Can i be able to see the Perseid Meteor Shower on aug 12, 2008 in the s.f. san francisco bay area?

Question

Can i be able to see the Perseid Meteor Shower on aug 12, 2008 in the s.f. san francisco bay area?

Answer 1

They will be visible in your area, but being in the city makes it pretty tough to see even stars, with there being so much lighting in the Bay Area.

You might be able to see some of the brighter ones.

Answer 2

http://www.imo.net/calendar/2008

This is the calendar site for the meteor showers for 2008 from the International Meteor Organization.  Everything you ever wanted to know about meteor showers is on this site.  Enjoy!

Answer 3

Lupita, I hate to tell you this, but you won't see many if any meteors from San Francisco because the light pollution will drown them out. Adding to the problem is the waxing moon that will be lighting up the sky until 2 a.m., which is when it sets. The Perseid's come in strong for several days but maximum intensity comes on the morning of the 12th of August. Your best bet is to find a spot in the countryside someplace away from roads, lights and cities and watch for them after 2 a.m. The sky will be dark and you will see the meteors as the debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle slams head on into the atmosphere, burning up as meteors 60 miles above you. Don't go to a dark site alone, go with a friend or friends and let someone know where you're going and when you'll be coming back. Take along some bug repellent, some drinks and snacks, a lawn chair and if necessary, a blanket in case you start getting cold. Then sit back and watch the show.

Answer 4

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/...

Answer 5

You can see it from anywhere in the world.  You just don't see the same meteors as someone in Las Vegas, or Seattle.  Just find a dark spot around 1 am for the best show.

Answer 6

The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak before dawn on Aug. 12. This year the Perseids will be competing with the nearly full moon at first, but after the moon sets there will be many bright streaks in the sky.

This shower is one of the most popular every year because it happens on warm summer nights, when gazing at the starry sky is a pleasure by itself. Many observers take advantage of this by camping out for the event. After the moon sets around 2 a.m. local time, when viewing conditions are ideal, you can expect to see 60 to 90 bright meteors per hour in a clear sky, some with smoke trails that last several seconds after the meteor has vanished.

The Perseids will be visible for most of August, though there will be fewer meteors to see the farther from the peak date you watch. If the peak on Aug. 12 is hidden by clouds, try looking for meteors again as soon as the night sky is clear.

Avoid artificial lights as much as possible to minimize the effect of local light pollution, which can obscure as many as half of the meteors. Try facing east if you have a clear view in that direction, and look about half-way up the sky from the horizon. You won't need binoculars or a telescope -- the meteors move much too fast for that. The chances of seeing a fireball will be greatest near dawn, when Earth is moving head-on into the meteor stream.

The Perseids may appear anywhere in the sky, but they will seem to originate from a point called the radiant in the constellation Perseus, which gives the meteors their name. The higher the radiant is above the northeastern horizon, the more meteors will be visible. Perseus is just north of the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia in the Milky Way, with the bright stars Capella and Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster below it. Meteors near the radiant will have short trails because we see them nearly end on, while those far from the radiant will look longer because they are seen from the side.