Eenuh Posted August 12, 2010 Author Share Posted August 12, 2010 Yeah well last time you weren't alone and you were wrapped in a blanket and you still didn't want to look at them for long. You just fail at stargazing, you're not allowed to ever own a telescope at this rate! >( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Peaked outside and saw a couple, put the clouds keep covering over the majority of the sky so my chances of seeing more are low. I think after I'm done at the pub tomorrow night I shall find a nice piece of grass and lay on my back for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyson Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 So, from a total geology noob over here, I was wondering earlier. What are the chances, if at all possible, that one of these hits us? The wording in Eenuh's original post makes it seem like a field we're passing through but if that were the case would it not be visible at all times? I literally know nothing about this. I don't know if these are the size of basketballs or moons relatively. I don't know if they're light years away or passing by the planet. Why does this happen at this time of year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEVILMURRAY Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Clouds have been raping our skies for the past few days, so no chance of seeing stars last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sméagol Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) Yay! I heard about this, dunno where, but I've also never seen a real falling star before (only in Animal Crossing ). So I kept this in mind. I intended to really go out to some place dark(er), but still close by, to go watch 'm, but well, lazy . Maybe better though, because it proves you don't need optimal viewing conditions. I just stared out of the window for some time. My conditions: - Light pollution close by (lampposts) and far away (greenhouses) - Things obscuring my view (trees, rooftops, my own window) - Slightly getting light already, I started watching around 04:30 CET So I had a small non-optimal view, but I still managed to catch 3 of 'm within an hour, probably even halfhour, I didn't keep track of time. So the only thing really needed seems to be a clear sky. There was a large cloud passing by here, but there was a strong enough wind, so it went by fast. After the 3rd, I was content, and went to bed. The small things in life . I don't know if it matters, but if it helps, I was looking towards the East. Oh, and I loved Shooting Stars by the way. Haven't seen any of the new shows though, eventhough I was aware they were on. But George Dawes is gone? Can't believe it'll be any fun without [his songs]. Edited August 13, 2010 by Sméagol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) So, from a total geology noob over here, I was wondering earlier. What are the chances, if at all possible, that one of these hits us? The wording in Eenuh's original post makes it seem like a field we're passing through but if that were the case would it not be visible at all times? I literally know nothing about this. I don't know if these are the size of basketballs or moons relatively. I don't know if they're light years away or passing by the planet. Why does this happen at this time of year? It's basically the debris from a comet that passes by reasonably close to Earth this time of year. The meteors that strike the Earths atmosphere and give us the "shooting star" effect are just streams of particles which will all burn up before ever reaching the surface, and even if one did, it would be smaller than a drop of water. According to Wiki there is no danger of the comet itself colliding with Earth for at least 2000 years as it has a very stable orbit. Edit: Further reading found me this: Using the best orbit then available, the comet's position at any time in the future could be predicted. The best estimate for the time of closest passage to the Sun during its next approach was 2126 July 11. An error of +15 days in this date would mean that the comet could collide with the Earth on 2126 August 14. The chance of a collision would be very small even though the Earth does pass through the orbit of the comet. The comet will be moving at a speed, relative to the Earth, of 60 kilometres per second. This means that there is only a time of a few minutes during which a collision is possible. The comet will have to lie in this very small time interval in its orbit for a collision to occur. The latest observations have allowed a better orbit for the comet to be determined, and it is now clear that it will not hit the Earth. Edited August 13, 2010 by Gizmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts