It's just about that time! Thursday night/Friday morning is the peak time for watching this year's Perseids meteor shower! I'm hoping the skies above SWMO are clear so that I can enjoy a good view.
The best time for viewing is in the early morning hours, between 2 and 4 AM.
The current night sky is pretty spectacular without the seasonal meteor shower. If you look south/southwest around midnight you can see the Scorpion. Follow the constellation to its tail and you are looking towards the center of our galaxy. From the tail of the Scorpion, northeastward to not quite directly overhead, you should be able to follow the Milky Way if you have reasonably dark skies.
Facing south and looking up, but not quite overhead, you'll see two bright objects just east of the Milky Way. The brighter one (and furthest east) is Jupiter. The dimmer one that is nearly in the Milky Way ribbon is Saturn. With a decent pair of binoculars (and a steady hand) you can see four of the moons of Jupiter. They will appear as tiny pinpricks of light and will be in a line extending from Jupiter's equator. It will take a small telescope or spotting scope to see the rings of Saturn.
I am constantly amazed by the order of the universe and unable to comprehend how such order could come to be by accident. The intricate design of the universe seems to shout, "Creator!"
Enjoy!
John
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I keep saying to myself, don't bother, you're in the city. But since I was up last night (this morning), I waited until 5AM and went out to look. Nothing. Just like always. Fool me once, twice, three times, four times, and on and on.
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