promote good living in Denmark.

повече тук

www.contemporist.com

via Doma Art Festival Facebook Page

Персеидите в три красиви таймлапс клипа

Персеидите, които имахме възможност да наблюдаваме наскоро, са може би най-зрелищният метеорен поток през 2013 г. Ако не сте успели да ги видите, можете да се насладите на три спиращи дъха 90-секундни клипа, които показват звездния дъжд в цялата му прелест.

clip1

clip2

clip3

 www.obekti.bg
 

5 август 1962 г. - Открит е първият квазар

Наблюдението на далечен радио сигнал довежда до разпознаването на първия известен квази-звезден астрономически обект, известен като квазар.

До развитието на радио астрономията през 40-те години на XX век, знанието ни за Вселената отвъд нашата Слънчева система бе до голяма степен ограничен от обекти, излъчващи светлина във видимия спектър. Именно тогава астрономите започват да откриват и обекти, които излъчват радио вълни.

Те се натъкват и на точки от далечните небеса, които излъчват както видима светлина, така и радио честоти.

Астрономите Алан Сендаж и Томас Матюс наблюдават Вселената през 1960 и откриват син звездоподобен обект, който излъчва силни радио вълни. Една наистина голяма загадка.

През 1962 г. британският радио астроном Сирил Хазард прилага своя метод за наблюдение над този мистериозен обект. Техниката, наречена лунно затъмнение, използва добре изчислената орбитална пътека на Луната, за да определи къде точно се намира обекта, когато спътника ни го закрие (и съответно блокира емисиите). След това отново се определя местоположението му, когато Луната се отмести и сигналът отново се появи.

По това време Хазард е в Университета на Сидни и резервира 65-метровият Parks Radio телескоп, който се намирал на няколкостотин км разстояние от учебното заведение. След като се качва на грешния влак обаче, не успява да стигне на време и пропуска мощния радио източник в съзвездието Дева.

За негово щастие обаче директорът на обсерваторията Джон Болтън взима нещата в свои ръце. Въпросният радио източник обаче бил ниско на хоризонта, затова те решават да отрежат няколко дървета и дори премахват предпазните болтове на радио телескопа. Именно по този начин те наклоняват чинията достатъчно ниско и да улови сигналите.

Обектът, към който астрономите проявявали интерес – 3C 273 – излъчвал огромно количество енергия с много необичаен и невиждан досега спектър.

На следващата година Маартен Шмид използва оптичния телескоп Hale в обсерваторията Mount Palomar в Калифорния, за да разреши загадката. Той се натъква на видима струя, издигаща се от оптично бледия обект. Нещо подобно на водородна радиолиния.

Когато Шмид анализира спектъра на странните излъчвания, той осъзнава, че това са водородни радиолинии, клонящи с невероятните 16 процента към червения спектър. Именно поради тази причина те не са били забелязани по-рано. Нещо повече – отклонение с подобен магнитуд означава, че те се отдалечават от земята с близо 50 км в секунда, или една шеста от скоростта на светлината, и са разположени на 3 млрд. светлинни години. По-далече и по-ярки отколкото повечето известни галактики.

Астрономите започват да наричат тези обекти квази-звездни радио източници. Учен от NASA съкращава този термин просто до квазари. Днес те се наричат квази-звездни обекти, тъй като не всички излъчват радио вълни.

www.obekti.bg

19 август – Световен ден на фотографията

На 19 август се навършват 176 години, откакто фотографията е призната от Френската академия на науките и изящните изкуства.

На 19 август 1839 г. е направено официалното представяне на фотографския процес от Луи Дагер пред Френската академия на науките и изящни изкуства. Френското правителство купува патента и незабавно го прави публично достояние.

Фотографията навлиза широко на потребителския пазар през 1901 г. с представянето на известни модели фотоапарати, а през 1925 г. се появява първият апарат "Лайка" с 35 мм черно-бял филм.

Фотография се нарича процесът на създаване на изображения на реални обекти с помощта на светлината. Терминът произлиза от гръцките думи фос (светлина) и графо ("пиша").
Опитите за "фотографиране" датират още от времето на Леонардо да Винчи, но първата успешна фотографска снимка е от 1826 г. и е дело на френския изобретател Жозеф Нисефор Ниепс.

Той експонирал 8 часа при силна слънчева светлина, а за фотографска плака използвал полирана калаено-оловна плочка.

В България художествената фотография е призната за изкуство през 1957 г. През 1959 г. в тогавашния Техникум по графика (Национална професионална гимназия по полиграфия и фотография) е открито редовно и задочно обучение по фотография.

Първата съхранена снимка на българи е от 1842-1843 година. На портрета са фотографирани във Виена възрожденецът Тодор Минков с майка му. Фотографията вероятно е направена от българина Анастас Йованович, смятат специалистите.

