Friday, October 19, 2007

Shooting Stars

This is a great weekend for looking upwards. The peak night for the Orionids Meteor Shower will be tomorrow night (Saturday night/Sunday morning). The best time for viewing will be after the moon sets sometime between 1 and 2 a.m. If you can find a dark area away from city lights, look eastward toward the constellation, Orion. This fall meteor shower comes when the Earth passes through the orbit of Halley's comet.

It has been 21 years since Halley's comet was within visible range of the Earth and will be another 55 years before it makes another appearance. The cosmic litter that is left in its orbit will streak through the Earth's atmosphere for anybody game enough to stay up (or get up) to watch. Peak times should yield around 25 per hour.

The order of God's universe always amazes me. I hope that you have a clear beautiful night for viewing the heavens.

John

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

A Psalm of David, King of Israel

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