Пионерите фотографи, поставили началото и популяризирали фотографското изкуство в България, са Анастас Йованович, Атанас Стоянов, Тома Хитров, Георги Данчов и Георги Ст. Георгиев.

От 1993 г. фотографията започва да се изучава като отделна специалност в катедрата "Филмово и телевизионно операторство и фотография" на Националната академия за театрално и филмово изкуство (НАТФИЗ).

www.obekti.bg

Каньо Кристалес – най-красивата река в света

Каньо Кристалес, смятана за най-красивата река в света, се намира в северната част на Колумбия, близо до Ла Макарена. Широка е 20 м и е дълга 100 км. Наричана е още и "Реката на петте цвята". Тя се различава от всички други реки в света и е толкова красива, че е достатъчно да бъде посетена и видяна само веднъж, за да остави впечатление за цял живот.

Снимките на Каньо Кристалес наподобяват изображения, обработени с Photoshop, но всъщност са съвсем реални. Това се дължи на цветовете на дъгата, които реката отразява през различните сезони всяка година. Многоцветни мъхове и водорасли, живеещи на скалното речно дъно, са причината за този невероятен природен феномен. Оцветяването се получава между сухия и дъждовния период, когато мъховете и растенията на дъното цъфтят.

Водопадите от реката добавят още повече блясък и допринасят за вече съществуващия спектакъл на цветовете. Реката е природно наследство за народа на Ла Макарена и привлича много пътешественици и туристи от цял свят.

www.obekti.bg

Comet C/1911 N1 Kiess

Comet C/1911 N1 Kiess, is a very long period comet (2497 years - perhaps non-periodic) discovered by Carl Clarence Kiess on July 6, 1911.
The comet's last perihelion was on June 30, 1911. A few months after its discovery, it was noted that its orbital elements were similar to those of non-periodic comet C/1790 A1 Herschel, discovered by Caroline Lucretia Herschel, the sister of William Herschel; the idea that the two comets were in fact the same object remains a hypothesis and not confirmed.
The comet is best known for being the parent body of the Alpha-Aurigids meteor shower.Orbital parameters
Perihelion 0.684 AU
Orbital period 2497 years
Orbital inclination 148.4199
Eccentricity 0.99628
Last perihelion June 30, 1911
Earth Moid 0.00276599 AU

Title: Discovery and observations of Comet b, 1911 (Kiess)
Authors: Kiess, C. C., Einarsson, S., & Meyer, W. F.

2015 Alpha Aurigids and September Perseids

Alpha Aurigids
A minor meteor shower that occasionally produces stronger displays

September (Epsilon Perseids)

A minor meteor shower that produced a somewhat stronger display in 2013

September is often overlooked by many meteor observers due to there being no major meteor showers active. However, it is around this time of the year that sporadic background activity peaks and a number of minor meteor showers are also active.

The Alpha Aurigids start in August and peak at the August/September transition. Moonlight circumstances are poor in 2015 with Full Moon occurring during the night of Aug 29-30 and therefore it will be in the sky throughut the hours of darkness on the night of maximum. Dramatic enhancements of Alpha Aurigid activity have been seen in some years, but none are predicted for 2015. The radiant is at RA 06h04m, Dec +39 .

The September Perseids (sometimes referred to as the Epsilon Perseids) peak around the 9th of the month. The shower is properly observable from the UK by 22h UT, and can be watched thereafter all night. A stronger than usual display from this shower was detected in 2013. A Full Moon restricted observations in 2014, but nothing unusual was reported. Prospects are better for 2015, with the 15% illuminated crescent Moon on maximum night being located in Cancer and therefore only rising late in the night.

A chart showing the radiant location is shown below - note that at maximum the radiant lies close to beta Per (Algol) rather than Epsilon Persei.

Later in the month we start to see the start of activity associated with numerous meteoroid trails left behind over the millennia by comet Encke. Indeed, from mid September the IMO lists the Southern Taurid shower, rather than listing the more general Antihelion source in its shower listing.

www.popastro.com

What Will Be the Next Meteor Shower We Can Expect

Still, from a rural site, you might expect to see about 5 meteors per hour flying in the first part of September, before the moon waxes large enough to cast its light in the night sky. September also has the advantage of longer nights in the Northern Hemisphere than August, and, although there are no major showers this month, the Northern Hemisphere will feature higher rates of sporadic meteors, according to the American Meteor Society.

All of this simply means that, if you are outside on a clear dark night, in a dark-sky location, you might see a few meteors. How many? It can’t be predicted. A handful each hour perhaps? Just watch and see.

The Aurigid shower, which peaked on the morning of September 1, is the source of some of these September meteors. This shower is not a particularly good one for Southern Hemisphere viewers. The radiant lies in central Auriga, a constellation of the northern sky. The radiant is two degrees north of the third magnitude star Theta Aurigae. That radiant is well placed for Northern Hemisphere observers. It is high in the northeastern sky during the last hour before the start of morning twilight, for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere.

The moon reaches its new phase on Thursday, September 5. Thus the moon is now located near the sun. During the weekend of August 31-September 1, you’ll find a waning crescent moon rising in the early morning hours. With the moon gone from the sky for most of the night, conditions are optimum for watching meteors.

Plus there’s a bonus. The bright planet Jupiter is shining in the eastern predawn sky. The moon passed Jupiter on August 31, and the moon was between Jupiter and Mars in the predawn sky on September 1. As shown on the chart above, the moon will be close to Mars – in the east before dawn – on the morning of September 2. More about tomorrow’s predawn view here.

The entry velocity of the Aurigid meteors is 67 km/second. In other words, the meteors are swift. We heard from observers of this morning’s peak that the meteors were faint, and swift. If you see any, enjoy their fleeting passage across our night sky.

Bottom line: The peak of the Aurigid meteor shower has passed, but you still might see meteors in the early part of September. Expect a handful each hour in a clear, dark sky.

earthsky.org , 2013

Perseid Meteor Shower - How Does It Actually Occur

Какви метеоритни потоци да очакваме до края на 2015 година

Everything you need to know: Perseid meteor shower

In N. Hemisphere, August’s Perseid meteor shower ranks as a favorite. You can see these meteors from S. Hemisphere, too. 2015 is a great year for this shower!

In the Northern Hemisphere, the annual August Perseid meteor shower probably ranks as the all-time favorite meteor shower of the year. This major shower takes place during the lazy, hazy days of summer, when many families are on vacation. And what could be more luxurious than taking a siesta in the heat of the day and watching this summertime classic in the relative coolness of night? No matter where you live worldwide, the 2015 Perseid meteor shower will probably be fine on the mornings of August 11, 12, 13 and 14, with the nod going to August 13. On a dark, moonless night, you can often see 50 or more meteors per hour from northerly latitudes, and from southerly latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps about one-third that many meteors. Fortunately, in 2015, the waning crescent moon comes up shortly before sunrise, so you’re guaranteed of dark skies for this year’s Perseid meteor shower. Thus, on the Perseids’ peak mornings, moonlight will not obscure this year’s Perseid meteors. Follow the links below to learn more. ...

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Perseid Meteor Shower in 2015

The 2015 Perseid meteor shower will peak on August 11, 12 and 13. A new moon on August 14, 2015 will create perfect conditions for watching the meteor shower.

The 2015 Perseid meteor shower will peak on August 11, 12 and 13. A new moon on August 14, 2015 will create perfect conditions for watching the meteor shower.

Radiant of the Perseid meteor shower.Based on NASA illustration

When Can I See the Perseids?

The Perseid meteor shower, one of the brighter meteor showers of the year, occur every year between July 17 andAugust 24. The shower tends to peak around August 9-13.

The best time to view the Perseids, or most other meteor showers is when the sky is the darkest. Most astronomers suggest that depending on the Moon’s phase, the best time to view meteor showers is right before dawn.

Comet Swift-Tuttle

Made of tiny space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus. This is because the direction, or radiant, from which the shower seems to come in the sky lies in the same direction as the constellation Perseus, which can be found in the north-eastern part of the sky.

While the skies light up several time a year by other meteor showers , the Perseids are widely sought after by astronomers and stargazers. This is because at its peak, one can see 60 to a 100 meteors in an hour from a dark place.

Where Can I See the Perseids?

The Perseids can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Look between the radiant, which will be in the north-east part of the sky and the zenith (the point in sky directly above you).

While you can easily see a shooting star with the naked eye just looking straight up, the table below shows the exact direction of the Perseids from your location.

Location in the sky tonight

Slight chance to see Perseids, table below is updated daily and shows position for coming night.

Direction to see the Perseids in the sky:
Azimuth is the direction, based on true north, a compass might show a slightly different value.
Altitude is height in degrees over horizon.
Note that this is not the prime period to watch the Perseids, so there may be few or no meteors visible this night.
Set your location ▸
How to Watch Meteor Showers
Check the weather: Meteors, or shooting stars, are easy to spot, all you need is clear skies and a pair of eyes.
Get out of town: Find a place as far away as possible from artificial lights
Prepare to wait: Bring something to sit or lie down on. Star gazing is a waiting game, so get comfortable.
www.timeanddate.com

How to Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower

Pop some kernels and head outside for the meteor show Wednesday night!

Skywatchers can catch the Perseid meteor shower in one of its brightest displays in years thanks to a coinciding new moon.

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